Constance Williams's Blog: Absolutely Me - Posts Tagged "environment"

This is to all the authors, writers, bloggers and people who just put words together for one reason or another - be it professionally, for pleasure, or because you have yet another assignment due for school. In other words, pretty much everyone.

How do you write?

I don't mean style, pacing, tense or anything like that. I mean - when you write, what kind of an environment do you hold as key.

I ask this out of curiosity, and because, right now, it's fresh in my mind.

I've always been aware that I write best when I can sequester myself away with peace and quiet. I don't do well with distractions when crafting something. I didn't realise quite how much I needed that until today though.

At the moment, I'm on vacation. Some much needed time off from my day job. I have, however, brought 'work' with me - or what passes for work. I'm intending to work on The Protectors, of course - but I have also got an article to write for a news website. Okay, I had intended to get it done last week, but I wrote it twice and, quite frankly, the results were less than impressive. Not something I would be happy to release to the public.

'Not a problem,' thought I. 'I'll take it on holiday with me and write it at the beach. Won't take me that long and I'll be nice and relaxed.'

Actually, that part of the plan worked. I lay in bed last night, inspiration hit, and I knew exactly what I was going to write. How I would spin the article to put a new twist on what can be quite a dull topic.

I sat down to write it today, and I got the first two paragraphs written, words flowing out of the ends of my fingers like water. It was great, it would be done in no time, I was a genius!

Then the problem struck. I'm not alone on holiday. I'm away with family. Family who had said that they were going out for a walk, leaving me to get on with my writing in glorious solitude. Only they didn't go. They wandered back and forth. Looking at maps. Shouting from one end of the house to the other, wanting to know where hats, and keys, and sunglasses were. Coming up to ask me if I wanted a cold drink (no). Or a cup of tea (no...). Was I sure I didn't want anything (Yes. I'm sure. No - I want something - I want you to leave me alone.). Was I sure that I didn't want to come with (YES - PLEASE GO AWAY.)

So, instead, I'm here, writing this blog post, waiting for everything to settle. And then maybe, just maybe, I can finish the article, send it off to the editor, and at last be able to relax into my vacation.

Before that promised work on the book begins, of course...