If you’ve read my post about Lizzie Borden’s house you know I recently visited John and John Quincy Adams’ home—the Old House at Peace field—in Quincy, Massachusetts. Just to give you a point of reference, the Adams family lived in this Georgian style home, during which time the elder Adams stayed in Philadelphia and served as Vice President and President. When his term as President ended, he returned to the Old House at Peace field. He lived there with his wife, Abigail, and later passed the home onto his children, including his son, John Quincy Adams. Four generations of Adam’s enjoyed the home until 1927. Then, the house and its contents became part of the Adams National Historical Park.
The reason I am telling you about the Adams’ family house is because Quincy Adams’ son, Charles, built a stone library on the forty-acre property. It’s a gorgeous library, replete with floor to ceiling book-filled shelves, leather armchairs, a rolling library ladder, and windows that overlook a pristine garden. The library even has a standing writing desk, ivy-covered exterior stone walls, and antique mahogany furniture. If I were to choose the perfect place to write, that stone library would top my list. The space is cool, quiet, and portraits of learned brave men who built our country line the walls.
But though it would be wonderful to have a peaceful private historical library to write in, I know from experience that quieting the mind matters more than creating a perfect writing space.
When I’m truly focused on writing a scene, it doesn’t matter where I am. I’ve written when my home was literally a construction site, I’ve written while my kids screamed and whined at me, and I’ve written in Starbucks with baristas shouting out drink orders. I’ve written on crowded airplanes, at the dog park, and with the TV blaring. And it’s all great when the words are flowing and the ideas spring out and seem endless. It’s only when I’m not in the zone, that I start looking around me, at the chaos and the clutter, and I picture that ivy-covered stone library, and I think Why can’t I just be there?
So how do we quiet our minds? How do we get to that perfect mental place? Cause that’s the real question, isn’t it? Because even if we do have a legit office to write in, (and I’m fortune enough to have, quiet, and private now.) if our headspace feels cluttered, that Ethan Allen writing desk that looked so perfect in the showroom, that huge monitor, and that comfy chair with the lumbar support won’t matter.
Below are some mental strategies that help me to declutter my mind. After all, we writers write even when we’re not inspired.
- Make a to-do list. That way you’ll know just where to begin and what you need to accomplish, and you won’t feel overwhelmed.
- Stick to a routine, if possible. The goal is to make writing a daily habit, like brushing your teeth.
- Ease into the creative process. I like to edit the pages I’ve written the previous day, before writing new material.
- Exercise regularly. Endorphins clear a foggy mind and ward off depression.
- If daily tasks like laundry, cleaning, and emailing distract you, get them accomplished before you start writing.
- Or try tackling difficult task that require creativity first. When that creative tough task is out of the way, edit other tasks that require less focus.
- Get enough sleep. Novel writing feels more doable when you’ve got eight hours of Z’s.
- Eat healthy foods and avoid crazy amounts of caffeine.
- Listen to calming music or read something that inspires you, like writers you admire in your genre.
- If you’re truly upset about something, talk to someone on the phone, or FaceTime them and vent. Getting your problems off your chest, might just free up some space in your mind.
Getting into the perfect headspace to write isn’t always easy. Sometimes I write for several hours and accomplish next to nothing because I’m just not mentally there. But that’s okay. Challenging days are part of the process and journey. As John Quincy Adams once said, “Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties and obstacles vanish into air.”
