Guest Post by Julie Duffy, @storyadaymay
The sad
truth is that the role of ‘writer’ does not come with staff. Even full-time
professional writers, for the most part, are not issued with a full-time
assistant. Most writers still have to shop for food, clean the bathrooms and
tidy up after ourselves.
truth is that the role of ‘writer’ does not come with staff. Even full-time
professional writers, for the most part, are not issued with a full-time
assistant. Most writers still have to shop for food, clean the bathrooms and
tidy up after ourselves.
But never
again should your domestic chores become a reason not to write. WU brings you
the Essential Guide to Writing While Cleaning Your House.
again should your domestic chores become a reason not to write. WU brings you
the Essential Guide to Writing While Cleaning Your House.
(Brain)storming
The Castle
The Castle
As any of
you who have ever taken a shower will know, our best ideas are often
accompanied by the sounds of running water and the smell of soap. Surely it
might work just as well if you are scrubbing the shower rather than yourself?
you who have ever taken a shower will know, our best ideas are often
accompanied by the sounds of running water and the smell of soap. Surely it
might work just as well if you are scrubbing the shower rather than yourself?
So turn
off the TV, mute the radio (or set it to soundtracks or classical, or your
writing music of choice) and start thinking about your characters while you
scrub.
off the TV, mute the radio (or set it to soundtracks or classical, or your
writing music of choice) and start thinking about your characters while you
scrub.
How
To Write While Doing Something Else
To Write While Doing Something Else
Now,
granted, you’re probably not going to do a lot of actual typing or writing while
you’re wrestling sheets off the bed, or scrubbing under the u-bend. But there
are ways of working when you’re not at your desk.
granted, you’re probably not going to do a lot of actual typing or writing while
you’re wrestling sheets off the bed, or scrubbing under the u-bend. But there
are ways of working when you’re not at your desk.
You can
plan scenes, dream up plot points or even carry a voice recorder with you to
capture ideas and passages of prose (this works rather better well when there
is no-one else in your house at the time who’ll pop their head in and say,
“What? Were you talking to me?”)
plan scenes, dream up plot points or even carry a voice recorder with you to
capture ideas and passages of prose (this works rather better well when there
is no-one else in your house at the time who’ll pop their head in and say,
“What? Were you talking to me?”)
Link
Your Scenes To Certain Jobs
Your Scenes To Certain Jobs
Breaking
down a big job into smaller tasks stops you becoming overwhelmed and happily,
this works for cleaning and storytelling. You have a list of scenes to write
and you have a list of rooms to clean. Make these two things work for you, by
assigning different scenes to different rooms.
down a big job into smaller tasks stops you becoming overwhelmed and happily,
this works for cleaning and storytelling. You have a list of scenes to write
and you have a list of rooms to clean. Make these two things work for you, by
assigning different scenes to different rooms.
When
choosing what to work on in each room, consider the setting. Use the different
rooms to enhance your writing:
choosing what to work on in each room, consider the setting. Use the different
rooms to enhance your writing:
*Cleaning the kitchen? Work on a sensual
scene, maybe a dinner or a scene where your hero and heroine trap, skin, gut
and cook a small defenseless creature. Mmmm, carnal!
scene, maybe a dinner or a scene where your hero and heroine trap, skin, gut
and cook a small defenseless creature. Mmmm, carnal!
*Kid’s bedroom? Think about your teenage
character’s next big scene while you’re fording the sea of discarded clothes in
your own child’s room to reclaim your best earrings from the heap of gewgaws
beside her bed.
character’s next big scene while you’re fording the sea of discarded clothes in
your own child’s room to reclaim your best earrings from the heap of gewgaws
beside her bed.
*Your bedroom? The ideal opportunity to
work on the big romantic, er, climax. Or not…
work on the big romantic, er, climax. Or not…
*Folding laundry? Perfect! This
repetitive, mechanical task is ideal for letting your mind take a flight of
fancy. Plan your big turning points now. Run through a critical piece of
dialogue. Audition daring new ideas in the safety of a fluffy, fragrant
folding-spree.
repetitive, mechanical task is ideal for letting your mind take a flight of
fancy. Plan your big turning points now. Run through a critical piece of
dialogue. Audition daring new ideas in the safety of a fluffy, fragrant
folding-spree.
