A while back I took a poll asking a large group of writers what they considered their top 3 things they needed to write. I assumed that everyone had a story idea, but otherwise the questions were wide open.
What I Need to Write
I did find it somewhat surprising. You want to see what I found?
19 people said they needed music of some sort.
9 people said they needed quiet.
Classical music or at least music without words can help you stay focused on your task, but studies have shown that when you listen to music with words while trying to do another task that requires concentration, your brain has to try and rewire itself and you can’t give your full attention to either the task or the music.
Some people said they need music to cover up the sounds of a busy house. I can totally understand that.
8 people said they needed pen and paper to write their story.
7 people said they needed their computer.
When I first started writing I used pen and paper too. But then I got NEO and I never looked back. I don’t compose very well creatively on a computer screen. I don’t know why, but I’ve tried and it doesn’t work.
10 people said they needed a drink of some kind.
4 people said they needed to have a snack around.
Several different drinks were mentioned but just over half said they needed water nearby. I do too. If I’m writing for any length of time, I get thirsty. I thought there would be more people who said they needed a snack, but maybe snacks are too distracting. I know they are to me.
5 people said they needed no interruptions.
Oh, yes! The interruptions. I have things easy as I have no younger siblings to interrupt me, and since I try to write at certain times of the day, the rest of the family tries not to interrupt me.
But what 3 things do I need when I go to write?
NEO, quiet, and my water. And I’d rather not have interruptions since they tend to break the flow of creativity.
Would you have guessed that more people would need music than quiet? And that it’s almost even between computer and pen & paper?
I was wondering just the other day whether I’d missed the results from this survey🙂 so fun to hear!!
Nope, you hadn’t missed it. 🙂
I had the results and then the paper got buried in other papers and I forgot about it for a bit.
That happens so easily!🙂
Yep. 😉
I listen to music with words almost every time I write (music without words generally tends to drive me crazy, especially when I’m trying to concentrate on something). 😄 And I definitely prefer the computer!
Some of my favorite times to write are during my family’s “rest time” (in the early afternoon) and at night after everyone has gone to bed. 😊
I enjoyed this post! Thanks for sharing. 😃
When things are quiet are good times to write. 🙂
What does NEO mean?
NEO is my electronic typewriter that I use to write all my stories on. Here’s my post about it: https://readanotherpage.com10-reasons-i-love-neo/
Interesting; thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!
How interesting! And right in time for next camp – maybe we can try some of the other things people do:)
Sure! Try any of them you think might help, Amy. 🙂
I’m not surprised at the music thing—most writers I know need music. But the pen & paper vs computer was surprising!
Yeah, I thought it would have been much more computer.