Tips for Writers: Environmental Magic

Us writers can learn a lot from Pavlov and his dog. That our bodies respond to familiar stimuli is a well-known and well-researched fact, and we can see it in our lives in many subtle ways. The most basic are the cues for mealtimes. Like the bell that made Pavlov’s dog salivate, we will find ourselves responding to enticing aromas, sounds (the lunch bell at school, the oven timer), the sight of the kitchen, or a restaurant, and even the time of day.

Similarly, our environment can prepare us for a variety of activitiies. I, for one, have an internal alarm clock that wakes me at around seven o’clock every morning. The smell of coffee starts to wake up millions of people every morning, and the taste cements the deal. Caffeine may have a stimulating effect on our bodies, but decaf works just as well for many people. Why? We’ve been conditioned that way.

The drive to work can prepare you for your job. Or perhaps you have a routine when you arrive. These things get you in the right mood. The frame of mind you need to perform your job every day, even if maybe you don’t really want to.

Creating a writing environment can be difficult for many people, because writing is something they have to do around their everyday activities, when they have time. They may have to write amidst distractions, late at night, or on the weekends. As with anything, the more regularly you do something, the easier it becomes to make it a part of your routine. If you get up an hour early to write everyday, everything about that early morning session will help put you in writing mode — the time of day, the desk you use, the walk from your bed to your study (or wherever).

In fact, if it is possible, I highly recommend setting a time every day to be your writing time, even if it is only thirty minutes. If you stay consistent, sooner or later you will find yourself falling into the process more easily, at least on a typical day.

If that is impossible (or even if it is possible), there are other things you can do to cue your mind and body that it’s time to write. One of the most powerful things is to have a special place that you use only for writing. Perhaps you write in the living room, on your laptop, which makes it difficult to separate writing time from TV time. In that case, the living room won’t be a part of your writing environment. I generally recommend not using your living room to write for the same reason experts recommend insomniacs not do anything in their beds except sleep — no reading, no TV, etc. They want bed to mean nothing but sleep. If there is a special place in your house that you write, and only write, then that place will stimulate writing. If you can’t find a place in your house, then think outside the box a little. Is there a coffee shop down the street? A library?

Finally, and especially if you can’t find a consistent time or place to write, I recommend coming up with a routine. I have a routine I use to set my mind, one that takes advantage of sensory input from each of the five senses:

1. I light a scented candle (visual and olfactory)

2. I suck on a hard mint (taste and tactile)

3. I turn on some background music (auditory)

This is my routine, and it works for me. It is not a script or even a recommendation, simply an example. Who are you? What do you like? Some writers needs absolute quiet, others listen to a specific type of music. Perhaps making a cup of tea would help you, the process of heating the water and adding the tea bag becoming a soothing, almost meditative ritual. You could even meditate. (I do this when my mind is particularly full, and I am having trouble focusing.)

The key to using these things in order to improve your writing focus is to be consistent. Whatever you choose, however you do it, is entirely up to you, but if you do it every time you sit down to write, sooner or later that association will become hard-wired. Like the dinner bell.

If you have a writing ritual you like to perform, I’d love for you to share it.