*Bathroom? Definitely time to work on
your villain!
your villain!
Mine
Your Own Emotions
Your Own Emotions
Everything
we write is colored by our own experiences and the little details are often the
ones that bring our characters to life for a reader.So pay attention as you
bend and stretch and scrub and fold, to how you are moving.
we write is colored by our own experiences and the little details are often the
ones that bring our characters to life for a reader.So pay attention as you
bend and stretch and scrub and fold, to how you are moving.
What do
you do when your back aches? Would your character move the same way?
you do when your back aches? Would your character move the same way?
How do
you feel when faced with a mountain of unwashed dishes — again? That’s how
your hero feels at the ‘all is lost’ point just before the climax.
you feel when faced with a mountain of unwashed dishes — again? That’s how
your hero feels at the ‘all is lost’ point just before the climax.
Are you
disgusted by the bathroom floor? Great! Notice what you do, how your facial
muscles contort, and how your stomach feels, then use it all when your heroine
encounters the villain at his most dastardly.
disgusted by the bathroom floor? Great! Notice what you do, how your facial
muscles contort, and how your stomach feels, then use it all when your heroine
encounters the villain at his most dastardly.
Live
To Write
To Write
We all
like to imagine how life would be if we had Neil Gaiman’s writing gazebo in the
woods and a fleet of assistants to shop and fetch and clean for us. But in the
meantime, lets turn our formidable creative powers to the task of turning
household chores into the raw material of great writing.
like to imagine how life would be if we had Neil Gaiman’s writing gazebo in the
woods and a fleet of assistants to shop and fetch and clean for us. But in the
meantime, lets turn our formidable creative powers to the task of turning
household chores into the raw material of great writing.
If we can
do that, surely there’s no creative problem that can defeat us!
do that, surely there’s no creative problem that can defeat us!
Julie Duffy is a writer and the host of StoryADay May, a creativity challenge and community at StoryADay.org . She is also the author of the StoryADay Guide To Breaking Writers’ Block
Great suggestions, Julie! I often let my mind roam while doing the mundane. Even driving let’s your mind work.
Writing isn’t always just spending time parked in front of you computer. Whole scenes can come together over just about any task.
My partner has been having difficulty finding work, so I hired him on as my full-time assistant. Come to find out, there’s a surprising number of tasks that I can outsource, from doing the dishes to setting up mailing lists.
Sure, I have to deal with some latent sexism aimed our way from folks who are aghast that the “man of the house” doesn’t have a “real job”….but I say, there’s something pretty valuable about never having to wash another dish ;)
Elizabeth – Thanks for hosting Julie.
Julie – What a good idea to think of ways to integrate doing other chores into writing! Agatha Christie said that the best time to plan a story is when you’re doing the dishes. I think she had a point. And I love the idea of using those chores as inspiration.
Oh Julie and Elizabeth, this post is FOR me. I think I have to be doing 20 things all in the same minute.
I love the idea of linking a specific room to a certain scene. Wanna come clean my house, Julie?
Thanks for hosting her, Elizabeth!
Sia, thanks! I probably shouldn’t admit that my mind wanders all the time while I’m driving, but I have been known to fire up the cell phone and record myself rambling!
T.L., that sounds awesome! And I worked for a couple in the early 90s where he took early retirement when the kids came along and she was the main breadwinner. Part of his “housework” once involved digging a wine cellar out of the kitchen floor with a pickaxe! Nothing wrong with his manliness! :)
Thanks so much for posting today, Julie! And…I love multitasking this way because housework is so incredibly mind-numbing, otherwise! I just have to keep myself focused on the plot I’m currently writing, and not branch off into other stories. :)
Yes! I often imagine characters doing what I am doing. (It’s a dangerous thing to do while grocery shopping — characters are worse than toddlers at slipping things you’d never buy into your cart!)
But I also find that sometimes where I’m working gives me inspiration on a scene — I’ll use the setting and a kind of 3-D stage.
Elizabeth, you are soooo right about housework being mind-numbing. I find myself looking forward to it when I have a story on the boil though.
Margot, good old Agatha! Nice to know we’re in good company!
Doing mindless tasks is a great time to work on a story. Although I face an “All is lost” moment every day around 4pm when I realize I need to come up with something brilliant for dinner and find the house again – all in about an hour.
