I write every day, in some form or another. Sometimes I write physically, with a pen, in a pretty notebook, or a boring notebook, or the back of an envelope or a scrap of paper. Sometimes I write ‘formally’ on Scrivener (my writing program of choice), or occasionally Pages. If I’m out and about, I might use the Notes app on my phone, or write myself an email, and often I use a dictation app which is great for catching the general sense of what I want to remember, if not always very accurate! Sometimes that takes more imagination to decipher what I was trying to say, and that’s before I try reading my own handwriting…
The notes I make are usually story-related. I write actual text for whichever book I’m working on, or make character notes, or write down snatches of conversation that I’ve overheard that is interesting. (Most writers I know do this – be careful what you say when you’re out and about, because if you use an interesting turn of phrase you may read it in a book one day!)
Sometimes the notes are intended to be used directly in a book, and sometimes they are reminders – ‘remember to change the pomegranates to mangoes,’ or, ‘make sure Elidi doesn’t learn the secret yet.’ Sometimes they’re questions I need to find the answers to – ‘did they really have coffee in 1752 in the wilderness?’ And sometimes they’re directions – ‘Find the Georgian equivalent to ffs.’
If my creative well is a little low, I’ll work on something non-fiction related. That might include writing blog posts, or newsletters, or emails, or slides or a script for workshop. There’s always something to do.
But every day, I write myself some happiness.
Usually this takes the form of a list of blessings – things that I’m grateful for. It could be anything from the perfect cup of coffee to the fact that we live in an ideally balanced environment on a spinning ball of rock, and literally anything in between. If I’m feeling grumpy (which happens only very occasionally…) I will make myself think of five things to be grateful for – it never fails to cheer me up. And writing it down reinforces the happiness – there’s something about seeing it there in black and white that makes it even more real.
Let me know if you’ve tried this, and how it makes you feel – I hope it makes you as happy as I am!
