Monday's Musings - Sort Of

So I’m a day late with my post this week.  I blame it on my lazy Sunday, which made me forget I had a blog to write.  This week’s topic is “What do I need to write?”  This can be interpreted a few different ways, I’m choosing to go with what are those quirky things I need to have so that I can actually sit down and write?

Be sure to check out my fellow Monday’s Musings bloggers at the links below to find out what they have to say:

Chris Allen-Riley

Tess Grant

Lynn Doezema

When trying to come up with what I need to have handy to help me accomplish my writing goals, I had a hard time.  I’ve never really thought about it much, to be honest.  I’ve never thought about the entire writing environment and process in these terms.  But I did come up with a few things.

Music, I have to have some sort of music playing.  I can’t concentrate when there is no background noise.  If it’s dead silent, my mind tends to wander more.  It’s like there’s a part of my brain that needs to be kept occupied so the other part can concentrate on the task at hand.

No clutter is another one.  I absolutely cannot concentrate if my office is cluttered in anyway.  Even if the first floor of the house needs a good cleaning or straightening, I have a hard time focusing.  It’s something about the disorder; it interferes with my ability to think.  I was that way all through school, too.  I couldn’t concentrate on homework if the area where I was working was a mess. 

I also need to have some sort of comforting beverage on hand, be it Diet Dr. Pepper (I have a *slight* addiction there) or tea.  It usually depends on how cold my office is to determine which one I go with.

Hand in hand with things I need are things I don’t need.  I really need to learn to turn off the wireless on my computer so I can’t access the internet.  I know it’s been said before, but the internet is the downfall of many a writer.  There are way too many fun things that can distract when you’re already stuck and can’t decide where to go next.

I’ll tell you another thing I don’t need is my cat walking on my laptop, lying on my notebooks, curling up on my arm, and repeatedly rubbing up against the monitor as if to claim it as his.  Every time he rubs the corner with his head, he jostles the laptop and closes it just a little bit more.  At least he's affectionate, I guess.

So, anyway, there are a few things that either help or interfere with my writing process.  What do you need to get those creative thoughts flowing?