On Writing - Tell Me, What Exactly Is Your Preferred Position?

I have a personal question to ask. And I completely understand if you’d rather not share. But how do you like to do it? On your own or in a group maybe? At a desk, or whilst in bed? Several times a day or intense long sessions once a week? Perhaps you’re like me - and prefer to use an electronic handheld device. Honestly, I don’t know how some people manage to write entire novels using only a notepad and pen. 

Ok - whilst some of you drag your mind out of gutter (you saucy lot) - I should clarify. I am of course talking about your preferences for writing. What do you use and where do you find is the most lucrative place to write? I’m a mobile phone and bed type of girl. Probably because I’ve been using some sort of handheld device - be it a Blackberry or iPhone - for the best part of 20 years now, so my thumbs are damn good at typing out an epic missive at speed. Though I don’t know why I get most inspired to write whilst I’m in bed - I’m writing this at 10.30pm on a Sunday night, having pyjama-ed myself up, slapped some age defying cream on my face and trying to download all of my thoughts about this article in a matter of minutes before I really need to sleep. (Apparently, I have a kindred spirit in Truman Capote, who used to prefer writing whilst lying down - though I can only imagine it was far more difficult to do this with the big yellow legal pads he liked to use, rather than my dinky phone). 

I like to think that using my phone makes me structured and gives me the opportunity to write wherever the muse takes me (buses, cars, coffee shops, at my desk at work… oops) - and I think the fact that I generally write blogs and articles means that this medium is well suited for quick bursts of activity. I’m not sure I could write a novel on it though - and if I did, I’d definitely need an app with more structure than humble old Notes. The downside is that I do have hundreds of half started articles (sometimes with just one or two words that I’ve jotted down in a fit of inspiration - only to forget quite quickly what on earth they actually mean).

I was told on a creative writing course, that I should always carry a small note pad and pen, to make notes as and when I come up with ideas, phrases and dialogue that I want to use in my writing. And whilst I did try this for a while, my biggest issue with notepads is one that I’m sure many can relate to. You just can’t bring yourself to crack the spine of that pretty and expensive notepad you’ve just purchased, and to spoil it by scrawling half thought out ideas, in a handwriting that always starts off legible before descending into wild GP prescription territory. I also know that this specific notebook won’t be the only one you have. Oh no, it will be one of many, pristine pads, cluttering up shelves - waiting to be written in but instead merely added to as your notebook addiction grows.

Computers - and more specifically laptops - are now the more usual way of settling down to compose your latest blockbuster. There is a plethora of online tools that one can invest in to keep you on the straight and narrow - and laptops obviously come with the portability that we all so love and need in these techy times.

However, if like me, you also have the attention span of a gnat (thank you social media), anything that connects to the internet is also going to be wildly distracting, so it’s with huge curiosity that I’ve been looking at the Free Write*. First brought to my attention by the wonderful Dawn O’Porter, the Free Write is an electronic device that only allows you to type. With a small screen allowing you to see just 3 or so lines of text, your documents sync wirelessly to the cloud and you’re free from the distraction of websites, emails, notifications and anything else you may decide to spend your time on. Having recently bought myself a jail box for my phone, the thought of being able to write free from modern day distractions is quite liberating. 

Maybe though, we should take some inspiration from those writers who actually know what they are talking about. 

1. Jack Kerouac famously wrote his work “On the Road” in a series of notebooks before typing it out on one continuous reel of paper over a period of 3 weeks (on a good old-fashioned typewriter one presumes - and with that the constant fear of mistakes that can’t easily be rectified).

2. Vladimir Nabokov, the author of "Lolita" composed his work on index cards, which allowed him to rearrange scenes easily. A technique that James Joyce also embraced - though his index cards were huge scraps of cardboard.

3. Note pads in cafes and a typewriter was famously the preference of JK Rowling whilst she created the world of Harry Potter.

4. Whereas Twain, Hemingway and Gaiman all preferred the classic fountain pen (or “fountain pain” after all that writing). And many of these authors sought the solitude of garden rooms, writing sheds or libraries, as their writing place of choice.

With Maya Angelou renting out hotel rooms to be creative (taking along a bottle of sherry, deck of cards and a bible) and Agatha Christie coming up with her plots in the bathtub, I think it’s safe to say that anything goes when it comes to writing tools and places to do the work in. I guess the most important thing is that you’re doing the damn work in the first place! 

Thanks to Phil (co-chairperson of the Verulam Writers group) for some inspiration and encouragement for this article!

*check it out at www.getfreewrite.com

This article was first published in Veracity - Edition 53, the in-house magazine of Verulam Writers