a good writing environment

[rowens]

To quote (or possibly misquote) something I read somewhere but can't remember where or who said it:

Write drunk, but edit sober

Write drunk. Edit sober. Read it sober, and get drunk enough to write something better.

I think atmosphere is very important to writing. But I think it's best to have a small notebook to jot down enough to remember, and then write when you're anywhere else. I'm so affected by environments that I can't write at all, or I can't make the words shut up so it's like I'm drunk and every thought that pops into my head feels like gold. You can write anywhere, but it's a big thing trying to wait till you've digested experiences properly enough to write sensibly about them. I get drunk on music, setting, so many things.

This is an important topic.