Set Your Writer's Table
A cluttered work space reflects a cluttered mind. A cluttered mind puts forth cluttered writing, and soon you find yourself writing nothing but threatening messages in the thick layer of dust coating every surface, your poor manuscript forgotten on the ... well, it's somewhere around here. Under a planter, in the refrigerator, lining a tiny hole as insulation for a rat's nest - who knows.
If you want your readers to feast on delicate morsels of finely-crafted sentences, then create a calm, decadent atmosphere in which to surround yourself. Light some candles. Hire a butler. Dress in your finest each time you sit down to write. Your writing will likewise become sophisticated and refined, and whoever designs your book cover will probably put a monocle on there.
Daily Exercise: Create a meal that reflects whatever project you're working on at the moment. Set the table and reserve a place for your manuscript, as well. Pour it a glass of wine. Cut its meat for it. Then, lovingly and sensuously, smear the food you've prepared over every page you've written. Let the words absorb every particle of food; stain your writing with sauces and grease; grind any leftover crumbs into the very fibers of the paper. Once that's done, place your manuscript squarely upon your plate, cut off a corner, and eat it. Eat the whole thing. Only then can you truly become your story.
Below are the plates of authors who have successfully used this technique:
 |
| Oscar Wilde |
 |
| Harper Lee |
 |
| Dr. Seuss |
 |
| Edward Gorey |
 |
| Ernest Hemingway |
Images via Tim Chester, Travel & Leisure, Kate Sears for Martha Stewart, District GPS, 30 Pounds of Apples, Clairey Hewitt.
No comments:
Post a Comment