I’m writing this blog for the numerous requests I have received as of late from both friends and fans. I am asked the same question more or less just in different variations. “How do you come up with what you write?” That is what they all ask and while I would love to smirk and say “It just comes naturally to me.” It tends to be a bit more complicated than that.
I would like to start by saying that I have never taken any writing classes, nor do I read as much as other writers dictate I should. So it pleases me when people I know (as well as those I don’t) take joy in reading my work. But in order for me to create efficiently, certain ‘conditions’ must be met and catered to or else I just find myself staring at my monitor.
First and most important is my setting. Ambience plays a major theme in whether or not I and able to make the ‘transference’ over into the world I’m writing in. Confused yet? I thought you’d be. Dim lighting and close quarters are best at starting the process. Large open areas I find overbearing and uncomfortable to write in, but stick me in a closet or small bedroom with the door shut and I’m golden. Next is sound. I CAN NOT WRITE IN NOISY BOISTEROUS SETTINGS! I find it nearly impossible. Sirens (Englewood), people, music, parties….NO THANKS! Silence is a beautiful thing. So when those conditions are met, that’s when the transference begins. It is as if my soul or spirit leaves and my body just becomes a vessel to document. It‘s as if I am witnessing what my characters are doing and no longer in the room or confined structure where I write. I can see them vividly and so the story tells itself as I just sit and write what I’m seeing. If that sounds odd to you then we’re in the same boat because I don’t understand it myself. Everything changes and I am immersed…lost sometimes even, losing all concepts of time and the physical world around me. Even stranger is if I am broken from my spell by an outside distraction. I find myself more often than not nearly jumping out of my pants if someone says something to me or even just calls my name.
So there you have it, go ahead and ponder with it. Better yet try it yourself and see what happens. I think it may be the same as when people who read find themselves in what they are reading, but I could be wrong. Anyhow…question answered. Bye peeps!
