Your Writing Environment

Hello everyone! I'm spending a few days in Colorado with a good friend of mine, so if you don't hear from me in a bit, that's why. Also, I've been devoting a lot of time to NaNoWriMo (which I'm now behind in again since I'm having too much fun).

Speaking of NaNoWriMo, for all of you writers out there (whether it be creative, technical, analytical, or just a paper assigned for class), have you ever paid attention to your ideal writing environment? It's different for every writer. If you find out what works best for you, it can make the writing process more enjoyable and more easily...flowable? That's right. I'm making up words.

The environment in which you write can encompass a few different things: place, music, food, time of day, etc. As far as place is considered, I generally hide away in my room, sit on my lovely padded swively chair, and my computer and I get to work. I've heard of a lot of people liking to write in cafes or coffee shops. Seems like a good place to go, but if you have trouble focusing in that sort of atmosphere, it's probably not the best choice for you.

Music is another thing that varies. The first thing that came to my mind was how Muse was on Stephanie Meyer's playlist when she was writing Twilight. When I write, I try to stay away from music with lyrics just because it can be very hard for me to control the urge to sing along. So for me, I choose to listen to movie soundtracks--and I don't mean Disney movie soundtracks either. Once again, far too distracting for me. Instead I listen to things like the Stardust soundtrack or the Robing Hood: Prince of Thieves soundtrack. I'll also listen to things like Enya, William Joseph, and occasionally, if I can cope with the distraction, I will listen to things like Goo Goo Dolls or whatever else I'm in the mood for. But in general, I stick with the soundtracks.

I like listening to music while I write because it seems to help me focus, especially if I've got my earbuds in. It helps me go into my own world that I'm creating and ignore the distractions around me. Some people might not like to write with music on at all, and that's fine. Just find what works best for you.

I don't pay as much attention to food or time of day. I like to have a water bottle handy, but that's about it, and I'll write pretty much any time of day. The real challenge is just getting myself to do it and not getting distracted by the internet...

Good luck discovering what works best for you. And happy writing!