Fashion Victim

Writer. Fashion.

Isn't that an oxymoron? I mean, at conferences maybe some of us could be viewed as semi-fashionable. I am not among that number. I'm far more fashion victim than fashion maven. Used to be you could count on me to dress up for conferences and events - to the point that it was clear I was trying too hard. But not now. A day job and very limited time to write makes my writing uniform pretty flexible. It's boat clothes, y'all. Boat clothes. Even if there isn't a boat at the moment. I'm still out here in cut off shorts, men's tee shirts and wearing men's Keens. I've found my gender-neutral happy place, and regardless of whether I'm out on the lanai writing or walking at the treadmill desk, this less than fashionable outfit stays relatively cool and dry. I never imagined I'd need to plan for fungal diseases like jungle rot (not a joke - my grandfather had it and never got rid of it) but staying cool and dry is a thing here. So every last goth bit of me has been packed away in a box for that time in the future when wearing black won't be a death-by-heat-stroke sentence.

The only thing that might change is whether or not I'm wearing the blue-light blocker migraine glasses. Or the Cefaly. Distinctly not fashionable, but so worth using to keep migraine at bay. 

I'm afraid if there are author beauty contests, I'm going to have to let the cats stand in.

Utilizing Fashion in your Writing Routine

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?