Writer multi-tasking

Coffee-check, cell phone-check, window open, laptop on.

Open blog, open story for final edit, open new story, start writing.

This is my standard process and the way I get started. Moving between all the projects is comfortable and stimulating for my brain. I feel good about what I’m doing. I am predictable, but don’t tell anyone! I want to be perceived as this mysterious artistic human others are compelled to try to understand but can’t get past the wall of creativity.

Millie will come and lay down beside my feet while I work. She will tell me if someone is there while I lose myself in thought or get wrapped up in letting the words flow. When Chuck is here he will come and stand at the door to watch me or he will come over and give me a kiss then leave me to my words.

I think he is proud of what I am doing.

I have three reference sheets of descriptive words taped on a computer monitor I no longer use. It’s amazing how helpful those words are to my creative mind. Where I sit while working I am next to a nice sized window. As often as possible I have it open to engage with the sounds of dogs, birds and the leaves of the trees moving in a breeze. I have four plants in the room so I can breathe.

Tinkerbell is all over the place. I love fairies and pixies. A former boss used to call me Pixie.

The wine is for afternoon and evening writing. Gotta have wine, ha ha.

Cheers!

-N

Boxing up my muse

I have started to box up my library/office and it feels weird. I love being in that room. Blogging and writing, doing research or just getting inspiration it all happens in there.

I love books. The way they look and smell give me a wonderful, soul-stirring sensation.  People who know me laugh at me when I open an old book and burying my nose in it taking a big sniff. They say I close my eyes and smile.

When I am in the process of writing I look at them, touch them and get ideas for character names or a fictional town name. I surround myself with words. All kinds of words. Jude Devereaux and Janet Evanovich, a biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Atlas of World War II, old textbooks, Winnie the Pooh and Plants of the Southwest.

If I had to make a guess I must have 1000 hardback books. Now I have to close them up in boxes to be stored until we move. I hope the words will still find me. Maybe I’ll leave a few on the shelves just in case.

Cheers!

-N