The Writing Bag
I have a writing bag.
If I’m intending to spend any significant chunk of time writing, it will usually be away from home. I find I’m able to focus much better if I’m away from the distractions of the telly, laptop and fridge. I also enjoy writing in different environments; it becomes a part of the process. So I need a bag to transport my writing tools with me.
As my creative time has become more precious, I’ve started to realise that the content of the bag has become more important to the process. Sometimes, I need ideas. Sometimes, I’m lacking inspiration. And of course, I also need the basic tools for the jobs – which now includes drawing as well as writing.
So, choosing what to put in the bag has become an exercise in smart thinking. What are the fewest items I need to cover both inspiration and productivity? Yes, I know that I can have everything I need on an iPad, but I only find technology helpful in specific ways. The physical presence of a book or a card is a thousand times more effective than just another page displayed on a screen.
What’s great is that it works. And just in case you like the idea, here’s what my bag currently contains (details underneath):
The writing bag contents!
The Pot Boiler – a book by Spike Milligan
I love Spike’s work. He loved what he did, and it shines through his work. From simple sight gags to nonsense poetry, his material is best described as ‘simple genius’. A true inspiration.
‘No rules. Just write.’ – a free sampler from the Teach Yourself series of books. I love this because it’s packed with tips and is very light to carry.
Notepad – themed with Andy Warhol‘s work. This is a great little book that has diary pages, to do lists and note pages. I list everything I’m working on in here, and set target dates for all my projects. I also use the diary to make sure I’m booking onto events – like the Writer’s Toolkit in November – that will inspire me.
Notepad – A4 from Paperchase. I’m using this to write the first draft of my novel. It goes everywhere with me. It’ll probably be the first time ever that I use every single line of a notebook. I find it much, much easier to write in this rather than on an iPad or computer. I’d be gutted if I lost it.
Drawing pad – square from Paperchase. All of the cartoons are drawn in here before being imported onto an iPad for completion and colouring. The paper is very good quality.
Autobiography of Jacob Epstein – hardback, bought off abebooks.co.uk. Jacob Epstein is my favourite sculptor and has become even more so since I started reading about his life. This copy is 72 years old!
Van Gogh-themed notebook – my go-to book for writing down and expanding on ideas. This is my favourite book to write in, and usually results in some useable stuff.
Raindrops postcard – I just like the design of this. And it’s useful to have a card to just pop in the post to someone.
Art postcard – ‘Crash Head’ by Eduardo Paolozzi. Paolozzi’s sculptures are bonkers. This card came from the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. It’s not my favourite of his works, but it makes me think of the others of his that I’ve seen.
Comedy Fix zine – it’s important to carry around at least one example of a project I’ve seen through to the end, so so that the evidence is there that I can do it!
John Clare postcard – a reminder that poetry can be serious and beautiful, and not just comic. This card came from a John Clare exhibition at Peterborough Museum.
Lizz Lunney postcard. Lizz’s creations always make me smile, and remind me that I should be aiming to up my game in the drawing stakes!
Greetings card – Gemma Correll. A reminder that simple ideas, when brilliantly executed, can and do sell.
Just a Note – ideas notebook. Hardly used, as I mostly use the Warhol book for quick ideas, but I do love the brand – yourstrulycards.co.uk
Blank notecards – for general use.
Sketching pencils, artist pens, writing pen, iPad stylus, eraser and sharpener – essential tools!
Oh yes – and finally, this is the bag. (Guess who was a teenager in the ’80s…):-
The writing bag
Do you have a writing bag, or does technology provide everything you need?
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Birmingham has always been a centre of creativity. It’s only now that the secret’s getting out.
In 1996, when in my twenties, I was in a relationship with a Londoner called Steve. He was a student at UCE (as it was then) in Birmingham. I lived in Cheltenham at the time, and so made lots of journeys at weekends to be with him. These trips were my introductions to Birmingham.
Eventually, I decided to move up, and so got a job and made all the necessary arrangements. Unfortunately, Steve decided at around the same time that he wanted to return to his parents in London and that I should change my plans to be with him.
Except I didn’t.
