-

 


I Want to Write

When confronted by someone complaining that they want to write a book, but can't find a way to begin, I reply, "You just write. Bakers bake. Writers write." 


If you want to write, go ahead and write. The best situation is for writing to be an outlet for you. If you currently don't enjoy writing but have a desire to start writing anyway, Here is what you need:


    Time

        Find the time of day when you’re fresh and your creativity is most juicy. 

        I haven't met anyone whose creativity flows at the end of the day, but I'm sure

        there are as many flavors of writing schedules as there is gelato at

        Della Palma Gelatoria in Rome*.


    Space

        Clear an area where you won't be distracted.

        Set props or images to inspire you


You may be one of the lucky writers who has a story is pushing its way out of you. When that happens it’s like being at term in your pregnancy and it’s coming. When I was a new mother of non-English speaking children I started writing my first fiction novel and I HAD to write. It came out of me throughout the day. Before they woke up, when they were in school, or during a play date. My characters were running around my head and I had to resort to making random notes when not at my computer and muttering voice memos.


But writing subsequent books, my external obligations have multiplied and I've had to be more structured. Now, I write first thing in the morning and save the grind of "work" until after nine o'clock. I have images of locations in my stories up on my wall. I am a sensory person, so I use perfume and soundscapes. I invested in a perfume from Caffe Florian in Venice's Piazza San Marco while writing my stories set in Venice and would dab a bit on my wrists to "take me there" in quite a meaningful way. I also love soundscapes and a quiet wash of sound helps focus me if people are moving around in other rooms.

        So, got space and time?

-- Anna Erikssön Bendewald 

* I discovered this temple to heavenly gelato near The Pantheon while doing research for The Venice Trilogy and highly recommend immersing yourself in your writing this way ; )



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
  How To Write a Book: Do You Edit While Writing? Wow! This is a question fraught with danger. Trying to edit while writing can keep you from ever getting much on the page. There are two people at work while creating a book. The first should be the artist. The critic has to come much later after the artist has had all the time they need to create.   Think of each chapter as a sculpture garden. First put all your words down to build the size and very rough shape of your sculpture. Leave it alone and start building the next one so it will be harmonious to the last one in size and rough shape. Move on to the next.  After about four chapters are roughly drafted, you can go back and read with fresh eyes. At this stage I make some changes but don’t try to refine. Move on and create the next few draft chapters. You want the words to flow through you [see How Do I Write for how the Muse works insert link] 
Read more
-
Image
  How to Write a Book: Swearing and Writing As a precursor to this subject, I'll tell you a story. It was a hot summer day in nineteen seventy-six and my neighborhood was having a block party. Mrs. Borsha was an elegant woman, dressed like Jackie Onassis in a Pucci-inspired dress and she arrived bearing a gorgeous fruit salad carved out of a watermelon. It was a work of art. She sat it on the communal table and lit a cigarette as she chatted with neighbors. When loud-mouthed Mr. Wiegel arrived reeking of beer and began trying to move things around on the table, he knocked a tray of hotdogs to the pavement causing outcries of alarm which he waved away with a meaty paw of dismissal before reaching to move the fruit salad. Mrs. Borsha said, "Brian, don't you fucking touch that salad." You could have heard a pin drop. His hands hung in the air frozen and every single neighbor was galvanized. No one had ever heard Mrs. Borsha be stern let alone drop an f-bomb.* And she sta...
Read more
-
Image
  How To Write a Balanced Book What is balance in a story? It's easier to say what an unbalanced story feels like. It feels off. It can be many things that cause a story to be unbalanced. Sub-plots that are left forgotten only to pop up and try hog the limelight. A dearth of information only to then pour out in a torrent of explanation known as the dreaded 'info dump'. Or pacing that drags along paying needless attention to pointless minutiae only to race through big plot points or gloss over critical interactions. As a writer, you must always think like a reader. What do they love most of all? To feel smart and involved. Don't get them involved in a sub-plot without making it worth their while. Keep that sub-plot alive and in its proper place--supporting the overall story experience. As for information, there are many ways to sprinkle clues and information throughout. Trust your reader to pick up on them so that when all is revealed, they've gathered everything all...
Read more