Writing in the library

by Donna Andrews of the Femmes Fatales.

I work best at my desk. My laptop computer has all the programs I need—basically Open Office for word processing, Excel for the spreadsheet on which I track my progress, and Firefox for those bits of ad hoc research that come up while I'm writing. I have a chair whose height I can optimize. A heated footmat for those days when there's a chill in the room. A full range of my favorite lunch options, writing snacks, and beverages half a flight up. My own bathroom a full flight up. All my reference books at hand. And it's a rare day when I hear any noise other than the various household machines and systems doing their job. Dishwasher, washer, dryer, furnace—not big distractions.

So why am I making plans with fellow writer Robin Templeton to write together at the library once a week or so?

This past Sunday our local chapter of Sisters in Crime had its latest writeathon at the Reston Library. At a writeathon, or writing marathon, you get together with a bunch of writers not to interact but to work on whatever project you have on hand—solo, but feeding off the energy that seems to arise from doing in companynwhat is normally solitary work. Only a small number of us met this month—eight? Ten? I didn't count, and unfortunately at this writeathon we were mixed in with the other Saturday library patrons, so it was harder to tell.

But it worked just as well as the previous marathons. I got 2700 words done. And Robin and I were both so pumped at how productive we were that we decided to get together at the Reston library once a week or so to repeat the experience. Monday happens to be a day when both of us are less apt to have other conflicts. And we both like the idea of starting off the week with a big chunk of productivity.

I'm not sure why a writing marathon is so effective for me, but I can think of two big factors. First of all, a lot of the other things that might be pulling on my attention aren't there. The laundry isn't half a flight down, waiting to be done. The messy kitchen isn't half a flight up calling to be tidied. I don't see the clutter at the far end of my office, the stuff I've unearthed in the course of my ongoing decluttering and haven't yet had the time to sell, donate, or put away. There are the temptations to be found on my computer and phone, but somehow they're easier to resist in the library setting.

Because, second factor, I've made an appointment to work. An appointment not just with myself, but with another writer who's equally serious about getting work done. So far, the desire to be there at 10 a.m., when the library opens, has motivated me out the door and gotten me settled at the computer and at work at least as early as I would have if I were working at home, and probably a lot sooner. It's a paradox I discovered when I quit my day job to write full time: when you have all day to write, sometimes you procrastinate about getting started, and you don't work as efficiently as you might. Sometimes I'm a lot more productive on days when I have to squeeze in my writing time between half a dozen other responsibilities.

And—here's a third factor I just thought of--on a writing marathon day, in addition to the lack of distractions and the focus that comes from making an appointment to write, I'm motivated to justify my being there by turning in a good word count for the day. Not to compare with anyone else's total, but with my own memories of past writeathons.

So as I plod along in my slow pursuit of today's writing goal, I find myself thinking fondly of Saturday's and Monday's productivity, and a little annoyed that this coming Monday's President's Day holiday could interrupt what I am already seeing as a useful weapon in my writing arsenal.

Anyone else found writeathons useful?

Comments

[Frances Brody]

This sounds a great idea, Donna. There's a favourite library that I popped into yesterday to do some research. I'm always promising myself I'll there to work one day a week. Probably alone - but you never know. I'm sure you're right about the energy.