The Writing Mood

There is more to writing than being good at coming up with ideas. It's easy to think that once you have been hit with that lightning bolt of inspiration that everything else will just flow smoothly from there. If you've ever reached this point in the writing process, however, you'll know this is not true. Usually around this point your child will barge into the office insisting you come see the finger painting project she's just completed using ketchup on the kitchen counter or that fidgety baby who's been taking a nap for an hour is starting to whimper in his crib. Writing is not a spontaneous activity. Words will not appear magically in your brain, drain down to your fingertips and flow out through the keyboard. You have to be in the right mental as well as physical mood in order to write.

So how do you capture that elusive mood in the midst of your busy day? First of all, if you're sitting at the computer and all you keep thinking about is the dishes piled in the sink or the carpet that's starting to look furry from not being vacuumed in three weeks, you'll probably end up writing a textbook on the drudgery of household cleaning. Get all of that done before you sit down to write so you can have a clear mind and a clean conscience. True, it's hard to get everything done all at the same time, but are there things that could be put off one more day that don't have to be done all at once? Don't overload yourself.

The next important thing to do is to keep yourself in good physical condition. It's virtually impossible to feel inspired when your nose and eyes are streaming and you have to scurry to the bathroom every few minutes to heave into the toilet. The best thing to do when you feel like this is to rest and get better and wait to write when you're healthy. And stay away from foods high in sugar--it might seem like a good idea to eat that protein bar or energy drink to "tide you over" until later, but you'll just end up crashing part way through your writing and your body won't get the nutrients you need. Feed your body and your mind will reciprocate.