Shut the Door: Writing Alone

Does who you write around make a difference to the outcome of your piece? I'm not talking the stakes or the plot line, but the quality/quantity of the writing you produce. This post starts what I'm expecting to be a 3 post series (my first, squee!) about HOW we write.

Personally, I prefer to write alone. As I told you in this post, I am definitely an introvert. Since you're reading a blog about writing, you most likely are too.

Writing alone offers us the ability to fully get into the character's head without interruption. The quiet of our surroundings allows us to write for however long we want (or have) without the dog wanting a walk, your spouse wanting to talk, or the oven timer going off. It's a solitude most writers enjoy but rarely get. For decades, perhaps even centuries, writers have craved for solitude to write.

I get my solitary writing time in at night. Everyone else is asleep, the rabbit is locked in her cage, the phone rarely rings, and it's me and my story. [Unfortunately, this often leaves me exhausted the next morning before work, but so be it.] The time is often short (one to two hours tops) but the quality and quantity I produce is vastly greater than the writing I do around others or while distracted. The hour flies by, but I get stuff done. It's like having a busy day at work. You're moving constantly and everyone needs something from you when you already have a list of things you need to do yourself, but before you know it, five o'clock is here.

When I write alone, I'm able to focus on the words I put on the page. I flow seamlessly from one sentence to the next; from one dialogue segment to another. Conversations sound better and the scene often feels whole.

I even find editing alone is beneficial to me. Much like writing in solitude, editing alone allows me to immerse myself in the world of the story or scene and not have the distractions that pop me back to real life. In one hour, alone, I can reread/edit/revise 18 pages of double-spaced story. That means new notes, new dialogue, and new metaphors. Much like a devoted reader, I am able to read uninterrupted. I stay "in character" and "in voice" and am able to better assist the scene.

If you always write in a coffee shop around others or in a busy household, try writing in solitude. Lock yourself in the bathroom, go outside, get up to write at 2 a.m., or build yourself a writing shed. Somehow, find alone time and write.

Here are the benefits you stand to reap:

• Getting more done in a shorter amount of time
• Staying in the story, producing a more cohesive feeling scene
• More aptitude to allow yourself to try new things (and fail) because no one has to know