Order of Writing for A.M. Bostwick
A friend asked me the other day how I manage to write books.
“Routine,” I said.
Which is about half the truth, or maybe a quarter. To start with, I think you have to be at least partly unhinged to unlock your mind enough to write a book you think other people will want to read – while at the same, dealing with the crippling self-anxiety that comes with knowing people are actually reading your work.
Neuroses aside, I require a proper routine in order to write. Much like my character, Allison, I like a to-do list. I need control over my situation. Which means I take care of my animals, I feed the cat, I go for a run, I eat something healthy and take a shower. If none of that is complete, I feel undone and can’t focus. Because I’m obsessive like that. Yes, I must accomplish ALL of this before 7 a.m. or I will turn into a pumpkin. So I can write all morning.
This is not always the case.
If I’m writing something I’m really passionate about – especially if it’s new and shiny – all rules go out the window (I have a lovely wide window in my office overlooking the field). Then you’ll find me writing all through the afternoon and into the evening, and having conversations with characters who are not there and accidently cutting my fingers while making dinner because I’m not clearly in this world or in my writing world. It’s a lovely place to be, but sometimes dangerous – handle potato peelers with care is my lesson here.
When I’m writing, I cannot listen to music. Or the TV. Or people chatting downstairs. Everything has to be quiet. I do manage to work around the cat passing in and out of the office and sometimes curling into my lap or starting at me accusingly next to the screen. It’s very important to feed the cat in the morning as I said, because nothing interrupts work like a hungry, disgruntled cat. Or worse yet, an offended one.
While I keep notes on my iPhone for ideas and dialogue that come to mind throughout the day, I rarely use pen and paper. I can’t be trusted to read my own writing later (maybe it’s the band-aids from the aforementioned kitchen incidents). As a child, my dad gave me an antique typewriter and I learned to type from a young age. I’ve never stopped and I find it hard to communicate thoughts from my brain to my mouth or even my brain to pen with paper. I’m much more fluent with a keyboard in front of me. If only the clackity-clack of typewriters were as acceptable in coffee houses as laptops!
In the end, the most important thing to me is that I find time to write every single day. I don’t feel complete if I haven’t at least composed or revised a sentence. It’s what makes me feel like me.
I must be going, the cat is hungry, and my new characters have something to say.
About the Author:
A.M. Bostwick writes Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. Her debut middle grade novel, The Great Cat Nap, earned the 2014 Tofte/Wright Children’s Literature Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. An early draft of her young adult novel, “Break the Spell,” was a finalist in the 2013 Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Fab 5 Contest. She holds degrees in both art and earth science. A.M. Bostwick lives in northern Wisconsin with her husband, dog and thrill-seeking cat.
Social Media:
