The Importance of Environment

The Sun Also Rises

Different authors have always had different preferred writing environments.  J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in coffee shops.  Stephen King has a room in his house with a writing desk and all his supplies.  Ernest Hemingway was well known for getting high on peyote and writing his stories by dipping his finger in wine and defacing his housekeeper's linens.  (This is a lie.)

The important thing for us budding writers... okay, brief aside.  Budding?  Are we going through literary puberty or something?  Like, halfway through a sentence our narrative voice cracks and we're telling, not showing?  But I digress.

The important thing for us aspiring writers is to find the writing environment that works for us.  Today I begin a series of the things you should keep in mind when choosing your perfect writing environment.

• Do you type or write longhand?
  
  This question sits at the center of most questions of environment, since it points to a natural division in the writing community.  Picture first the longhand writer--we'll call him Carl.  His notebook goes everywhere with him.  Perhaps he stores it in a satchel.  Behind his ear is a pen or pencil, which he wears there as an affectation.  Get Carl started, and he will wax philosophical about the sacred feel of pen on paper, of the way he feels connected to his output.
  
  Now, consider also the typist, which for current purposes we will name Johann.  He also carries a satchel, but a larger one, because there's a computer in it.  Take a look at his glasses--if they are black plastic, then the computer will almost certainly be a Mac, because that's how Johann rolls.  He types 90 wpm, which you know because he tells you.  He will proudly declare that he can't write as fast as he thinks, and typing comes closer to reaching that lofty velocity.
  
  Both Carl and Johann will find a table useful in their environment.  However, Carl will find it easier to do without.  He will also require less electricity, and he will not need to be in a glare-free zone.  However, Carl may find himself tied down by the necessity of finding a pen (if the one behind his ear runs out of ink), and may be further burdened by the weight of his many notebooks.

Next time, we learn about the uses and distractions of the Internet.