You know the old adage that in order to be successful you need the right location? Well ok, not sure if it’s the exact wording but you get the general idea.
This time round it’s actually a two-fold thing. Both in the writing and outside of it.
I’ve got this knack of being able to write anywhere, literally. I think I already mentioned that I write in the toilet sometimes. It’s nice because most people won’t bother you there. Unless you have an insane flatmate or wife that ask you questions like ‘what are you doing in there?’ My response was always “What do you THINK I’m doing in here?” The flatmate on the other hand says “are you in there?” No I just thought I would leave the lights on and the fan running for the floaters, they’re afraid of the dark! Ridiculous people…
The other place I like to write is in the cafe. I could sit in a cafe for eight hours and alternate between staring at people in the vicinity and productively writing away while sipping a chai tea latte and working on a Ham and Mozzerella sandwich or a blueberry muffin.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t write anywhere else. I can write in planes, trains, automobiles and even buses. I can write in a hostel, or a pub, a movie theatre and a club. I can write anywhere even in space… I’ve got a space pen 🙂
The opposite part is location for the story. The old Bond films always seemed to be predicated on the three-location rule. While other stories could span a hundred places. But without a clear picture of the location the writer is lost. In Myranda’s Story right now, I’ve got a clear picture of where the story is taking place. I can see it, feel it, even taste and smell it. I can clearly create new rooms in my head as needed. I can fill the spaces with the things necessary to make the space exactly what I need it to be. Even if what I’ve filled it with is not known to me at the time.
Today Iwrote at a cafe, Starbuck’s no less. I managed five pages today over the course of two hours. I was distracted by several other things like getting Skype on my iPhone, doing some podcast research and generally watching the pretty girls walk by. Sometimes that’s the major problem with writing in public, the ease with which I’m distracted from my task. But no matter, I never feel bad about sitting down and writing…or not…. for hours on end.
After all, I’m a writer, and it’s what I do. Observe, record, re-use… We recycle what we see and write to better understand the world around us, or help others to do so. Whether we do it in a mountain shack or a busy cafe in the center of town doesn’t matter.