Writing in Your Environment
Georgia L. Evans
This subject has been one that there seems to be many different views on. I thought it would be of particular interest since spring has sprung and, as usual, along with the warm weather comes the chaos of busier schedules. It’s the time of the year when we have to make our valuable time stretch as far as possible…for me it’s also the time when I tend to procrastinate a little more and prioritize friends, family, bbq, and pool parties over things like work and career. In doing so, it would seem only probable that we would create our environments according.
I have heard several authors over the years claim to thrive on the hectic chaos that keeps day people up until the wee hours in the morning. I’ve heard them claim to even wonder if they didn’t create these chaotic situations subconsciously, and consciously, so they can work under the conditions in which they seem to work more productively.
For me, this could not be farther from the truth. Although I do admit that everything I see turns into a story of sorts in my mind. I must say that the ideal environment for me to create stories that are worthy of penning, is one of calmness and peacefulness. I prefer to find solitude and comfort when I write. I’ve typically had a corner of a room that I have kept cozy with very few things for inspirations in that area. I have a knack for imagination and can typically see the things I’m writing play out like a movie in my mind. The emotions of my characters play an important role in only the music that listen to on the adventure of each story that I write. The actual location I write in, has little to do with the story. I’ve found that what really matters is the “headspace” environment that I have created to be the most important.
So that brings me to the actual point of this blog post. Spring is one of the roughest times of year for me to clear things out. Spring cleaning…so to speak…is necessary after the dreary coldness of winter. The flowers begin to bloom, the grass needs mowing, two thousand words a day needs to turn into five thousand words a day, the kids are out of school and everyone’s schedule is reeling out of control. The farther behind we get, the more pressure we feel and the cycle for chaos seems to swell.
I do not claim to have the solution to this problem. After all we have busy lives. However, I do believe as we recognize the pressure that we feel and begin to deal with it, we have a much better chance at managing it productively. For me, I will usually indulge myself with the pool party or bbq and then use some of the content later, in whatever I’m writing. There isn’t a time that I’m not seeing things from one of my characters’ points of view, or imagining that one of them could have said or committed the same acts as people I see every day. With that mind-set, it also allows me feel less pressure because I incorporate my career into my fun activities.
I hope you all have a beautiful spring! Thanks for stopping by.