#IWSG: Stop Acting Like a Little Kid

~ J.S. Pailly

Welcome to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!  If you’re a writer, and if you feel in any way insecure about your writing life, click here to learn more about this awesome group!

All in all, last month was a good month for me.  I had a meeting with my editor that I thought went well.  I attended a physics seminar in Princeton, an experience which really fueled my creativity as a science fiction writer.  Oh, and I wrote an article that I’m really proud of for Fiction Can Be Fun (click here to read it!)

But no matter how well things are going for me, there’s always somebody who wants to drag me down.  This time, I’ve been told that I need to stop acting like a little kid.  I’m too old to keep chasing these childish writing dreams.

Except I didn’t find this particular insult to be particularly insulting.  Rather, my thought was: Little kid?  Oh, you have no idea how right you are!  Allow me to give you a tour of my personal “writing zone.”

A few years back, I moved to a new house.  In that process, I ended up getting rid of my writing desk.  I don’t like desks.  Sitting at a desk is such a grownup thing to do, and I didn’t want to do it anymore.  Instead, I bought a thick, heavy blanket, laid it out on the floor, and called that my new writing zone.  It’s a comfy and cozy environment for writing.

As you can see in the highly technical diagram above, I keep several things in my writing zone:

  • A dictionary, specifically the New American Heritage Dictionary, which happens to be my favorite dictionary.
  • Two thesauruses, because if I can’t find the right word in one of them, there’s still a chance I might find it in the other.
  • Two notebooks, one for first drafts and another for rewrites.
  • My computer, so I can stream music.
  • Coffee mug full of pens.  Why?  I think that’s self-explanatory.

So whenever I write, I don’t sit at a desk.  I don’t even own a desk.  Not anymore!  Instead, I lie down on my belly, feet kicked up in the air—just like a little kid.

Oh, and you may have noticed in that highly technical diagram one other thing I keep in my writing zone: a picture of my B.I.F.F.  That’s a picture of my muse.  She’s not just my imaginary friend—she’s my best imaginary friend forever, or my B.I.F.F.

So if you want to insult me, don’t tell me my writing dreams are childish.  Don’t tell me I’m acting like a little kid.  That’s not an insult to me.  That’s a point of pride.

P.S.: Shoot, I always forget to promo this….  If you’d like to help support what I’m doing here on Planet Pailly, click here to “buy me a coffee.”  I don’t actually drink coffee, but your money will help me keep my coffee mug full of pens.

26 thoughts on “#IWSG: Stop Acting Like a Little Kid”

  2. I did something similar when I wrote my submission for the IWSG Anthology, a middle grade historical adventure/fantasy. I brought a blanket outside, laid down on my tummy with my feet in the air (like in your illustration) and let the words fly. I felt like a kid again, and it was great.
    Happy IWSG Day!
    Mary at Play off the Page

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  5. I’m jealous! I would write on the floor too, if my back wouldn’t give me fits after 5 minutes. I write at a desk most of the time because I have to. But whenever possible, I take my Alphasmart Neo and write stretched out on my bed, with plenty of pillows behind me.

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  6. Make sure you don’t get big because then that belly position might become uncomfortable 😉 I have one of those desks that can move up and down, with books, computer and my microscope on it and a few little bowls with pond water and algae, for my little friends, like different kinds of rotifers, stentor coeruleus, euplotes and the like. Continue behaving like a child because that means being creative.

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  7. Hey, having a child-like attitude towards reality is what keeps me writing. You almost need it to fight through the obstacles standing in your way. I can’t work lying on the floor anymore. I need to sit upright or my neck will hurt after a while. But to each his own. I like surrounding myself with colorful chemicals when I write.

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    1. It’s the child-like attitude that keeps me writing too. Or maybe it’s the writing that keeps me from forgetting what it means to be a child. I’m not always sure which is which.

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    1. Yeah, I get that. If I spend too much time writing, I do end up with a few minor aches and pains. A sign of things to come, I’m sure. But for now, I’m going to enjoy this.

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      1. You’re talking about dealing with it in a healthy, mentally stable manner, though. I’ve ripped into people for telling me I have “too much time on my hands” in regards to some creative pursuit. It’s one of my buttons. I guess we all have them. 😂

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      2. The “too much time on your hands” thing bothers me too. People don’t realize how much time creativity takes. I live in near constant panic that I don’t have enough time to get everything done!

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