Inside My Writing Process: What I Need to Write

The writing process is personalized for every writer. I’ve found it evolves over time as what you need to enter that creative space morphs.

For every writer, how one writes is a question that evokes a different answer. It’s personalized and specific, influenced by life circumstances, drive and so much more. For instance, when my children where toddlers, I needed late night, solitude and a writing buddy to message with. If I was interrupted by someone in my house, I would lose focus.

As my kids grew, I went through a period where I needed absolute silence. Even the sound of breathing could throw me off.

Likewise, writers I have talked to say the same: their needs for writing change, evolve and shift as life does. We fit writing into the crevices of life. And sometimes we learn to make due with what time and space we have available.

Right now, I have entered a new phase. My children are in college, and away from home for much of the year. We no longer have pets. Any mess or noise is my own. Sometimes, the silence can be deafening. Coming to terms with this shifted sense of home, workspace and whatnot has meant creating a new writing process for myself that is adapted to my life now.

As I was mulling what I need to shift at home to make it as effective for me as coffee shops, libraries and hotels, I came up with this list of what I need to write in this moment, as a 40-something single mom with two kids in college:

1. A Window — It doesn’t matter if it’s light or dark out, raining, snowing or sunny. I need a window nearby that’s unobstructed. I don’t even need to face the window. I just need it there so that when I look away from the writing, I can see the world outside.
2. Music — Nearly every stage of my life and every project I’ve worked on has a playlist. Some are dedicated playlists that I create to invoke a mood. Others are ones that I develop to act as background noise. But the music always matters. Right now, I am writing mostly by a moody playlist that keeps me in a liminal space. It’s effective for the projects I am working on.
3. Calm — This is a weird one, because it’s so much less tangible than music or a window. When I say I need calm, I don’t mean somewhere where there is no one around. In fact, I do some of my best work in crowded, loud spaces like the Boston Public Library or Bagel Central in Downtown Bangor, Maine. It’s more like calm around me — in other words, no one is directing their energy to me. See? I told you it was weird.
4. Mood — Another weird one. My mood matters. If I am angry, hurt or processing something, I can write for days. If I am happy, my writing shifts, but again I can write for days. But what I cannot do is write when my mood is a jumble of things. That’s when I have to step away to untangle whatever is happening inside my head.
5. A Beverage — Hemingway famously said “write drunk, edit sober,” but when I say I need a beverage, I usually mean coffee, tea, water or Diet Coke. The second thirst hits, I lose focus. So whenever I am about to write, I make sure to have a beverage at hand.
6. A Table of the Right Height — Look, sometimes I write in bed for hours. Sometimes, it’s on the couch. I can write anywhere with the right inspiration. But if I really want to get in the zone, I need a table of just the right height where I can sit straight and comfortably and work for hours. This is why the right desk is so important.

What’s on your list?

Now that I have mine, it helps me see exactly what I need to do to change up my environment to create optimal conditions for my writing. After all, I have so many words left to give.