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nightbird at 05:13pm on 19/04/2009
nightbird at 05:13pm on 19/04/2009Fall quarter of my last year of college, I took a class called Literary Environments. It was taught by a grad student, and it was one of the very best classes I ever took. Before, I'd always been entirely focused on characters, plot, action: this class was about setting, and how setting creates meaning and how it shapes that which exists within it and vice versa. Anyway, amazing class. That's not what I'm writing about today.
Finding a place where writing can happen is imperative. Some people can write in busy cafes with lots going on; I salute those people, because they're capable of something that is utterly impossible to me. I'm most comfortable writing at a desk or a couch in a room with big windows, by myself, with no interruptions or distractions. Barring that, Caribou Coffee tends to be my favorite commercial location -- they have a very "cabin west of the Rockies" feel, but I like all the wood decor, and the music they play is more in the folk/bluegrass/country vein, as opposed to a place like Argo Tea, which has great drinks but constant techno-granola music (which I love, but when it's bad, it's bad) and a very self-consciously modern feel to its interiors, or Starbucks, which... yeah. I'm not a fan of Starbucks, really. Now, for a mere $970 a year, Chicagoland has the Uptown Writer's Space, which is a neat idea (and I love their web design), but I definitely don't spend that much a year on tea, so I'm not sure it's entirely justifiable.
So, some naturalism to the space, and of course, background noise is hugely important. I have playlists, many project-specific, but often I use them for distracting myself from actually writing. Music with lyrics makes me want to pay attention to the lyrics, but the right low-key instrumentals or even nature sounds are great for getting in the mood, as it were. Right now it's raining a little, and there are birds singing close by, and of course there's the constant low-level sounds of traffic, so on the whole, it's pretty nice... except for one other factor: I am starving, and I don't function well on an empty stomach. Food first -- then, story, we'll talk.
Finding a place where writing can happen is imperative. Some people can write in busy cafes with lots going on; I salute those people, because they're capable of something that is utterly impossible to me. I'm most comfortable writing at a desk or a couch in a room with big windows, by myself, with no interruptions or distractions. Barring that, Caribou Coffee tends to be my favorite commercial location -- they have a very "cabin west of the Rockies" feel, but I like all the wood decor, and the music they play is more in the folk/bluegrass/country vein, as opposed to a place like Argo Tea, which has great drinks but constant techno-granola music (which I love, but when it's bad, it's bad) and a very self-consciously modern feel to its interiors, or Starbucks, which... yeah. I'm not a fan of Starbucks, really. Now, for a mere $970 a year, Chicagoland has the Uptown Writer's Space, which is a neat idea (and I love their web design), but I definitely don't spend that much a year on tea, so I'm not sure it's entirely justifiable.
So, some naturalism to the space, and of course, background noise is hugely important. I have playlists, many project-specific, but often I use them for distracting myself from actually writing. Music with lyrics makes me want to pay attention to the lyrics, but the right low-key instrumentals or even nature sounds are great for getting in the mood, as it were. Right now it's raining a little, and there are birds singing close by, and of course there's the constant low-level sounds of traffic, so on the whole, it's pretty nice... except for one other factor: I am starving, and I don't function well on an empty stomach. Food first -- then, story, we'll talk.
hungry
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