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In university, I needed a really strict environmental setup to even think about starting an essay. I needed my water bottle, a good table in the library, enough sleep, and a full belly. The library had to be quiet, and in more extreme cases, I even brought earplugs.
Lately, during my lunch hour at my nine-to-five job, I've been using the time to write, often tucked away or sitting on the floor around the office. I tap away at whatever I can get down, to later return to and edit. I have to take these stolen moments. I'm too hazy in the morning to write, and too tired of looking at screens in the evening. Weekends are often sacred for friends and rest. I think, for many of us, the new habit of writing won’t be glorious, long-haul manic frenzies. It’ll be about taking sips here and there, getting down on the page whatever we can.
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This!!! Lately I've been in a slump, I've found that setting a 30 minute timer where I put phone on do not disturb, only have my document up on the screen, and write — not editing it as I go just write for 30 minutes straight — has helped. By the end of those 30 minutes I'm usually in a flow and try again for another 30 and so on.
I also like collecting quotes or photos (I use Pinterest) that connect to my story. It's a way of grounding me back into the world and a source of inspiration.
I used to commute 1 hour back and forth to work everyday and that time in the car by myself is when a lot of the building for my novel took place. So now whenever I'm in the car, it's reflexive almost for me to work out plot lines, dialogue, etc.
Dec 28, 2024
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When I'm stuck or seem to lack motivation, I often force myself to start putting words on paper.
I just grab a notebook — not a digital device, gotta eliminate escapes and distractions — and start writing. Even if it it begins with "I don't know what the hell to write," at least I'm writing.
Eventually it goes somewhere.
Oct 16, 2024
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General hell yeah to the previous recs. I mentioned The War of Art earlier today and it addresses specifically this question, if you feel reading a book would help.
I'm a creature of habit so having a routine is vital for me. An hour or two right after work is my create time everyday. I do my best to eliminate distraction by writing drafts out by hand or typing on my ipad mini + portable keyboard combo. And you need to get to a place where you can accept that unproductive create time is not wasted time. Staring into the middle distance is vital to the creative process.
Reduce friction so you can't make excuses to not create! That means keeping that camera on you AT ALL TIMES. Keep pen and paper on you AT ALL TIMES. Whatever you need for your project it needs to be with you or easily accessible otherwise you won't make space for it.
And feed your brain. Read, watch, listen, play, and experience as much as you can.
Apr 11, 2024
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Everyone is busy. Everyone is booked up. It has become to new norm to fill my Google Calendar with dinner plans and late-night events, fully scheduled two to three weeks in advance. Resisting this adult timetable, drop-in culture still exists with a bit more brute force, it's texting beloved besties that I'm around the corner—can I come over for a coffee or a chat?—then breezing through on to my errand of the day or whatever else I have going on.
Sep 18, 2024
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It’s important to note that my Amazon dilemma is particularly potent because I used to have a firm belief that the next book I bought had to be in-store. This was, in part, inspired by Fran Lebowitz (someone I both love and fear), who says you have to touch a book in person to truly decide on it.
But as I continued to shop in-store for my books in East London, I found that a type of hyper-curation takes place. Many bookstores, whether chains or independent, carry the same selection. This makes sense, as stores need to invest in books that are more likely to sell, but it also means shoppers are led into a quasi-algorithmic experience of book shopping. To find more niche titles, you almost always have to turn to online sources (see above). To find a happy medium, I’ve started using the resale site World of Books. You can find pretty much anything and everything there. and always at a discount
Sep 18, 2024
Mike Mills' film Beginners is actually what made me start my Substack. After the credits rolled and the screen went black, I kept walking around, talking to friends and family, unable to shut up about it. I had to keep grinding down the topic of love, how bad people are at it, and how childlike we are in it, over and over again. Then, while watching Fire of Love, I realized Miranda July (recent author of All Fours and another current obsession of mine) was narrating it. Looking at her Wikipedia page I realized that the two of them are MARRIED. They have the most beautiful photo together, young and in love and in bed. When I look at it I try to imagine if they, like me in all my relationships, were also bad at loving and being loved in the beginning.
Sep 18, 2024