The Pyschology of Writing

I found this interesting article on Pocket about writing. The gist of it is that successful writing is about rituals. Every writer is different and the rituals are different, it’s all about finding out what works best for you.

Location and physical environment also play a role in maintaining a sustained and productive workflow. Bob Dylan, for instance, extolled the virtues of being able to “put yourself in an environment where you can completely accept all the unconscious stuff that comes to you from your inner workings of your mind.” Reviewing the research, Kellogg echoes Faulkner’s memorable assertion that “the only environment the artist needs is whatever peace, whatever solitude, and whatever pleasure he can get at not too high a cost” and notes that writers’ dedicated workspaces tend to involve solitude and quiet, although “during the apprenticeship phase of a writer’s career, almost any environment is workable” — most likely a hybrid function of youth’s high tolerance for distraction and the necessity of sharing space earlier in life when the luxury of privacy is unaffordable. via Pocket

This is true. I had a massive lapse in my writing routine over the past few years on this blog because of a mixture of excuses. Now I make it a point to write something at least once or twice a week. Still, writing can be hard. There are so many distractions but sometimes you just got to do it.

I’m a big believer in getting your butt in a chair and just start writing BUT if your environment is distracting (whatever that may be for you), then you’re not going to get any productive work done.

The article is well worth a read, especially the Hemingway quote:

When I am working on a book or a story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as you write. You read what you have written and, as you always stop when you know what is going to happen next, you go from there. You write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until morning when you hit it again. You have started at six in the morning, say, and may go on until noon or be through before that.

Figure out what works well for you. Try to figure out what time, location, and whatever allowable distractions will get your butt in a chair and start writing.