Notebooks From the Underground

A lot of people want to write, even call themselves writers. Yet when asked what they've written they suddenly get quiet, mumble incomprehensibly, and start talking about future and far-off projects. Actual pen-on-paper action is rarely mentioned, often replaced with a barrage of excuses — no time, waiting for the perfect idea, researching retreats, or the one I favor: "I'm a social person and writing is a lonely business" — that make it easy to ignore your to-do list when the going gets tough.

So, if you're serious, it's important to set up structures, support systems, and rituals to help fight the temptation to bail out. Because we live in one of the greatest literary cities on the globe, help and inspiration are always at hand. San Francisco is currently home to the Litquake festival, City Lights Bookstore, Porchlight storytelling series, The Writers' Grotto creative workspace, and Edinburgh Castle Pub, to name only a few top-notch literary hotspots. So no more excuses. Journaling The best way to start writing is the personal journal. It clears the mind, provides future material, and in the end creates a record of a life lived. As great writing teachers say: Write what you know.

"Notebooks From the Underground"

By Nathaniel Eaton
SF Weekly

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Photo: "Pen, Paper and Chocolate"

By Cunning Stunt/ Notebookism/FLICKR
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Comments

[Sophie Brown]

I don't think of keeping a notebook as writing--I think of my notebook as fun. When I sit down at 10AM for two hours every day and attempt to produce quality fiction, that's writing. To me, anyway. I've never found my notebook to be a source of fictional material--it's a delight all on it's own. I could delay writing until the cows come home by writing in a notebook, it's easy too to get bogged down in "research". But just how much we would lose along the way without the joy of writing only for oneself (primarily). It's not therapy for me either, it's not anything but what it is. One of the most important pleasures in life.

[Geri Spieler]

I did not work for two years after being layed off from a high tech analyst job. Fortunately I had enough to support myself, so I had the luxury of writing for eight hours a day. It was heaven. I write creative non-fiction, so I had a lot of research to do while laying out the story. I completed the project in less than one year.

Now I'm back to a more-than-full-time career and it is a major challenge to keep to a schedule for writing. It is easy to say I'll write between 6:00 am and 8:00 am. However, there are few hours in the day and things happen.

I'm managing, but the process is much slower than I would like.

A good friend in my writing club made the best observation: "If you are working full time and want to have a writing career, then you just have to give something up to carve out the time."

She's right. Something has to give. Even then, it isn't easy.