Mondays are my writing days. Writing is the underpinning of a comic strip... perhaps more important than the art, given the size our strips are printed now. Syndicate sales people will tell you that writing carries a strip that isn't well drawn... although I will always be partial to strips that manage both well.
I can't afford writer's block. Whether I feel like it or not, there are 7 strips due every week. The best way I know to get the writing juices flowing is to simply sit down and write. Just start. Every Monday.
After 16 years I have devoloped some rituals. This Monday, before heading to my favorite writing spot, I had to make a detour to the university bookstore. I was out of the spiral notebooks I like to write in. Ones that have the spiral at the top, so that my hand is never resting on it. Preferably without any significant logo, mascot, or advertising on the cover to distract me. With perforations at the tops of the pages so that I can tear them out without that messy sprial notebook feh falling about.
(Does this sound a little anal? Well, believe me, when you have to produce, you go with whatever works.)
Having secured two acceptable notebooks, I headed over to my favorite cafe. The requirements are this:
1) Not too quiet. Background noise helps me concentrate. If it's too quiet my mind wanders away from the task at hand. College crowds are good ones— they text rather than talk on their phones, they have laptops and ear buds. They sit for hours with just coffee...and I go unnoticed.
2) Needs to be a place where I put in my order at a counter and pick it up when ready. No wait staff asking me every 10 minutes if I need something else.
3) Must have a small table in a corner that I can occupy for hours and not feel like I'm putting someone out.
4) Must serve breakfast all day.
I don't like to eat first thing in the morning, just a cup of tea or coffee. But by the time I've dealt with necessary emails, last minute requests, pet demands, etc. it might be 10:30 or 11 before I head out to write. I'm going to want breakfast when I get there.
So here it is, my ideal writing scenario. Sausage egg scramble, Assam Tea, fruit and toast. Small table in the sun. Writing pad with spiral at top. College students tapping away, listening to tunes, oblivious of me. (Although I think one of them wondered why I was photographing my food.)
With luck this will result in a minimum of 7 (if I'm lucky 18 or 20) little scripts that will become a Stone Soup storyline. If I'm not lucky... well at least I had breakfast.
PS. If your interest is writing, you might enjoy my pal Val's blog— http://gobsmackedwriter.blogspot.com
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