Two Hats/Authorial Mode

Being both an editor and an author has its advantages. I'm in that rarefied position where I get to see, and be on, both sides of the coin as it were.

It has it pitfalls, too, though.

It's a case of wearing two hats, so to speak. The distinction is important. When I work at my day job, I'm an editor but I guess I do have my writer's head on, too, and this helps when working through plots and empathising with other authors.

When I'm home, though, it's the writer that takes over. I was thinking about this recently and it led me to examine what the actual process of moving into that 'authorial mode' or, to continue the initial analogy, slipping on the writer's hat (no doubt a fairly flouncy number with a feathered quill sticking out of it...).

I don't think I'm alone in that a lot of writers (particularly those that either write as a hobby or are just starting out) have day jobs or other draws on their time, and the process of setting that all aside and dipping into your creative zen state is crucial to the externalisation of your inner literary self.

Music helps. It's possible, probable even, that a lot of writers eschew music for silence in getting into that creative place. I find that a soundtrack helps and I've even gone as far as purchasing albums deliberately with a particular novel in mind. By example, I bought both the soundtrack to the movies Pathfinder and The Thirteenth Warrior when I was knee-deep in writing Oathbreaker (my dwarf odyssey released in February next year). It helped me tap into the gruff and bombastic nature of my subject matter. The strong Nordic tones and dramatic aural milieu fostered scenes and characters in my mind. Often, when having a tough writing day, I'd just listen to a few of the more evocative tracks and let my mind wander for five minutes or so; really immerse myself in that moment and be transported into the setting. For Back from the Dead, my Necromunda novel, I'd listen to Mark Mancina's score to Speed as the fast-paced, ultra-dramatic quality of the music really got my blood pumping when writing the action scenes.

It's not just soundtracks, though. I've got a vast library of music that I listen to whilst writing. Right now, I've got Maximo Park playing. The literary, melodic style of this band really engenders a sense of creativity and I find it useful to let it play on repeat and let it wash over and filter through me.

There are other techniques to get into the 'writing moment', too. I find being in a room, isolated from the rest of the household with good light and surrounded by all my collected junk is supremely conducive to a fruitful writing session. I've yet to go down the coffee shop route, but I'm sure this is something I'll discover going forward. In truth, being on the look out for a good location to compose ideas and write is probably a very good idea; certainly, it's one I'd advocate.

Regards location, my theory is that it's in-part down to conditioning. Your mind remembers that this was where you were last when the creative spark started crackling and, buoyed up by the familiar, starts firing those self-same synapses from which inspiration was previous born.

Another trick I sometimes use, if I'm descending into a uncreative fug, is to have a shower. It might sound odd, but I get a lot of good ideas in the shower and even lines of dialogue. Maybe it has something to do with the whole spiritual thing of physical cleansing likened to that of the soul or something; personally, I reckon it's the therapeutic sensation of getting pounded by a torrent of water and the absence of all other stimuli barring that and the four walls of the cubicle. It really builds a good sense of clarity for me.

Dissemination is important when it comes to seeking out your inner author and getting him or her to start talking. It's all about finding (or re-finding) that voice and articulating it on the written page.