I write and work from home, in the small spare
bedroom now turned into a makeshift office. There was a period when I’d dive
straight from bed to my desk – a very brief period.
When my sons were very young and I first
started writing poetry, it was on scraps of paper between nappy-changing and
feeding. When they went to school, the school-day still wasn’t quite long
enough to fit in everything so I’d dive from school-run to desk with only
coffee-breaks until school pick-up time. Then they got old enough to sort
themselves. For a few months, I’d dive from bed to desk, still pressurised to
get as much as I could from any time I had, particularly while doing my masters
in creative writing at MMU.
The trouble with doing anything at full pace in
all the spare time available is that it’s exhausting! These days, personal writing
still has to slot around family, life, paid work and the not inconsiderable
demands of running a small press, V.
Press. But I’ve become less frantic about this. I rarely get a writing day as
such, at least, not a whole day just for my own work. Instead, I patchwork
inspiration, time and writing together as best I can.
I’m usually at my desk most of the day,
complete with coffee, diet cola or herbal teas. I dodge between V. Press admin,
my own admin and submissions, a little new writing of my own, editing V. Press
manuscripts, social media, blogposts, marketing and a whole range of other
small but needed jobs that actually add up to a lot of time and energy.
I mostly have the flexibility of setting my own
targets and deadlines, so I have no typical day as such. Instead, I’m
constantly prioritising and re-prioritising what needs doing next, both
according to deadlines and to balance my different energy levels to the right
tasks to ensure I use my time and energy most effectively. It probably isn’t
going to come as a surprise that, yes, I’m a compulsive list maker!
As it happens, I also have lots of shelving in
my office, but, in bizarre contrast to this seeming need for order, my walls
and these shelves are creatively chaotic! This typifies my writing process too.
Inspiration tends to come in bursts, sometimes from nowhere, sometimes through
stimulation. My most immediate sources of inspiration include reading other
poetry, art and nature. But I find commissions and competition or journal
themes are also productive. I thrive on the focus and framework these bring. By
contrast though, once I have a starting point, I need procrastination space in
order to flesh it out.
On a single poem or flash level, I jot down
individual lines and ideas as they come, then allow them to develop in my head
before trying to form these into an actual poem or flash. This may be redrafted
by hand many times before I type it up and start editing on computer. Then space
away from a piece and buddy feedback from trusted poet friends are great editing
tools.
The chaotic and compulsive elements of my
make-up are very manageable on the single poem or flash level. It’s when I get
a bigger idea or inspiration for a longer piece of writing – be it creative
non-fiction, blogpost, essay, feature or longer fiction – that the fun starts.
When I’m inspired, I’m inspired to the level of
blocking out almost everything else while I’m working on that idea. Creativity
grips me and won’t let go until I have it all down. In these periods I may
write for hours on end and even through the night. I’m focused, in the zone and
driven. Energy isn’t a problem because the inspiration is fuelling me and I’m
alive, excited and energised by the pure creativity!
The downside of this is that once I finish, I’m
usually mentally and physically exhausted. Touch wood, I recover quickly if I
can take some lazy hours in compensation and then get a good night’s sleep. I’m
lucky, of course, to mostly have enough control over my day and deadlines to
allow this. One thing I’ve realised over the past eighteen months though, with
V. Press busier than ever, is that I have to be able to do this writing in
order to keep doing things like all the admin, accounting and marketing
involved with V. Press. It’s the pure creativity that gives me energy for everything
else.
Because full-on inspiration can be demanding on
the time and energy front, I’m careful to avoid over-inspiration when I know
there isn’t space for it. I also recently made a decision to try as far as
possible to keep V. Press and paid work to normal working hours and week days,
with the evenings and weekends for my own writing and life.
Has this worked? Yes and no. Sometimes V. Press
creeps into the evenings or weekends. Other days I’ll have no pressing V. Press
jobs but a personal deadline to meet, so I’ll switch things around. Like most
things in my life, it works enough – for the moment at least.
Speaking of the moment, one aspect of routine
that I like to stick to whatever else is going on is meditation before I start
the day. The other is an hour’s daily exercise, mostly swimming or cycling. I
find these help me to focus and keep a wider perspective on anything stressful.
Exercise also gives me some essential procrastination time. While my body’s
busy trying to keep going, my mind will be developing a new writing idea or
editing existing lines that have been troubling me. My subconscious frequently
solves things more quickly and easily once my conscious thoughts are directed elsewhere.
Moreover, the pace of cycling, swimming, running or walking is good for smoothing
out rhythm.
Often, once the day’s underway, I lose track of
the clock unless I have appointments or meetings. My work tends to create its
own flow, but it’s rare that I put down my pen or close my laptop without a
satisfying tiredness. This isn’t to say that every piece of writing gels – far
from it! It’s more that I won’t stop until I’ve at least something that feels
like it’s been worthwhile.
Sarah
James
(also published as S.A. Leavesley) is a prize-winning poet, fiction writer,
journalist and photographer. Author of seven poetry titles, two novellas and a touring poetry-play, she runs V. Press, poetry and flash fiction imprint. Her latest books include Always Another Twist (Mantle Lane Press,
novella), as well as How to Grow Matches (Against The Grain Press,
poetry pamphlet) and plenty-fish (Nine Arches Press,
poetry collection) both shortlisted in International Rubery Book Awards. The High Window Resident Artist 2019, she is curator and photographer
for LitWorld2. Website: http://sarah-james.co.uk
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