Finding your productive place
As a writer, putting words to the paper should come almost naturally. Growing up, I was always scribbling away in random notebooks, creating my magazines or short stories. I keenly remember writing in a pink Spongebob notebook, creating my magazine spreads for each Doctor Who episode that came out on TV. I must have been 8 or 9 when I picked up the habit, and I still carry it now at age 23.
But writing isn't just a passion; I'm quite lucky to have turned my career into something writing based. Which is all I ever really wanted; I was never too bothered about becoming a novelist, journalist, or anything else - as long as I had the space to put my thoughts into words, I was content with where I was in my life journey. But nobody ever told me about writer's block, creativity coming in waves, and the deadlines that stood firmly where they were despite the former two problems.
Sometimes writing can be hard, whether you've got a story to tell or not. But, finding that space where you're creativity is at its best is bloody difficult; I would go as far as to say that it'd one of the key things that make you a true writer.
What's a productivity space?
Your productivity space can be somewhere physical, like your desk or local coffee shop, or it can be a state of mind. Although a mental productivity space can sound a bit hippy-dippy, taking yourself away from distractions or finding the perfect playlist can be all you need to relax and start typing. I know several writers who get themselves into the "space" by journaling or filling out a small section of their bullet journals. Getting through the blockage by siphoning off the shit is calming as hell and something I've written about quite a lot on here. If you've read my blog frequently, you'll probably guess I suffer from writer's block a lot, and yelling out my feelings in a sub-par blog post can be a great way to work through stuff. Although I'm not particularly proud of those sorts of blogs, they do help with the noise.
What's my productive place?
After several years of writing for work and freelancing, I'm still not 100% sure I've nailed my productive place. I can write on command, but finding something I'm passionate about is hard when I'm not feeling creative. More often than not, the blogs/articles I write in a bad headspace are incoherent, filled with errors, and, if I'm honest, would look much better in my trash folder.
But ever since, I decided to revamp my blog, slow down, and delve a little deeper into the topics I cover. I think I'm in a much better space creativity wise; I write with a lot more confidence and urgency. But I also think I've figured out the places where I can write the best when I'm not writing up on the sofa in my flat; I'm often writing in a coffee shop. There's a cute local place called Quirky Coffee with amazing drinks and hot food and is very central to Shadwell. You kind of feel like you're in the thick of things watching people come and go from the DLR. You'd think a place filled with potential distractions would be just that, distracting, but for some reason, it's pretty easy for me to get into the groove of things.
If I'm struggling to write out my thoughts, I try and plan my social media for the week before writing; a small-form copy is easier than 800-1200 words and gets your head thinking. When I'm at work, I also can't function without writing a simple journal entry at the start of the day. Whether I'm talking about my worries or fretting about what to put on the food shop, it helps to just word vomit onto paper and clear my thoughts ready for the working day. Like most of hustling on the 9-5, you don't get a chance to speak to many people before walking into the office. So it's helpful to get into the habit of a morning scribble.
My point is, as a writer, your mind and your creativity are your biggest assets. You need to care for them, forcing yourself to write when you're not feeling up to it or in a space where you're not comfortable just will not work. You'll end up with a piece of text you're not happy with, or you'll just take too long to get into the flow of things. Get yourself to your productive space, whether that's a physical space or mental space, and you'll be able to make great things with your mind and a pen.