Where to Write?

First of all, don’t wait for the perfect place or time. Write when you get the chance, no matter where you are. I can cram in a lot writing in a hurry at airports with people and luggage milling about. I love Panera’s coffee shop, and I often scribble scene notes on the back of sheets from conferences or meetings I am attending.

Many people (and beginning writers) think you need a perfect quiet writing space in order to be creative. I think the exact opposite is the truth. Jean-Paul Sartre said, “The lost little cabin in the woods – no neighbors for miles, no disruption – is the novice’s dream but the working writer’s nightmare. In such a setting a real writer soon goes stark, raving mad.” (taken from a recent article in The Writer.)

In truth, the world’s preeminent writers headed to busy cafes. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and J.K. Rowlings grabbed their pads and pens and headed for coffee shops, bars or pubs filled with people, noise and bustle. This is where the magic begins. I have a great writing office with a dogwood tree waving out the window. This is where I re-write, review my “story board”, do research, etc. But I do my best creative work elsewhere.

And writers WRITE! They don’t sit and stare out windows; they put pen to paper (or laptops) and crank. You don’t need (or really want) a private, silent, empty writing office/room. Go find a coffee house and get creative. (please see an article in Dec The Writer, which inspired this post)

Persistence ... "Press On!"

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

Calvin Coolidge
30th president of US (1872 - 1933)

When people learn you are a writer and author, you often get the repsonse, "I think I'd like to write a book someday," or "I have an idea for a book which I may try writing." Many people write, but far fewer of them have either completed the book or are published authors. What is the difference? Not brains, not education, not talent. It is persistence. It is pushing through to the end, seeing your book to its completion.

So when people approach you with "someday I'm gonna..." just smile, because you know something they don't; that to be successful, it takes a lot of hard word - persistence - working through the tough parts and finishing.

Obviously you have to know the craft of writing, sentence structure, plotting, characterization, themes - all of which can be learned. But it is persistence that defines successful writers.

In short - don't give up! "Press on" and finish your story.