What’s Your Creative Muse?

Every writer has their favorite tools of the game. If I can’t be next to my computer to write, for example, my must-haves are a pencil and a notebook.

Yes, it has to be a pencil—not a pen ;).

Why? Because that’s what makes me feel the most creative and the most comfortable producing anything from a story to an article.

As writers, we develop habits, good and bad, that directly affect the quality of our writing. We use these tools no matter where we’re at in order to complete our personal writing process.

What’s working for me may not work for you

If I’m on the computer, then I have a particular font I like to use during my writing. Of course, after I’m finished with the piece, I will format it according to my client’s requests.

Now some people will tell you that the process is not worth the time—that it takes away precious minutes that could be profitable instead of being spent making yourself more comfortable mentally.

However, I would have to disagree!

When you have a blank piece of paper or an empty screen in front of you, you are facing something that many people have a deep seated fear of. They don’t know what to write, what to say or how to put the words together for any occasion.

Writers overcome this obstacle and create pieces of art from literally thin air. At the end of the process, they share this with their audience and expose themselves to critic, fans and readers alike.

I’d say the level of bravery that requires means that you can set up whatever working environment you prefer. Whether that’s sitting in the shade with a pencil and paper or typing on a laptop in the local library—it’s about what works for you.

So what are your thoughts on this process?

Do you think it’s worth the time to change the font and layout of a page to something you prefer while working?

Or do you fall into the set that believes you should work with the client’s requested format from the very beginning?

There is nothing wrong with either answer, it’s just a matter of what makes you the most money and helps you feel the most productive.

Pros and cons of a personalized environment

The negative side of doing this is that if you’re working on a computer, you could end up missing something really important to the client and submit an incorrectly formatted article. This could be disastrous in terms of being awarded future jobs and significantly affect your writing income.

Of course, as a writer, it’s your job to pay attention to every detail before you submit your writing. So you have to weigh this matter before you choose either side.

The positive side of doing this is that you put yourself into the most creative mental state possible, where you can create your best work. That means the client is going to get the best part of you as it relates to the topic they have requested.

Not only does that ensure future jobs but it could possibly result in referrals to other clients. This is certainly a time to explore what really works for you as a writer.

Please share your thoughts below on this topic and let us know what you prefer. Writers are a group of people who always want to improve, and you never know, your idea may inspire one of us to a greater level of creativity!