The Write Frame of Mind

I’m manning the desk at work today eating carrots and hummus and an overwhelming urge to write has flooded my being. Maybe it’s the weather (fliuch agus fuar- wet and cold in Irish (probably the one phrase I’ll remember until the day I die)), maybe it’s the music I’m listening to (the wonderful swing classics and my new favourite artist, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns), but probably it’s a bit of both.

I’ve always dreamed of being a writer like those glamourized in movies  and on t.v.- you know, the non-bestseller in the amazing brownstone-turned-apartment-complex apartment (Carrie Bradshaw comes to mind) who has the luxury of sitting at her desk drinking coffee (in my case tea), wrapped in the comfiest clothes/blankets imaginable. How great would that be?! Alternately (since I know this would never happen unless I either became a best-seller and could afford that lifestyle or came into an inheritance (and this isn’t worth losing a loved one for)), I usually day-dream of holing up in a coffee shop for hours on end, once again drinking approximately the same volume of tea as Lake Geneva. Sadly, this doesn’t usually happen either. I don’t know about you but I’m a lazy writer. I don’t particularly relish the thought of lugging my laptop around with me and making sure I have enough battery life so I can leave the power cord at home. Yet, I really don’t work well at home. Of course Yesterday is a great companion but there’s just something about having my own space that is dedicated solely to writing that is a necessity. I’m not exactly sure what’s missing at home.

Perhaps what I’m missing is time. At home, there’s always something to be done or snacks to be made and eaten so it’s easy to lose focus and get sidetracked. When I’m out, I don’t have to fight the external stimuli, I can instantly fall into the zone and the story starts revealing itself like a movie in my mind. I suppose wherever I go, there will be temptations and traps I have to be on guard for. I hope that as the months go by and I get more accustomed to carving out serious blocks of time in order to work on my stories that things will get easier. I’ve never considered the external influences on my writing so it’ll be interesting to see how things like the weather, work, my mood and such influence this project. I think one major key to being a successful writer is knowing what your personal obstacles are and what environment is most conducive to your creative process.

It’ll be tricky at first to balance this commitment with work (which always has to come first), Yesterday, dance and my Irish lessons. I’m excited for the challenge and have started thinking about the novels over the past day or so. I hope my biggest challenge will be coming up with enough names for the characters. It’s surprising how hung up I can get on a little detail that doesn’t matter at the moment.

When I decided to move down east from Toronto, I kept myself in the frame of mind that things will work out. It was scary putting my trust in a mantra, especially when the visible indicators stated the outcome was most likely NOT going to end up how I envisioned it would. Time and time again things worked out as I knew they would. Yes, there are times when I lose sight of this mindset but those have been few and far between. With a solid history of success, I’ll definitely rely on this internal strength each month. Call it what you want, for me, it’s optimism.

Even with these few postings, it feels so wonderful to get back into writing. I don’t remember the last time I allowed myself the amount of time to write that I’m giving myself now. My little soul is ecstatic.

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