The Write Stuff

From where I currently sit, I can see out the living room window into my backyard. I enjoy this view because it’s not a distracting one (no scandalous neighbourhood antics in these parts) but also, my living room makes me feel at peace. It’s a calm and cohesive space (especially when my toddler is fast asleep in her room and I’m typing away on my little laptop). I am most proud of this room (of all the rooms in this house) because of its classic, minimal, and inviting characteristics (save for Charlotte’s copious knick-knacks that sometimes litter the decorative rug).

My writing journey on this blog has taken me all over this house. I’ve written comfortably in my bed, at the kitchen table, sitting on the couch in the family room amid the din of the television in the foreground, and on the stairs in front of the main floor powder room while waiting for my toddler to poop in the potty. But this specific spot, overseeing my tranquil living room, this is where I like to write.

I love words. I’ve always loved words. I love reading them, crafting them, learning about them, conveying deep emotions through them, and I love writing them. It’s the only way I’ve ever been able to express myself clearly. I’m better with written words than I have ever been with spoken words. I’m someone who finds it difficult to think on my toes (I think they call that slow) but give me time and space, and I can usually get you with a lethal comeback a week later (most of the times).

This past year has been a journey for all of us- globally. But for me, it has also been an enduring writing quest. I’ve written so much in the last year- more than I’ve ever written in my life. Most of it, I am extraordinarily proud of. Albeit, there were a few ‘filler’ posts that were published either for the sake of meeting an internal deadline that I made for myself or I was like a sloth climbing out of the depths of writer’s block.

At the beginning, I tried to come up with a consistent, weekly writing schedule. I even made an outline for myself and everything. I would write a pre-draft on Thursdays (mainly bullet points), pen a rough draft on Saturdays (think of a concept, develop the ‘bones’ of the post, add some research data as necessary), edit on Mondays, then Tuesdays would be reserved for final edits and scheduling the post to publish for Wednesday mornings. It was a beautifully organized schedule. And it worked- for like 6 weeks. I even had posts written ahead of schedule. Then I fell behind because, well, life. Life is typically complicated in the best of times- moods shift, covid mutates, work calls, laundry requires washing, children need dinner, husbands misplace keys- it’s the pace of life that one has to keep up with.

So, currently I write with no schedule other than I have to publish (without a question) something decently coherent on Wednesday mornings. Ideas pop into my head at any given time during the day or night, which I then conveniently jot down on my phone or a notepad near my computer. Of course I try to write whenever I have a slew of free time but usually it’s the last minute rush that thrusts me to the finish line. Realistically, Tuesdays are frantic because everything that I just outlined in my ‘dream writing schedule’ above is all packed into a Tuesday evening. I’m usually crotchety and sweating with the overwhelming pressure of a pending deadline while I helplessly stare at the clock, willing my brain to magically manifest a post and let the words flow. Please God, let the words flow.

Otherwise, it’s been a hoot! Eventually, I do want a more predictable and conventional writing schedule. A schedule that doesn’t involve extreme panic on Tuesday nights or the persistent fear of failure!

Some people wake up early to write and others write late at night. Some can only write on their computers and others are dedicated to their penmanship. How ever you write when you want to write is up to you- whatever works. So, what’s your writing process? Where do you write?

Liked this post? Check out other popular posts on my blog:

• I Write, Therefore I Am.
• The Mighty
• Standing Still
• Where I Come From
• Year in Review: Writing Prompts from Past Blog Posts

*Stay tuned for the new “My Year of Writing” series, coming soon to a WordPress reader near you.