October is almost over and fall is creeping its head. On the East Coast, I am experiencing days where the mornings are always cold and the rest of the day is a mystery. It might stay cold well into the night just as much as it transforms into a warm, breezy spring day. The change of seasons is upon us.
I am trying to write on these nicer days. I have found that in the past year, my favorite place to write is on my apartment porch. It’s not a big space, roughly 8ft by 5ft. But it is enough to hold a small coffee table. There is a roof over it so I don’t have to worry about a light rain. Only the cold forces me inside.
Out here, I type on my tablet that is connected to a Bluetooth keyboard. I have gotten comfortable bouncing my fingers off the chiclet keys. Hearing the clicks and bumping the rubber, spongy membranes against the tips of my fingers is satisfying. They are like little snaps of electricity that travel through my fingers, up to my arm, and through my spine. During these moments, my mind is a storm fuelled by the desire to produce these torrential thoughts into a physical form.
It helps to have a nice view. I live on the third floor of an apartment. Looking out at this height gives me a wide view of the forest that surrounds this neighborhood. The leaves on the trees sway to and fro. The wind rustles a pattern through the grass, running through each blade like a hand brushing through wind chimes. The leaves and grass catch the sunlight, creating fractal images and signals from mother nature telling me to enjoy the day.
I had the idea to start writing outside after reading that people with ADHD do well working outdoors. As an evolutionary trait, people of this psychological profile are designed to be quick to react to sudden movements and details. It’s a wonder that people with the “disorder” can’t sit still in schools and are prone to daydream as they look outside the window. Nature has a way of creating small patterns and movements into performance art and dance. It does enough to create a visual stimulus to take up some of my mind’s racing thoughts, leaving the rest of my brain to write without distractions.
When I edit and revise, however, I prefer to work at my desk. It’s an L-desk with plenty of space to sprawl out my journals, notes, and reference books. It’s also by the window so I still get that outdoor stimulus (even if I do miss out on the natural warmth, light, and breeze).
The key here is that I use my desktop. The tablet is great for drafting. I can make minimal changes to the draft but using only a touch screen makes it harder to make those detailed edits. This limitation encourages me to keep typing and make sure the core of my ideas gets out and worry about cleaning up the details later.
With my desktop, I have a full keyboard, mouse, and two screens. It is much more fitting for sitting down and diving deep into each page, paragraph, and line. The mouse gives me fine-tune control over my creation, like a digital scalpel cutting into the meat so I can refit everything as I please. The second screen, which would be a distraction when I’m drafting, is great for pulling up references and research I found online. Dividing the process into these two locations has helped me create a cycle between the two parts of the writing process: drafting and revision.
You don’t have to follow my exact process. Some people can only write at their workstation while others can’t work unless they are outside of their house. I have known people to do entire drafts in pen and pencil while others need to type.
On the topic of location, I recommend that if you are extraverted in nature, try writing at a cafe. The conversation and people can have a great effect on these individuals. Even if you are alone, it is a great way to feed off of the social energy and take off into your creative element. I might have to try this myself as the East Coast drifts into fall for a brief moment before violently entering winter. Soon, it will be cold and I won’t be able to work out here on my beautiful back porch.
That is unless I get a portable space heater. I will decide when winter is finally here if it is worth preserving this ritual I have created. Otherwise, I will have to figure out something different to keep myself typing through the harsh winter.
Danger Wonka 