Today’s workshop is really just a discussion of comfort. I
got to thinking about this the other day when I changed my clothes to sit down
at my computer and finish the final edits on Under His Spell.
It was the fact that I changed out of my jeans and sweater
and into sweatpants and a sweatshirt that made me realize, I wear a sort of
uniform when I write. Always loose, always comfortable, always not-dressy.
Often I start the day still in my nightgown, write several hundred or a
thousand words, then take a break and have a shower, make my toilette, eat
breakfast, then come back—in sweats—for another go-round.
It’s not that I can’t write in jeans, or a skirt, or all
dressed up in stockings and heels. It’s that I write better when dressed like a
slob. I have a day job that I dress up for (skirt and top with flats, usually).
And I have a writing job I dress down for (the aforementioned sweats).
When I make public appearances as a writer, I used to have
an outfit I wore all the time. Black pants and a Mandarin silk top that was
actually quite elegant. Then I put on a few pounds (sigh!) and the top didn’t
fit quite as nicely, so I stopped wearing it. But every book signing, every TV
appearance, that’s what I wore. I called it my “author look”. Like an actor’s
costume, it helped give me a frame of reference, a state of mind for the
appearance.
Lately, however, I haven’t appeared in public much. Partly
because there aren’t many bookstores left in which to do booksignings and
partly because I’ve been home, in my comfy clothes, writing books instead.
So my question is this—and I really am trying to get a
discussion going here for all you writers. Do the clothes you wear when you
write make a difference in a) what you write or b) how well you write? When you
appear in public, is there a particular persona you want to project?
Please use the comments below and make your thoughts known!
Diana
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