This is great. I think villains can also be found in garages, and luscious plot scenes in the garden. I got a wild inspiration while sorting my sock drawer just before the A to Z Blogging Challenge. If you want to meet the folks who emerged from the sock drawer, visit Play off the Page
Cheers!
This was great! I usually find that listening to music while cleaning gets the ideas going for me.
Great list! Love the bathroom one…(although I make my husband do those). Now if we could only write when we sleep then we could work 24/7. :) The shower and walks always unravel my plots and ideas and conversations, but now I’ll look to do it while chopping vegetables or vacuuming. Thanks for adding more “brainstorming” time to my day!
Teresa, so glad you liked it.
Diane, ah, my friend calls that “All Is Lost” point “Beer o’clock” :) I call it the Four o’clock shuffle as I realize I need to get my rear in gear…
Mary, that was a hoot.
Carol, you’ve clearly never seen me clean…
Sarah, can you listen to music AND think? Sometimes that works for me, but sometimes the music takes over.
Daring, imagine if your character was a shoplifter! But yes, being able to picture a real place definitely helps with that 3D thing. I’m reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King at the moment and he’s surely seen many of the places his character is visiting.
Donna, you’re welcome. I do love walks and the shower for inspiration but sadly we can’t spend all day on those two activities (very sadly).
Might I add one suggestion? Get a voice recorder with a clip on collar mic. Easiest way to capture some of those perfect thoughts.
Mowing the lawn is a good time to think over a storyline. Of course, halfway through, all I can think is how much I want to stop mowing the lawn.
Cute ideas! Here’s an addition: Emptying the dishwasher is a great time to think about all the baggage your character carries!
You guys are fun! Love the extra suggestions!
One of the best posts I’ve ever read. I always have ideas in the shower and I love how you broke up cleaning into plot time. Nice!
What a great idea, Julie. I sometimes remember to think about my current project while on a walk, but never considered it while doing housework. I love the way you broke down what to think about while in different rooms. Plus I have a soft-spot for humor, and you sure hit the spot.
I really wanted to say something snarky and mean here. I mean – really ? – cleaning the house?
Then, of course I knew. You’re right. I’m already writing through all these daily tasks.
I just don’t clean the house.
So many of us write behind the wheel (I know – I can’t get it out of my head … so irresponsible), in a meeting, on a conference call, walking across the field with the dog, at the dinner table, loading the dishwasher, shaving, …
We should have little electronic mailboxes around our necks:
“Jack isn’t here right now. He’s in the wilds of Africa chasing down a poacher of flamingos who has the key to immortality. Leave a message and he’ll ignore it later as he is wont to do.”
I never thought of bringing the emotion of the surface action into the snippets I am crafting. Thank-you. Brilliant.
J
I tackle small tasks while searching for the right word or crafting similes, but I confess to doing the most intensive cleaning when I’m in a snit. While I was still querying and being rejected, there were never cobwebs in the corners.
What good suggestions, Julie. Thanks for the well-thought-out article.
Mary Montague Sikes
Ha! Those were great! Makes me want to fold laundry now!
This list is excellent I will definitely be giving them a try. If you create a “how to write while wrangling toddlers” post I’ll be forever in your debt.
Clarissa and Mary, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Jan, Happy I tickled your funny bone. I guess anyone without a sense of humor reading this would just assume I’m bonkers!
Carolyn, Oh yes! Those rages are great for cleaning through.
j welling, this grew out of my attempts to talk myself into cleaning up. Loved your real-world voicemail :)
jennifer, let’s not get carried away now :)
glutenfree – great suggestion. I may do that. Meanwhile, try this tip from Joe Hill: http://joehillsthrills.tumblr.com/post/47990575985/writing-parenting
Clarissa and Mary, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Jan, Happy I tickled your funny bone. I guess anyone without a sense of humor reading this would just assume I’m bonkers!
Carolyn, Oh yes! Those rages are great for cleaning through.
j welling, this grew out of my attempts to talk myself into cleaning up. Loved your real-world voicemail :)
jennifer, let’s not get carried away now :)
glutenfree – great suggestion. I may do that. Meanwhile, try this tip from Joe Hill: http://joehillsthrills.tumblr.com/post/47990575985/writing-parenting