Because what I didn’t realise at the time was that I wasn’t in love with him – I was in love with Birmingham. And so, on 16th August 1996, I moved to a city in which I no longer knew a single person, and had no connection with, apart from a few weekend visits through the summer of ’96.
18 years later, I don’t regret that move for a moment. I’ve always known that Birmingham was something special. Friends asked me at the time: “Why on earth are you ditching Cheltenham for Birmingham?” I didn’t really know the answer then; I just knew it was right.
Since then, Birmingham has tried – and largely succeeded – to shake off its infamous ‘image problem’. I’ve watched the Bullring being demolished and rebuilt; great additions to the city take shape such as the Crescent Theatre and the Library of Birmingham; world class venues like the Ikon Gallery and the NEC continuing to compete on an international level; and the mistakes of the past being quietly erased, such as Masshouse Circus and the old, dingy Bullring itself. The old prejudices remain, and the city remains an easy target, but it’s much harder now for people to espouse lazy views in the face of so much evidence to the contrary.
There is a buzz around Birmingham like never before, being driven by passionate people who have a vision of Birmingham as a creative hub – a place where great things can happen. Even the BBC have woken up and accepted that they have massively underestimated Birmingham’s potential as a centre of ideas and creativity.
For me, it was never in any doubt. In the 18 years I’ve been here, I’ve been involved with such great projects and events such as Rhubarb Radio, the short-lived but fondly-remembered Margaret Rose Abri Café, the ever-popular MAC comedy course, my own show at the Blue Orange Theatre as part of the 2013 Birmingham Fest, and countless local comedy and music nights, from Lou Deemy Soup to regular nights at the Rose Villa Tavern and the Patrick Kavanagh. All gems.
Now, ‘Impact Hub Birmingham’ aims to embrace the huge creative potential in the city by offering a new centre for ideas and collaboration. A Kickstarter campaign is up and running, and there are plenty of rewards for those who wish to support the initiative. It deserves to succeed.
2015 will be a truly great year for Birmingham, and I can’t wait to discover new potential collaborators and to experience more of the cultural experiences this fine city has to offer.
There’s nowhere I’d rather be.
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Two Months of Nothing
Is it November already? Shocking.
My reason for not posting in weeks is that I’m employed in education, which means that September and October are ridiculously busy. Planning lessons requires a certain amount of creativity, so there’s been none left for my own projects. Still, I think the creative break has done me good (although work is likely to continue to disrupt for some weeks yet.)
So – two months of the year left, and one more project to launch before Auld Lang Syne. This one’s going to be a slow-burner, but needs to start somewhere, so I think December 1st is as good a date as any. I can’t say too much about it yet, as I need to make some final decisions on format and content, but it will be based online this time, so everyone can join in the fun.
I’m also thinking about doing a Christmas podcast, but that might just be a project too far.
Oh yes – I ended up signing up for none of the courses listed in my September 1st post – and I’m glad I didn’t. I think I knew I needed the break, so I should learn to trust my instincts.
What I should really do to increase my productivity is to stop driving to work and get the train. I spend 2 hours a day going up and down the M5, which is completely dead time (not to mention cash-sappingly expensive.) Getting the train would provide an opportunity to write AND save on petrol. But I’m addicted to my anti-social cocoon, and kid myself that it’s useful thinking time. This is patently not so, as the concentration required to drive safely is way above the level that allows your mind to wander such as it might on the train.
I also need to fit in an hour of exercise every day too. Exercise does actually help me think, but because I exercise on the home-gym, I end up distracted, sitting on the weights bench running through plot-lines or character traits, and before I know it 10 minutes has passed and I’ve done absolutely nothing.
So I need to find regular writing time in my day. Early morning is a possibility, but I’m already out of bed at 6am, so it’s very much a remote possibility. I try to exercise between 8pm and 9pm, which leaves 9pm-midnight – which is also the time I’m most tired and therefore most likely to just waste time on Facebook, YouTube etc.
But – that really is no excuse, so 9-11pm it is. No more taking work home – I think two months of that has been more than enough. And as for abandoning the car… well, tomorrow is another day.
In other words, sod that.
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