Ernest Hemingway said, “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” Oh, is that all?
At least the quote is attributed to Ernest Hemingway. Who knows who really said it? Or if it was basically a paraphrase of "Yo. Wanna be a writer? Then sit yer ass down in the chair and write, baby!"
The sentiment is universally found in various quotes by writers, both famous and unfamiliar. However, how do you sit down as a beginner and make sure you have something to write?
I'm certainly no expert, but I have a few ideas about what worked for me. Maybe these can work for you. Or maybe you have your own way of finding inspiration every time you sit at the keyboard.
First, I carry a notebook everywhere.
And I mean everywhere. During COVID times, I wasn't going too far, and I would grab my notebook when I went into the kitchen to get a snack. The notebook became a catch-all for all the ideas or stray thoughts that came into my head. I never had to worry about trying to remember the brain wave that hit me while I was preparing a meal, or watching a movie. Everything was right at my fingertips for my next writing session.
Second, I set up my space to make it easy.
Old school bulletin boards for the win! And old school index cards. I use them to plot out my masterpiece, keep my character details sorted, plan goals for the week, and even write down favourite writing quotes. Hello, Ernest! In my office I have two bulletin boards at this time. (Don't laugh. A third even bigger bulletin board is still waiting to be mounted on the wall.)
One board is devoted entirely to positive comments about things I've written or notes of encouragement from people I know. I often feel insecure about my writing, so I immortalize positive comments people have made for those moments when I fully expect my "Writer-in-Training" card to be revoked.
And third, I know how my brain works. Or at least how it doesn't.
I think something that doesn't get discussed enough is knowing how your brain works. I know myself way better now than I did a decade ago. I know there's some things I've accomplished recently that younger me would never be able to do, no matter how hard she tried. Some lessons need time.
So while some writers can write whole narratives in 15-minute increments scribbled on a commuter train over the course of years. I'm going to go crazy with that schedule. Some will love having a few hours early on a weekend morning before the family activities get revved up. Personally, writing before 10 a.m. on a weekend makes my skin crawl, but I'll happily put in eight hours on a weekend. Especially if I can do sitting on my deck with cold drink!
When I'm working on something new I try to take an hour after my work-from-home job and work on stuff just for me. I write or edit my current work-in-progress or write a blog post and my family just adapts to the idea that supper is served at 7 or 7:30 most days. For others this isn't feasible or even desirable.
We all have to find what works uniquely for us. The key is to create a space and a schedule that makes it easy to sit down and do the thing: writing.
And then do it again and again and again and...
And sometimes things change.
From time to time I've had to switch up how to do things. I get stuck on a scene or I'm having a day (or week or month...) when I'm not feeling very writer-y. So I write awful poetry or a screenplay. I write on paper, instead of opening a new document in Word. I write in a weird coffee shop. Or I write a blog post.
Because I'm writing.
Because they'll pry my "Writer-In-Training" card out of my cold, dead fists. Probably still attached to my laptop and past deadline.