November 22, 2003
On writing
NaNoWriMo has helped me learn a couple of things about my writing process. (*Writing geek-out warning.* Turn away if the only thing you've written in the last year that qualifies as creative is your tax return.)
First, I'm not comfortable with any perspective besides first person. I have a hard time infusing personality into the narration of any third-person style — it feels so distant and impersonal. But I'm working on it.
Second, I can't write while listening to Tenacious D, Adam Sandler or They Might Be Giants. See the thread? Antyhing that makes me laugh interrupts my train of thought. The best music to write to? Dashboard Confessional, Enya, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Beck. The Who, Led Zeppelin and the soundtrack to Rent also stop me dead in my tracks because they make me laugh in a different, not-nice way. Out of the playlist, you three.
Third, the gods smiled on writers when Google was invented. I can't get to the library at three in the morning. Well, I can, but they don't generally like it when I press my face against the glass for seven hours and wait for them to open. Even if I could have 24-hour access to their books, I'm positive they wouldn't have had the information on quantum theory that I needed in a way that was easy to access.
Fourth, my best material seems to consistenly come after midnight. I think that's simply a consequence of needing a couple of hours to get into a groove, but look two posts down and tell me why I rarely get more than a few spare minutes to write. Which is why I was back here at the Word document at 7am after going to bed at 3. This is important to me, so I'm making the time, but don't even ask how many dishes are piled up in the sink or what day they're from.