Creative writing - From think to ink - Lindstrom Simeon 2015

Being a writer 24/7

Writers write even when they’re not writing.

When I was young, in fact, most of my “writing” involved walking around and looking at grass. By the time I turned up at the blank page, I already had fully formed ideas and my writing was merely the act of putting things down so I wouldn’t forget them.

Writing is not just the physical act of typing on a laptop or scribbling in a notebook. Writing encompasses everything it takes to bring you to that moment where you’re crafting the literal words — and that includes more or less your entire existence!

Everything you’ve experienced in your life, the dreams you have at night, your breakfast, the thoughts that bubble up as you commute to work — all of these things go directly or indirectly into your creation.

So, for this chapter, abandon the notion that writing is something you sit down to do for an hour or two and then forget about the rest of the time while you do the rest of your life. Writers are always switched on. Who knows when the next idea will come to fruition? Who knows what things you’ll think of, or when a particularly awesome turn of phrase will spring to mind?

Give your brain something to work on and it will do it even when you sleep, or when you zone out and wash the dishes. Here are some daily exercises you can start doing to slip into your role as a 24/7, full time and always-on writer:

·  Play with words, everywhere, all day, every day. Look at shop signs. When a person passes you in the street, quickly think of a metaphor that describes their eyes. Think of puns and jokes throughout the day. Use new words you pick up and listen carefully to the sounds of them in songs, or the rhythm and rhyme of particular words. Write down things that stand out for you.

·  Keep a collection of quotes you like, copy out sentences that came out of articles and almost slapped you in the face they were so striking. Highlight bits in books you liked. Keep a dream journal for poignant and strange images to inspire you. Become curious about images, ideas, sounds and words around you …and collect the ones that speak to you.

·  If you’re writing dialogue, listen to real life dialogue and get a feel for the natural flow of it. If you’re writing a description of a place, go to places like it and immerse yourself there. If you’re exploring a character, make it a blend of people you actually know.

·  Carry a notebook around with you at all times, or else a voice recorder if you’re feeling fancy. Your smartphone will do in a pinch. Many brilliant things have happened to authors while they’re getting their pedicures or waiting in line at the post office — have a notebook to catch those little sparks of inspiration when they happen. Who knows what you can do with them later…

·  Don’t be like Ned and keep your writing stashed away all in secret. Buy organizers, files and folders — whatever you need to keep what comes out of your head safe and cherished.

·  Open up. Inspiration is out there, floating, like some sort of radiation. Be receptive to it. This means making your sensory channels extra sensitive to all the fantastic things that are unfolding around you all day long. Really look at things. Listen to new music. Eat new foods. Touch things.