The Writing Space

"That's my spot." ~ Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory

A recurring theme and a vital topic is that of a writing space, a place a writer feels comfortable and unencumbered enough to put black on white and practice their craft.  I lack this and so it has been a topic of much interest to me as of late.  In reading Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones and Wood's The Pocket Muse I encountered very similar ideas about what a writing space should be.  It should be a place that inspires you, that represents and augments who you are, that is orderly to a point but not pristine because immaculate conditions rarely produce art, and it should be yours.  Claim it with a name plate if you have to, this desk, corner of the kitchen table, spot on the couch, nook in the hallway is yours and yours alone.  I am considering making a space in the garage, but for now my 'writing space' consists of wherever the hell I can get a moment's peace and, of course, the library.  

Thanks to a good friend, I now possess a copy of On Writing by Stephen King and while I have yet to start reading the meat of the book, I noticed that even there, on the back cover, King makes mention of the all important writing space.  His assessment was that it should be a corner desk thereby sheltering one from the constant distractions of the world and allowing concentration and completion.  

Something interesting about the concept of having a writing space that is yours and yours alone is the necessity of leaving it.  Goldberg suggests finding a cafe to write in while Wood tells us that it's important to mix up the schedule a bit and try writing at a different place (park bench perhaps), a different time of the day (if you usually write at night, try getting up with the sun and see what happens), and also to write in a different style from time to time.  I understand that the real function of all of this is to rouse us out of our comfort zones and gain new perspective, new ideas, and perhaps reach a new audience.  But one must have a comfort zone in order to leave it, hence the importance of the writing space.  Do you have a writing space?  What is it like? 

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012

Random Syntax prompt from Natalie Goldberg

Try this. Take one of your most boring pieces of writing and choose from three or four consecutive lines or sentences and write them at the top of a blank piece of paper.

Okay. See each one of those words simply as wooden blocks, all the same size and color. No noun or verb has any more value than the, a, and. Everything is equal. Now for about a third of a page scramble them up as though you were just moving wooden blocks around. Don’t try to make any sense of what you write down. Your mind will keep trying to construct something. Hold back that urge, relax, and mindlessly write down the words. You will have to repeat words to fill a third of a page.

Now if you would like, arbitrarily put in a few periods, a question mark, maybe an exclamation mark, colons, or semicolons. Do all of this without thinking, without trying to make any sense. Just for fun.

Now read it aloud as though it were saying something. Your voice should have inflection and expression. You might try reading it in an angry voice, an exuberant, sad, whining, petulant, or demanding voice, to help you get into it.

Excerpt from Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Boston: Shambhala, 1986

What are your deep dreams? prompt by Natalie Goldberg



Deep Dream painted by Javier Martinez

I asked my Sunday-night group (many of whom had been doing practice writing for three years), “Where do you want to go with writing? You have this strong creative voice; you’ve been able to separate out the creator and editor. What do you want to do with it?”



There comes a time to shape and direct the force we have learned. I asked them, “What are your deep dreams? Write for five minutes.” Many of us don’t know, don’t recognize, avoid our deep dreams. When we write for five, ten minutes we are forced to put down wishes that float around in our mind and that we might not pay attention to. It is an opportunity to write down, without thinking, wishes at the periphery of our perceptions.

Reread them. Start to take your dreams and writers seriously. If you’re not sure, if you honestly don’t know what you want to do, start wishing for a direction, for your way to appear.

Excerpt from Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Boston: Shambhala, 1986



A Writer's Best Friend

They say that total immersion is the best way to learn a language and what is writing but the purest expression of any language?  If a writer truly wishes to hone their craft, then what better way to learn the craft than by immersing themselves in the black and white of text on paper?  Libraries are a writer's best friend.  There is something magical about writing in a library.  Before the internet, before search engines, before Q&A sites and major online information hubs, there was the library and that is where a writer would go to learn what kind of weapon their character might use, to learn the laws that their bad guy might break, to learn of the clothing worn in Victorian England, and to find inspiration on every shelf.  Lately, my cohort and I have been frequenting our local library not only to borrow books, movies, and music, but also to get some writing done.  Surrounded by thousands upon thousands of novels, periodicals, picture books, and reference materials I was finally able to clear my head and concentrate enough to write out the entire outline of my grad school admittance essay.  It is a few drafts of polishing away from ready.  

The best part of writing in a library is that you are never short of information or inspiration whether your aim be nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or research paper.  There is joy in wandering the aisles and taking in the sheer magnitude of words and lives behind those words.  And if you have an idea of what you're looking for, you can seek inspiration in a more direct way.  If your character is a fly fisherman, Mr. Dewey Decimal can help you find detailed books on the subject.  If your character reads nothing but Agatha Christie, you might browse the mystery section and put yourself in your character's shoes as you gaze upon the myriad of Marples and Poirots lining the shelves.  I browsed the catalog today in hopes of finding inspiration directly relating to the craft of writing and found a variety of books, some of which came home with me.  These look incredibly promising for anyone writing mystery, murder or mayhem: 

Cause of Death 

Deadly Doses 

These are the ones I ended up borrowing today.  So far I am extremely impressed and inspired by 'The Pocket Muse.'  I will be sharing some of the ideas contained within this book but I recommend everyone take a gander at it for themselves.  Dani has shared a variety of information and prompts from Natalie Goldberg's book, 'Writing Down the Bones,' and I have been so impressed and excited by what I've seen that I couldn't leave it there on the shelf once I found it.

The Pocket Muse 

Writing Down the Bones 

Writing Mysteries

Finally I would like to propose a challenge.  I challenge you (contributors and readers) to spend some time this week in a library.  Perhaps you have some time set aside specifically for writing. Why not spend that time in place where authors are immortalized, remembered, and born?  Even if you don't go there to write, take a stroll through your public library and just see what kind of treasures you stumble upon.

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012

Obsession List prompt from Natalie Goldberg

 

 

Every once in a while I make a list of my obsessions. Some obsessions change and there are always more. Some are thankfully forgotten.

Writers end up writing about their obsessions. Things that haunt them; things they can’t forget; stories they carry in their bodies waiting to be released.

I have my writing groups make lists of their obsessions so that they can see what they unconsciously (and consciously) spend their waking hours thinking about. After you write them down you can put them to good use. You have a list of things to write about.

 

Excerpt from Natalie Goldberg's Wild Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Boston: Shambhala, 1986

Natalie Goldberg

Natalie Goldberg--if you have ever picked up a 'how to write' book, you have come across this name millions of times. Natalie Goldberg is one of the top gurus for workshops, crafting writing, and everything else that is part of the creative generating process.

When I attended Deb McLeod's Novel Boot Camp Seminar a few weeks ago, I learned that Natalie Goldberg is actually the founder of free writing (the activity of placing pen to paper for a solid time limit without worry of logic or grammar). Also, I learned that clustering (or webbing) came out around the same time in the 80's. Oddly enough, it never occurred to me that these techniques wouldn't have existed before-- that someone, some generation, had to come up with these ideas.

In any case, the next few weeks of prompts will be coming from Natalie Goldberg's  Wild Mind: Living the Writer's  Life and Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within.