Sidenote: In the last entry, I made a dumb joke about the impending economic collapse of the global markets. It turns out that I am eerily prescient.
Back on track. To ensure that I continue to update and keep you all informed, I had a genius idea. This is no longer a blog about me, this is a blog about my writing. What goes into it, what I think of what I am working on, what I am reading that is inspiring me to write (or what I am currently throwing across the room in disgust). I think that this will be much more manageable overall, and possibly, more enjoyable for you.
I guess a brief history is in order. I have known for probably about three years now that I wanted to be a writer, although I was never sure what exactly that meant. I remember very clearly going to the Best Buy that I now work at and purchasing a laptop, thinking that that purchase would galvanize me into writing more frequently. It worked for a while, but the problem was that I wanted to write these weird stories that fit into no genre; Lovecraftian love stories, and strange clashes between a post apocalyptic Huxley inspired world inhabited by the characters from a Graham Green novel. Not surprisingly, the majority of this was crap.
One laptop later (seriously, Vista sucks), some amazing teachers and a probably five hundred dollars at the book store later, I am officially a writer. No one who doesn't know me reads me, very few people wait with bated breath for my next story, and the quality of my stories is erratic at best. But I am a writer. Because writers write. And thats what I do.
A sheer force of will to do what I want to do, regardless of setbacks or limitations of talent.
So, now that I think we are caught up, I thought I would throw down a few ideas about creating a writing environment, or at least, share what mine is like.
A cluttered fucking mess is probably a good description. For whatever reason, if my apartment is too clean, specifically, if my desk or my coffee table is too clean, I find it hard push through those moments of self doubt. I can not say how many times I have been stuck, only to let my eyes wander and have them land across an empty beer bottle, or a book, or a matchbook from some bar that I was at a while ago, and all of a sudden, it strikes some form of inspiration inside of me that fills me with a new wind. Also important is music, or some kind of ambient noise. Sometimes the TV is on, set to nothing interesting. Other times, I choose whatever music that I can find that doesn't have lyrics. Godspeed You! Black Emperor is good for this, along with Explosions in the Sky, Samsa, Slut Machine, Tarantula Hawk, Tribes of Neurot and even though they have lyrics, Sigur Ros (probably because their lyrics are in a language that I can not understand).
I do the majority of the writing on my laptop. Writing by hand is too slow, and at this point, the keyboard of this little Macbook is second nature to me. The keys are low and smooth and flat, and I truly enjoy the feeling of typing on it. That being said, I usually do keep a notebook next to me for me to write down separate ideas as they come. Sometimes this even includes drawing maps (I have different maps of Elkwater, for instance, at different times over the last twenty years), or even story boarded illustrations of a scene. It can help to have a scene in front of you, especially if it's a place that you have actually never seen; it helps to get an idea of the surroundings and a better handle on what is important in the surrounding landscape.
Above my desk is a poster designed by my friend Eric, and a white board on which I write truly important notes, such as "Change the name of Alex's cousin in MYM to fit with the name in FIRE". It sits above me as I write, and helps eliminate problems.
I don't drink when I write, unless I know that it's only going to be a two or three page story. I have a fear of being hammered for the final paragraphs of a story, and not remembering what I wrote. I read once that Stephen King didn't remember writing "Cujo" he was so fucked up. I don't want to do that. I don't want to not remember writing something. I also don't want to write "Cujo".
Time to turn the phone off, open up Pages and finish what I'm working on now.
