As a wee experiment, I’m typing this on a plane, on a flight to Geneva. (I’ll let you know how I got on, once I’ve finished the post.)
When I started writing seriously, and particularly when I started blogging, I had romantic notions of being able to work anytime, anywhere, whenever inspiration struck. I pictured myself flipping open my laptop in cafés, railway stations, airports, at the beach, tapping away, capturing ideas as and when they came to me.
Turns out, writing me is not as adventurous or spontaneous as I’d hoped.
Disappointingly, I’ve discovered that some of us don’t actually enjoy working in public. We’re too self-conscious about people reading over our shoulders and judging. Rational Me knows this is unlikely to happen and even if it did, why would it matter, but Terrified Writer Me still can’t seem to get over myself, instead preferring the familiarity and security of the kitchen table.
This blogpost is an attempt to redress this balance.
It’s annoying but while I love the idea of spontaneity, the need for routine is part of my genetic make-up. I’ve always wished I could be more rebellious, break more rules and over the years I have become better at this, but when things feel uncertain or out of control, as they often can for those of us that work alone, I always look for structure to fall back on and set me back on track.
As with location, the same applies to how I write. I’ve blogged about the importance of showing up every day while extolling the benefits of free flow, allowing creativity to lead, however that may manifest itself.
And this, I suspect, is the answer. For me at least, productivity relies on both of these things.
In terms of this little experiment, I can conclude that if the idea is there and there’s a computer or notebook to hand, it doesn’t really matter where you are, the words will come. I’m pleased to report that for the brief time it’s taken to type this, I’ve been absorbed only in the writing.
Now that I’m thinking about it, however, I’m immediately distracted by an alarming hissing sound coming from the emergency exit to the left that my kid is currently leaning against, blissfully fast asleep and unaware. (Should I alert someone or just be very British about it, grimace and hope for the best?) Also, if I hadn’t had that travel pill before take off I’d definitely have a headache by now. And my train of thought has now been massively disrupted by the Game of Thrones conversation going on to my right…
They have some interesting theories on who will live and who will die and I can’t…quite…hear…ok, sorry, gotta go.
Hey! I wrote a post on a PLANE. Go Rational Me! See, Terrified Writer Me? I knew we could do it.
Where do you write? Is it as you hoped or expected it to be? Drop me a line or comment below, I’d love to hear from you. Thanks for reading, bye for now.
Ax