It’s more than just, how much you write. Where do you write? Is an important factor.
PJ’s Coffee, on Canal Boulevard in Lakeview, New Orleans.
Where do you write?
Dara offers a number of good suggestions in her article on Writing Routines. While these are solid suggestions, they leave out an important consideration: Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated writing space? Can you maintain a solid writing routing and change up your locations?
I think back to what Murakami said in Dara’s piece:
“I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerise myself to reach a deeper state of mind.”
Discipline! Create a routine. Stick to it. And now I’m humming Mesmerized by The Cold, a local New Orleans band from the 1980s.
I’m sure that Murakami, like Stephen King, has a dedicated space for writing. After all, I have a home office with several computers. The space facilitates the computer training I do. It’s a professional space for specific tasks. When you’re a full-time writer, it’s logical to have a similar professional space. Still, when I think of Murakami, I think of him sitting in a coffee shop in Sunjuku Station, surrounded by the hustle-bustle of Tokyo. Yes, that’s an incredibly busy location, but people-watching is important. Does he have time to go out, perhaps with a notebook, and take in the scenes? Then return to the professional space? Or do the locations become the space?
Home versus out
So many writers do their best work right after they wake up. That’s why they get up, maybe eat something, have a coffee or a cup of tea, then sit down. They Begin the Discipline. I like to get out of the house before starting the day’s writing. Most of my books emerged from time in coffee shops. There’s no need for good wi-fi, or even power. Write without distraction. When the laptop battery fades out, pack it up and go do something else. Would this work for you? It might be worth a try.
