Showing posts with label Morgan Wright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Morgan Wright. Show all posts

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Utilizing Fashion in your Writing Routine

Stereotype image of author Alexia Chantel sitting at her desk in a ballgown as she eats chocolate vs actual writing image of Alexia sitting at a desk in a simple dress as she works on her laptop surrounded by notebooks and sticky notes.
We’re talking about writer fashion this week and what you do or don’t wear to write. This picture is my take on how my friends and family imagine I write vs what it looks like when I really write. And yes, I’m wearing a dress in both pictures, but my reality is not fancy ball gowns.

Writing from home, or working from home, doesn't have to mean sweat pants and t-shirts. It's okay to want to look nice, as @bymorganwright posted about her experience facing the stereotype of being brainy and looking nice. 

I’m a dress kind of girl. I’ve long been the most comfortable in them, dressing them up or down. Maybe it started when I was young and my sister and I would practically play dress up daily and trounce around the farm in long floral prints. It definitely cemented when I moved into management and no longer had to wear scrubs. And at this point wearing dresses has become my signature look, so I see no need to change it. 


Which brings me to the real point I want to make with writer fashion which is how to dress when working from home. 


Once I quit the day job for my health and moved into a writing routine I quickly found out that I needed to get dressed for the day…which for me was putting on an actual dress. The choice of clothing isn’t the important part, it’s the act of getting out of pajamas in order to mentally and physically prepare myself for the day. 


Then the lock down happened and my husband found himself working from home and discovered the same thing. He couldn’t bring himself to get much work done if he didn’t get out of comfy clothes. It’s absolutely a mental thing! 


If you’re struggling to get writing done or settle into a routine it might help to give your brain a signal. It could be getting dressed for the day, or maybe it’s getting a nice cuppa and sitting in a certain chair. Whatever you choose to define the beginning of  writing mode, use it and don’t let yourself get distracted. Meaning—don’t get sucked into organizing your closet or start surfing the socials once you sit in your writing chair. 


Utilize your routine and don’t let non-writers get to you with their comments about bonbons or how it must be nice to be on vacation every day. Writing is hard. It’s harder than managing a clinic because it’s more than business, it’s your heart and soul going into those words. 


For those struggling to get the words down because something’s blocking you or those feeling guilty for taking time out of the day to write—keep your chin up and don’t give up. Writing isn’t always glamorous, but it sure can be fun. 


When you’re working from home/writing do you have a routine to get you into the right frame of mind?