And the answer? Wave a wand; sprinkle some unicorn dust; summon equal parts leprechaun to equal parts fairy (watch out for the trolls – because they’re just bad news); and then wait…wait for the rainbow to bridge on high. Then follow it: your pot of gold awaits.
You can imagine the stares I receive, which to me are as incredulous as the question that they asked. Because the answer of what it is lies in what it is not – a secret, a mystery, or…magic.
Given that I fall into the unpublished writing camp, my words of wisdom are few. What I can tell you is that the popular mantras we hear today – getting up from your chair, getting up off your couch – are, paradoxically, the things that keep me from writing. The challenge that I struggle with every day is not getting my butt out of the chair; it’s getting it in it.
And knowing that, I treated myself three months ago to a ridiculously overpriced, not-in-my-demographic desk chair (I purchased it from Pottery Barn Teen – shhhhh, don’t tell). I loved the modern shape and the unexpected pop of color in my sandy clay, tortilla – okay, beige - home. Just seeing it in the catalog made me excited, so I figured that enthusiasm would translate off the page when I put it in my writing nook (or more precisely, the far east corner of my bedroom).
For the most part, it has. I covet thy chair. When I walk into my bedroom and see it in the corner, I get a twitchy feeling. I’m eager to sit, open up my lap top, and write. And once I’m seated, I stay seated. More importantly? I stay writing. Upgrading my chair, from a-bargain-basement-discount-store, a-lot-of-assembly-was-required, it’s-not-real-wood, this-will-look-good-in-my-first-studio-apartment ladder back has been transformative! My life has changed dramatically since the just me or just me plus one era, and so too have my plans. Why not have a chair that honors that growth and inspires me to be creative?
Sure there’s some discipline required, and some days, a little luck to write consistently. But for me, the beginning of the creative process starts exactly where it ends, my rear end. And since many people have been asking me of late, “How do you do it? What’s your secret?” I have given them an answer, one I pulled straight out of my…well, you know where. Having a roomy, comfortable, fun, bright chair makes the process that is writing a little easier to bear.