I am a Robin rather than an Owl. I do all my best work early in the morning. In regard to this course I am lucky in that regard. My full time job hours are 8:15 to 4:45. Each evening when I leave work I make a "to do" list for the following day which contains anything left unfinished from the previous day/days as well as new tasks that need to be completed. Because I am aware that my brain is most capable of producing creative or time consuming work in the morning I am able to prioritize my list accordingly. If I had any writing or editing assignments that needed to be complete they would be first on the list. I find it soothing to arrive at work, get a cup of coffee, sit down at my desk and start creating. I've found its also the time of day in which I'm least likely to be interrupted.
Where do you do your best work? Why is that place helpful of inspiring?
Ideally I like to work in total seclusion away from the world with just myself and either my laptop or pencil and paper. I'm an easily distracted person with a very busy mind and thus I find quiet and secluded places to be most condusive to getting work done. Realistically in my life as it exists now I have had to adpat considerably. At work, as I stated above, I can work most easily at my desk in the morning before everyone else arrives and starts getting busy. The more people in and out of the office the more distracted I become. When necessary I use whitenoise or wordless music to drown out office noise and help me focus. At home I have two toddlers and a husband to like to challenege me to find one moment of peace! When I need to write or focus i find it best to either retreat to my room with my laptop or to the dining room table. I reserve the bedroom for a more comfortable creative space and the kitchen for me serious "get down to business" type work.
What tools, objects, or things do you like to have around you when you write?
- paper and pencil for jotting down notes. This is helpful when I have an idea I may not want to use yet but don't want to forget. Its also useful for getting out those thoughts that are distracting me from my present task. If I write them down (like what I need to get at the grocery store later) I can stop thinking about it and move on.
- highlighter and reference texts - I rarely work without some form of reference material. It somehow aids my confidence level to have reference works around to confirm what I am doing...and i always need the useful reminder on when to or when not to use a comma :-)
- something to drink - If I have it, I wont make an excuse to get up and go get it.
What do these habits or preferences say about you as a writer?
Generally I think it displays that when I begin a task I aim to complete it and to stick to it. I am a slave to routine. I don't like to be distracted and I like to avoid having to "come back to things later". If I start a first draft I like to finish it in one sitting. This does not mean, by any means, that my first draft is my last. I may have many many drafts before I am happy, but in the first draft I like to get out all the thoughts I can and find some sense of rough completion or conclusion. Then I leave the work for the day and return to it later and make it better. A perfectionist at heart, I'm also ridiculous about needing to "finalize" everything and start what I finish all in one sitting.
