-originally written on May 2, 2023; edited on May 13, 2023; writing practice date updated on July 4, 2023, at time of posting –
I’ve been doing my writing practice sessions for about two and a half, three months, and I have really been enjoying it. It allows me to stay current on my writing practice, as I post videos every day of my writing session. It also allows me to get the mental and physical exercise (for my fingers) that comes from writing daily.
When I write, I follow an entertainment schedule.
- Monday through Thursday, I play an episode or two (depending on my time allotment) of the show MASH,
- On Fridays, I watch a movie or part of a movie (really, I watch all of it, but only record the first 30 minutes or so in the video).
- On Saturdays, I switch to music. Sometimes I have a movie playing, but I switch it up with music to keep things interesting.
- Finally, on Sunday, I will watch something that fits a “Sunday” show. I am tempted sometimes to put on VeggieTales, just for kicks and giggles.
Why do I have shows playing when I write?
I did a video answering this on TikTok (I also embedded it below, so enjoy), but I wanted to answer it again (and further) here. The original question that I was answering was about whether having a show playing helped inspire characters, setting, plot, etc. I currently don’t write fiction, but since I watched shows back when I did write fiction, I still felt qualified to answer.
Before I give my answer, I will first say that listening to music while writing is still something I do, whether I’m writing fiction or not, and I do recommend it, but for the sake of the post, I’m probably not going to bring it up again. Just know that I do still enjoy that practice, and it has helped immensely over the years.
What did I do when writing fiction?
Now, when I was writing fiction, if I had a show playing, I would choose one that would align with whatever genre or setting that I was focusing on in my story.
That way, I could focus on the essence of the genre. For example, if I was writing a heist story, I might watch Ocean’s 11 (the 2001 version) or The Sting (1973).
If I were writing something that was high fantasy, I would have Lord of the Rings play. The extended version, of course. That works better for me than listening to music, because as I listen (and occasionally glance over), I hear not just the dialogue and the score, but also the sound effects. All of that, and the visuals of the movie itself, work together to help me find the essence of what I’m writing.
I’m a super visual person, and when I write, it’s hard for me to capture what I see in my head and translate that to the paper/screen. So having a show helps ease that process so I can get the imagery right for my story.
Why do I continue this practice, despite not writing fiction?
I haven’t written fiction in a good long while. I do plan to get back into it someday, but for now, I’m focusing on blog posts and long-form content (as well as the video content that I post on social media). But I still continue this practice because of the other help that it gives me. At any time of the day, I have thoughts just flying through my head, and it can be hard to quiet the thoughts when I’m writing, slowing down the whole process. Watching a show, and having it play, especially when it comes right into my ear through headphones, quiets those thoughts and centers that part of my brain.
So I’m able to focus my time on writing, and my brain is only paying attention to a few things instead of many: the show, the writing, and the camera because I always film when I’m writing, at least currently it’s just one session a day.
I’m going to be honest with you.
I do still get distracted; I don’t think I’ve ever had a show playing that I haven’t taken some time just to sit and watch. It happens, and thankfully, I’m able to keep that to a moderate amount. But it does still happen.
That’s why I choose shows that I’ve already seen. It keeps my watching to as minimal as it can get, but if I were to watch something new, I would be a bit screwed. I would spend too much time on the screen, or I would have to rewatch parts repeatedly to keep up with the plot.
As a fun side note, why am I watching Mash?
M*A*S*H is one of my comfort shows, something I’ve watched since I was little. It’s available on Hulu, the episodes are only about 30 minutes long, so it fits perfectly within my average writing time frame.
It will get tricky, though, when I get past the 6th season, because I haven’t watched all of those episodes. Right now, I only really watch one episode a day, four days a week. So by the time I do get to the later seasons, I’ll have developed enough discipline to be able to write without paying too much attention, or balance the attention well, between the show and the post. We’ll see how it goes, but at this point in time, I don’t foresee too much trouble.
So that’s it; that’s the whys and the hows. For better or worse, shows help me focus while I write, so that I can keep improving as a writer.
Leave a Reply