The Poet’s Corner - Writing in and out of your desk

Poet's Corner
Written By Ryan

Welcome to the poet’s corner!

This week we’ll talk about a common writer’s dilemma: how much time should I spend on my desk?

This few weeks I have been in full writing mode, and thought I’d give my opinion. Please keep in mind I am no expert on the subject, but I hope my thoughts can help out if you struggle with this question. So let’s dive in!

This where it starts.

This where it starts.

Yep. We all have a metaphorical Snape, Jiminy Cricket or Landlord to remind us that we should be writing instead of whatever we are doing. It’s that high school/university feeling when you know you had to do homework or projects, but are watching memes, hanging out or playing games instead. Just… All the time.

So, what do writers do? They go to their desk to write. Please note that ‘desk’ is a very loose term. It can be a literal antique wooden desk, kitchen table or comfy couch, to name a few examples. And once you are there…

Gandalf the Lost

Gandalf the Lost

What is “too long a break” has no set time frame, but it’s usually when you start to think “I should be writing”, which is… most of the time. Then, since you can’t think what you want to write, or write very little you think “might as well take a break”.

By this point you are probably thinking, “Well if you always feel like you should be writing when you take a break, but when you are there you can’t write and take a break, that sounds like an endless loop”. And you are right! Welcome to a writer’s world!

This is what is commonly referred to as ‘writer’s block’, and makes you ask yourself important questions such as: “Will I finish this story?”, “Why is Keanu Reeves so cool?” and today’s topic “How much should I write today?”.

There are two main perspectives as to how to proceed. The first one is that you should force yourself to write, even if you don’t feel like it, and you will eventually have something you can edit and make good. The other is to write and rewrite constantly, getting the best version you can out there. You probably noticed neither specified amounts of writing or a time frame. That is on purpose.

Before we get onto time, let us hear what the King has to say about that:

Yes, that was a pun.

The answer is that even pro writers (‘pro’ as in they get payed millions for their writing) don’t understand writing. If you felt remotely related to George RR Martin, then you probably understand all the previous points.

Indeed. The answer is that there is no real answer. All we know is the average daily amount you should spend writing should be more than 0 and less than 24 hours.

Since that probably doesn’t help much, here are my two cents. I think the amount of time you should spend writing on your metaphorical desk depends mostly on two factors: Your thoughts on the two previously mentioned approaches to writing and how often ideas come up.

I think both views are good and perfectly valid. One must write, to the point of actually having something to work with. Additionally, one must seek to improve and rewrite to have the best version of one’s work. It’s important to keep both in mind, as exclusivity on either will result in an undesired outcome. Writing for the sake of it without much experience or talent, will most probably result in mediocre work that won’t satisfy you. Rewriting infinitely will leave you with no work, which won’t satisfy you either. Therefore, you should aim to mix and match both until you find what works for you and the story you want to say. Regardless of how the scale tips, either approach will mean writing regularly. The difference is that in the first approach, one writes a shorter amount on a daily basis, while the second writes for longer periods on a not-so-ordered basis. So, as you see what works for you, the work should translate into working hours.

Now, how often ideas come up. It’s nice to reach the best way to change ideas into words on the previous point, but it doesn’t work if there are no ideas. Where do ideas come from?

Hint: Not exactly from the muses.

Hint: Not exactly from the muses.

Simple! Ideas come from us. Our ideas a different way to approach a problem, given certain restrictions to make them possible (University of Haifa, 2015). In this case, ideas are the way we solve a question along the lines of “What would be an interesting story?” or “What is the best way to say this?”, and the restrictions to make it feasible come from what we know.

‘What we know’ is a collection of the things we believe and have experienced. For example if we wish to create a flying person, since we know in earth people don’t naturally fly, we would need to give it equipment, like an airplane for jet pack, or something that justifies overcoming that restriction, like genetic modification or magic, and that would come from experience. On the other hand, we could place them in outer space, where we know things float, but since most of us haven’t been there, we simply believe there is enough evidence to think that is true, therefore coming from belief.

So… why is this important? Well, if ideas come from not only having alternative solutions to problems but also from the restrictions of our beliefs and experiences, then it’s important for us to have more knowledge so that we have both different paths and standards to make them feasible. In short, it’s necessary to know more to have better and new ideas.

“Great Ryan! But how does this relate how many hours I sit in a desk?” I was getting to that, thanks for asking!

If you are very knowledgeable about your subject, for example your favorite book, ideas come up really easily so it’s just a matter of making ideas into words (addressed a few paragraphs ago). However, if you don’t then you struggle to think what to write, for example an essay about your least favorite subject in school, so you have no ideas, or more specifically you have no alternatives that satisfy your current standards. Therefore, lacking the knowledge you need to get both paths and beliefs/experiences, making you will be unable to come up with ideas. Where do you get more knowledge? From your own experience and what you interact with. So you can read a book, go out and take pictures of a spot, interview someone who knows about the subject or looks for information in google. This obviously requires time and effort, but most importantly defines where you need to do it. So if your research for knowledge needs you to be away from your desk, then you can’t spend those hours there, duh! So that’s the second factor, how much research you need to do and where you need to do it.

In conclusion, the amount of time you spend on your desk is defined by you and your approach to two factors: what is the best method for you to turn your ideas into writing and how much research you need to do out of your desk.

And now this week’s poem:

The Flight of the Robins

A gentle breeze,

The fallen nest,

What a scene,

On the Discovery Bay.

“No excuses” cried the nightingale,

“Nevermore” quoth the raven,

“Let go…” mumbled the silktail,

“Remain” said the earth.

Wing against wing,

They continue to sing,

No feathers in view,

The Robins flew.

Thanks for reading.

I wish you the best, see you next week!

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Ryan

Head of Writing and Programming

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