Where and when should I write?
Writing should be fun. If, like me, you do for recreation, you might write whenever you get the opportunity. I never travel far without my notebook and pen, and usually a spare notebook just in case. I get a spare moment in class, out comes the notebook. But a little structure can help sometimes.
Here are some tips on keeping writing personal and fun...
Here are some tips on keeping writing personal and fun...
- Having a personal spot for writing is a good thing, even if you do not use it often. Set aside a desk, or the dining room table. Or even the garden bench. Roald Dahl used to have his own writing shed, but his isn't a possibility for many of us! I sit on the top of my shed, where I can see most of the town and the people in it.
- Many people prefer to go out, my friends and I often walk down to the local Costa Coffee to write. Anywhere you feel you can just sit and write (Maybe with a cup of tea and a biscuit).
- Everybody should have a favourite notebook! For me, the coloured A5 ringbound ones from tesco, but if they sell out, any ringbound one is fine. Once you discover your soulmate notebook, always carry one or two on you - you never know when an idea might pop into your head! Unless you prefer a laptop, of course. then you just need a decent word software.
- Find the right pen too. One that you find easy to write with for any length of time, what colour ink do you prefer? Do you like a rubber grip? Or do you even prefer to write in pencil? Perhaps you like using a proper ink/fountain pen?
- Do you like listening to music? An MP3player/Ipod with headphones is brilliant for carrying your taste in music around with you. Make a playlist of tunes that are calm, or one of your favourites. I find songs in foreign languages are good, because my mind doesn't bother to concentrate on the lyrics, but on the pen in front of me. (Classical music is also good for this). It might be worth investing in a good pair of headphones that block out outside noise. you can get a decent pair for about £20 if you're lucky.
- A plastic/wooden tray is useful if you are sitting on the sofa/in your bed/in your garden writing. You can rest your pad on there whilst you write. If you are in the garden, or anywhere outside, in the summer a comfortable baseball cap may also help so you can see what you write.