Where do you Write?

Where do you write? I’m curious where different people do their best writing.

Personally, I do my best writing when I go to my favorite local coffee shop and bookstore. I find the action of going somewhere to write helps put me in the right mindset to actually get some writing done. Another perk is that I associate going to write with rewards, such as coffee and lovely cinnamon pull-aparts. The disadvantage is that after awhile I get to know the people at the coffee shop so well that I end up chatting with them for hours instead of writing–but hey, we’re usually talking about books and writing, so at least we’re on subject 😉 But even with the distractions that pop up while I’m there, I still love going to write there and when I do write I usually get a lot done. I can write at home, but I find myself getting distracted and surfing the net or watching Tv more often than not. Come November I’ll be spending all my free time at the coffee shop, pounding out my word count for the day, but it will also force me to write at home more, since I have to write consistently everyday or else risk falling behind.

But I do do my best writing when I go out and find just the right atmosphere, not just any old coffee shop will do: It has to be the right size so that I can people watch, but not be completely distracted by their conversations; It has to have good music or else I will get annoyed and won’t be able to get into my writing; It also needs the right atmosphere, one that promotes comfort and creativity. So once I find a coffee shop I like, I’m extremely loyal.

So now that I’ve ranted about my preferred writing conditions, I’d be interested in hears what some other people’s are.

~~Lady of the Pen~~

Autumn Equals Writing!

It’s nearly October which means it’s nearly November and we all know what that means–National Novel Writing Month! I don’t know about the rest of you NaNoWriMo-ers, but I’m super excited. I know a lot of people who are sad to see Summer leave and Fall start rolling in, but I love it. Autumn is my favorite season to begin with, but ever since I started doing NaNo I strongly associate Fall with writing. I think of warm, cozy clothes; hot coffee; cold, rainy weather; and settling down at home or in a coffee shop to write. It’s a good time of year.

So who’s prepping for their novel in November? I have a story idea I’m working on developing. I’m pretty excited, I think it has a lot of potential. There’s an interesting setting, I’m writing a slightly different character than I normally write, and there are mysterious powers at work. Who knows what could happen!

Don’t let November catch you by surprise my friends.

Happy plotting,

~~Lady of the Pen~~

The Mysteries of the Creative Process

There are many frustrations for writers, or anyone else in the creative world. We see the world differently, often finding beauty and richness in the strangest places. There’s also an odd ability to partner happiness and contentment with a sense of melancholy. I, for one, love old things; buildings, forests, books, they make me happy, but I also feel sadness because nothing lasts forever and I hate to think of something so beautiful passing away. These mix of emotions seem common for creatively minded people. It is our gift and our burden to see the world from a unique prospective and try to share it.

Another part of the burden is that nothing is ever as pure and perfect as it is in our mind. While it’s only a thought and an idea it’s perfect and world changing, but much is lost in translation. More than the audience will ever know, but the creator of the work knows and must learn to be content with the dim reflection of their initial idea that comes from their mind into the real world. Writing can be maddening and frustrating, but it’s so rewarding. After all I get to spend my life questing for stories. Finding fragments of plot and setting here and pieces of inspiration there. It fills the world with endless possibilities and makes me thinking of ever experience both good and bad, both beautiful and ugly, and even the mundane as possible materiel. Nothing is wasted. Everything is just another ingredient that goes into the creation of something new. Despite the difficulties, the feelings of self doubt, the fear of wasting time and that what you write doesn’t matter, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love stories. I love creating them. And I love the idea that someday my writing might inspire someone and ignite a love of writing in them. I’m not sure who I’d be without writing and I don’t intend to find out.

~~Lady of the Pen~~

Arrow to the Knee

So I was rereading some of “The Name of the Wind” and came across a section near the beginning that made me laugh.

“In spite of his grin it was obvious he’d hurt himself. His face was tight with pain, and he leaned heavily on a chair for support. “Took an arrow in the knee on my way through the Eld three summers ago. It gives out every now and then.” He grimaced and said wistfully, “It’s what made me give up the good life on the road.” He reached down to touch his oddly bent leg tenderly.”

At first I thought it was Rothfuss’ nod to Skyrim, until I realized that “The Name of the Wind” came before the game. So now I can’t help but wonder if the person who wrote that stock dialogue for Skyrim was actually a Patrick Rothfuss fan? It seems very possible. I have a hard time believing that it’s merely a coincidence.

~~Lady of the Pen~~

Hello

Hello cyberworld,

I seriously need to start blogging again. For some reason it just seems so much harder to get on here and write a post vs. writing a Facebook update or a tweet (admittedly tweets are only 140 characters long and so by nature are simpler.) But I’ll give blogging a shot again and see if I can get back into it.

You will hopefully be seeing more updates from me, unless I totally loose blogging motivation, which is possible.

Signed,

~~Lady Of The Pen~~