Chris Thompson   Chris Thompson on the internet

I’ve said it before, and written about it before, but, I’ll say it again. To me, writing fiction is like going on holiday without a map. Of course, for everyone, the process of writing is different – for some there is a lot of planning – but for me, it’s an adventure in its own right. Because when I start, I might have a vague idea of where I want it to go, but it’s very much unplanned. And as such, it’s not unheard of for characters to say or do things that surprise me, because I get in their heads and write as I go along. For me, that’s part of what makes it so fun.

I’ve linked to this before, but I’ll do it again: Neil Gaiman has a written a short piece on where writers get their ideas, and it’s a wonderful read. I think, for me, most of my ideas stem from a simple question:

“What if?”

Recently, I saw a statue surrounded by four animals that looked like birds. And I thought … what if, somehow, this woman was protecting the inhabitants of the city. What if, when that bird comes and hangs around my house, it is only pretending to drink from my bird pond, because, really, it has been sent by the statue to look after me?

I like to stop and think about ideas, sometimes, and think about where they come from. And how they develop over time, as well. One story that I wrote quite recently is an alternate history piece, and I thought I had finished it. I showed it to a few people, and they liked it, which is always good. But then I showed it to some other people, and they pointed out where it could be better. I changed some things around, working into the piece like clay. Now it’s definitely a better piece, but the idea has become more than simply alternate history as well.

Lately, however, I sit down at my desk, about to write – and the words are slow in coming. I’ve got a feeling that it’s connected to the mess around my workspace; those pieces of paper, all the pens, and loose bits and bobs lying around. I look at it all, and grumble. And I wonder why the hell I don’t make use of my perfectly good folder. It’s not that I think a messy desk makes me look busy … it’s just laziness, I guess.

Many is the time I’ve bought a folder, and very much planned to use it, but forgotten. Or I’ve put it off, because using it means having a good old fashioned tidy up. But then I get lazy, and now I can’t even find the folders I did have. Even as I type this, I’m already thinking of ways to put off buying new ones. But I need to, because it’s starting to affect my writing, and that’s not good. So it’s time to investigate stationary suppliers and stationers, I think. It’s very definitely time to sort this mess out.

I think, actually, that I might still have some Staples vouchers somewhere, which could get me into gear a bit quicker (if they’re good ones), but I really can’t remember.

Better get looking, I suppose.