Ready to Write?

Some writers prefer their own company. Some don’t. The last few weeks will certainly have sorted out the party animals from the quiet-lifers. Personally, I rather like parties but I can’t remember when I last managed a famous bit of purple prose while balancing a cocktail sausage and a glass of Chablis. Can you . . . ?
During the normal course of your life, you may have to ring-fence writing time. But – in a party season - with the strains of last night’s 1970s tribute band ringing in your head – the page may look blanker than ever.
Now – you have a choice.
If you find yourself going off to wash the dishes, you’re resorting to displacement activity. And you probably need to take time out to consider why you’re procrastinating.
If you’re writing for personal achievement – a novel, poetry, an autobiographical piece – you may feel this is genuinely not the moment. And that this time would be better spent building up your creative resources for the next real push forward. So do that.
But, for those of us who write for a living, or would like to, waiting for the Muse is not an option.
People ask me “How do you motivate yourself?” Well, as a general rule, I find electricity bills help. But even utility companies stand little chance at the moment!
So what to do?
You probably already use what neuro-linguistic programmers call ‘anchors’ to trigger your writing state. And you may already have attached these anchors to something sensory – essential oils work for some. Peppermint, I believe, is good. Or music. This works for me. Faced with distraction, you need to find your anchor and then, trigger it!
A small exercise to help:
1 Think about your next piece of writing – a chapter? An article? A newsletter?
2 What images come up? Happy ones, I hope. (If not, see me!)
3 How do you feel about these images? Which makes you feel most ready to write? Do you associate one with a piece of music? The scent of a flower? Or a taste?
4 Conjure this ‘experience’ to trigger your writing mode whenever necessary.
At home, this is easy. You can organise your workspace to kick-start your writing self – filling it with triggers such as photographs, plants, Mozart, chocolate, what you will. Triggering your writing state while working on a park bench or in the local Starbucks may take a little more imagination. But – it’s still possible. It’s like pinching your collar for luck!