Space is Important

Welcome to a new week, Lurkdom! Unfortunately, I don't have a thought-out blog post in mind for today*. What this means for you is that I might just ramble stream-of-consciousness style**.

I've been thinking a lot about the different forms of writing space. Not just where I can park my butt, but the space in my brain and also on the page. Space may be the most important tool in the writing arsenal.

On the Page
Remember reading that dreadfully boring history text so jammed with paragraphs, you could barely jot a note in the margin? Weren't you always exhausted afterward? It's because there was no white space. Large areas of blank page trick our eyes into thinking we're reading less***.

Within a Project
Seasoned writers will agree: taking a step back from a recent WIP is a good thing. It gives you perspective on what you've done. Time apart also can help figure out that niggling plot point you couldn't quite nail.

Wall Space, Desk Space
I'm a fan of plastering paper on the wall to see how my story fits together and what needs to work****. When there are multiple subplots and other details, it's nice to spread it out and move things around. Also, what's better than a nice, clean desk? *glances at day job's workspace and cringes*

In the Brain
It's hard to manage coherent thought when life hammers at you all day. Bills, tasks, and other annoying non-writerly things eat into that special part of our brain that we leave specifically for all things writing. When this happens, it's more difficult to get into the groove. However, when there's nothing pressing, everything is awesome.

Right now space is working against me. My goal tonight is owning space.

How does space work in your daily life?

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* You can or can't blame this on the conference scheduling coma I had most of the weekend.
** I feel like I should apologize for this in advance. Consider this the apology.
*** I guess we are since there are less words on each page, but overall is another story.
**** Unfortunately for me, bookshelves impede this process. 
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Last.fm hit of the day: Euroshaman by Daniel Lioneye