Writing can be a complex or simple thing. It’s not so much how you look at it, but how you work with it. There are writers with skill I admire who maintain that writing is a difficult act, despite their many years in a chair producing
. Others seem to rattle it off with no effort — some, with the zeal of youth because they are prepared.

It’s not about inspiration; it’s all about letting something complex bubble in their heads, to finally crack open and spill out when ready. There’s work in that act so many don’t see: long walks at night, crunching scenes while shopping for groceries, or talking out loud while driving on back roads and highways…pitting characters against each other and seeing a myriad endings to so many conflicts.

They are the people who can find solace even in a crowded room full of chittering people, the droning of it all becoming its own white noise perfect for thinking. They are the people who sometimes slip from one-on-one conversations, when something said by a friend fills that gap in their head that’s waited days to be filled. Their eyes closed, they might not be napping — just focusing more than usual on which way to take a scene.

They might appear lazy, lying prone on a couch and staring at the ceiling, but be sure of this: a writer is always working!

Labor Day: that day of rest from work. The day we celebrate the hard work of those who came before us by squeezing out the last bit of summer.

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day Weekend is different for me. I typically take the Friday before off so I have four days to…do the work I love doing more than any other work.

I will log out of Facebook and not check email much. It is a weekend to focus on writing. This year, it will also be a weekend to focus on the podcast. It’s after midnight; it’s technically Friday, and I’ve spent the time so far editing 2 podcasts and preparing the show notes and graphics for the next 2 weeks. Outside of recording a couple more episodes some afternoon over the next four days, I get to put my head down…and write!

The Work

Normally, I write when I can. It’s rare that I have several uninterrupted days where I can focus on writing and little else. I will still spend time with my wife, but the rest of the time is about the work.

Writing is work. I’ve done a lot of different jobs in my adult life (construction, landscaping, warehouse/factory work, restaurants, many odd jobs, customer service, and a parade of office jobs), and through it all — no matter how hot, difficult, or stressful work has been — I’ve made time to write. This weekend is a celebration of that.

Those of us fortunate enough to get a long weekend deserve to spend it any way we please
. Most of the world does work they would not be doing if they were independently wealthy or if they could push a button and have their dream job. It’s a well-deserved weekend for those of us who have the time off. So enjoy the weekend, and do whatever it is you want to do.

Me? I want to spend it working on the best work there is…

It’s quiet right now. Sure, I can hear the air conditioner and my fingers tapping away on the keyboard, but for the world I live in, it is very quiet.

It wasn’t always like this…

Bring the Noise

I grew up in a world of background noise. A stereo was always on — including my own stereo, which was on even while I slept. Televisions were left on news stations or other things to the point the intensity of the volume increased to a roaring norm. (To this day, I find the sound of television in the background one of the most annoying noises on the planet.)

There was the sound of others: clanking in the kitchen, the thud of opening and closing doors, and heavy footsteps. Phones ringing; people talking.

Enjoy the Silence

There’s no real background noise in my life anymore. The TV is only on when my wife and I watch it, and we really don’t watch it much. As much as we love music, it’s not background noise. If my wife and I listen to music, it’s almost always with headphones. It’s only an audible thing for all when cleaning, when my wife does art, or when we deliberately sit and listen to something.

We move around the apartment quietly, conscious there is another person almost always in earshot who may be doing something requiring the concentration that comes with silence.

A New Kind of Noise

Technology is great, but with it comes a new kind of noise. While my smart phone is always silenced and push notifications turned off, if you text me, my phone lights up and I’m likely to look if I’m in the room with it. Just like that, I’m distracted.

A sweep of email or social media sites and I’m left with a to-do list in the back of my mind. (“Must get back to them and them and them…”) Sometimes I get an actual phone call, which isn’t new noise, but there comes with it an expectation from those who allow a parade of interruptions into their lives that people pick up at all times.

For many, there’s no excuse to not reach someone almost immediately.

Why I Like Silence

I write best when things are silent. If I listen to music, it’s usually something soft, meant to block out background noise. If I’m up early, there’s not even music.

But it’s not all about writing..
.

I like silence because it soothes me and leaves my mind open only to one thing at a time…if anything at all. When I speak of silence, sometimes I mean genuine silence; other times, it’s the background noise of a hike. I like the quiet of canoe paddles moving a canoe through water. I like the quiet sounds of distant thunder. Rain is always good; soothing, even.

Why I Don’t Like Noise

The sound of news anchors and pundits telling me to be angry about something goes much deeper than the sound in my ears. With the noise comes a tension that can stick with a person throughout the day. Maybe it’s a story that gets them to check their phone frequently to see what’s developed; maybe it’s something that makes them talk with others to see if they are just as mad about the story…and if not, why not?!

It’s the kind of noise that robs a person of the most important kind of silence: silence of the mind. It is from that kind of silence that great work begins. Read the writing of people who allow themselves to be constantly interrupted compared to those who embrace silence and it’s often clear the effect a quiet mind has on great works.

I don’t know if I will ever write a great work, but I know my odds are better if I write free from distraction and away from a loud and busy world around me.