Yours truly writes several blogs a week and tries to keep a book-writing career going. Every writer is different. We are bound together only by a desire to write (and hopefully some ability to go along with it) and pen, ink or computer.
I've been talking with quite a few writing friends, to gather info on how they put their days together (or nights, if applicable). Again, each writer is singularly suited for his or her task; some write early in the morning, some in the evenings. Some, I can attest to from personal experience, write during the day and then break for a bowl of Froot Loops.
Several of the writers I spoke to heavily emphasized the role that research plays in their writing, whether fiction or nonfiction. I concur.
For example, if you're writing a crime novel about murder in Chicago, it helps if you've walked down Michigan Avenue and visited the Field Museum, a greasy spoon or two, etc. My son and I once visited the Sears Tower, then had steaks at a local dive, where we witnessed two fellows get into a fistfight on the sidewalk. The whole experience provided rich fodder for an essay!
Confession: I've never written a novel, only short stories and a couple scripts. I'll probably get around to it one day, however, so I've taken to heart the lesson that hands-on research is critical.
My friends also mentioned that in addition to actual research, they often like to simply "be" in a certain locale; in short, it helps to soak up the atmosphere, even if the precise spot you are in isn't directly related to your plot. Always file such experiences away in that supercomputer between your ears.
Another example: Recently I visited for the first time the reading room at the University of Oklahoma library. What a rich experience! The cathedral-like feel, alcoves at each end and shelves of theses certainly got the creative juices flowing for writing. In such a place, you are at once in Middle America, Europe or an Ivy League setting. No need to gather data from books for research in that context; just "be" and file the sights, sounds and smells away for future phrases, paragraphs and chapters.
I have used the same method in various other places. There is no substitute for walking through Jerusalem's Old City streets when crafting a piece about the Middle East. The cold stones in the walls and walkways, the open-air markets and the multicultural people add texture that would be impossible to obtain from reading, say, National Geographic. Depending on your writing project, you might consider budgeting some travel money to enhance your article, book or play.
Never neglect the importance of research in your writing.
Another element my friends mentioned frequently is the need to make psychological headway. This means setting writing goals, large or small, and meeting them consistently.
You'll be amazed how good you feel, how your spirits soar, when you hit a writing goal. This might mean finishing that tough chapter by Saturday evening instead of the following Monday. It might mean knocking out a draft of a column or blog a day ahead of schedule. As with other pursuits, this psychological lift can be enhanced further by rewarding yourself in some way. For many of us, that means an afternoon at Barnes & Noble or perhaps something fairly trivial, such as watching a ballgame, or filling bird feeders.
"Getting away" from your writing can provide sustainability to your writing career, to be sure. However, goal-setting is critical. I can't count the times I've visited with a dispirited writer who allowed a daunting manuscript project to snowball; missed deadlines invariably sap the creative urge. Your goals don't have to be outlandish and unworkable; they do have to "be."
Finally, I was quite fascinated at the responses when I brought up the subject of that old bogeyman of writers: "Writer's Block."
One is reminded of the old "Saturday Night Live" skit, a hilarious send-up of a day in the life of horror master Stephen King. The skit featured King sitting in a darkened room, almost draped over a manual typewriter. He would periodically stare into space and bemoan the fact that he was "blocked."
After only a few seconds, he'd shout, "No, I'm not!" and his fingers would fly over the keys, machine-gunning another of those 1,000-pagers.
The point in this is that the skit does serve an illustrative purpose, one that was corroborated by my conversations with writers: Writer's block is all in your head.
It's largely myth, perhaps still surviving in writing lore due to repetition in conversations, writing books and conferences.
If you find yourself unable to continue a chapter, or you are facing a blank page or sentence that trails off into the white page … take heart. You control your writer's block. Shake it off; play word games; talk to it, aggressively. Get up for a few minutes and grab a cup of coffee.
Just remember that like another "Saturday Night Live" icon, Stuart Smalley, you're good enough, you're smart enough, you're talented enough, and doggone it, readers will like you!