{"id":418,"date":"2014-10-04T22:05:41","date_gmt":"2014-10-05T05:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/?p=418"},"modified":"2014-10-04T22:05:41","modified_gmt":"2014-10-05T05:05:41","slug":"dressing-up-to-write","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/?p=418","title":{"rendered":"Dressing Up to Write"},"content":{"rendered":"

What I’m about to talk about will not work for everyone. \u00a0Indeed, some people will actually be hindered by what I’m about to describe, because every writer is different, and the boon of one might be the bane of another. \u00a0That being said, this\u00a0might<\/em> work for you, so don’t knock it until you try it.<\/p>\n

This is along the idea of “fake it until you make it.” Some people have the ability to fake a smile even though they’re not feeling particularly happy, and eventually, they become happy. \u00a0It’s like that.<\/p>\n

When getting ready to write, dress up like you’re going to work.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, this isn’t going to work for everyone, and depending on your profession, you might have to tailor this advice to something else. \u00a0If you’re a fireman, for example, it might be a little bit too uncomfortable trying to write while wearing bulky protection.<\/p>\n

This works for me, though. \u00a0As a programmer, I can pretty much wear whatever I want, but I choose to put on slacks and a button up shirt when I go in to the office, and that increases my productivity. \u00a0By putting on clothing which I associate with productivity and professionalism, I become more productive, and more professional.<\/p>\n

So it is with my writing. \u00a0If I want writing to be my job, then I need to approach it with the same respect that I give my full time job. \u00a0When I do, it helps my self-image. \u00a0I stop feeling as\u00a0much like a\u00a0hobbyist with confidence issues, and I become the author I want to be.<\/p>\n

I know that part of the reason it works for me is related to my time in the Air Force. \u00a0Putting on a uniform meant something to me, and I still have a great deal of respect for the uniform, and for those that are willing to put one on every day.<\/p>\n

Self-image is important when it comes to writing. \u00a0Some of us have enough problems hushing the inner editor and chasing off demons of fear and doubt. \u00a0When I dress up to go to Starbucks, I\u00a0put\u00a0on armor that helps deflect some of those self inflicted barbs.<\/p>\n

Some people are going to work better in a bathrobe, and if that’s what works for you, then keep doing what you’re doing. \u00a0But if you’re like me, and you sometimes have trouble being productive, this could be just the thing to try. \u00a0I’ve settled on business casual so far, but\u00a0I might bust out the suit some time and see how that feels. \u00a0It might be just the thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What I’m about to talk about will not work for everyone. \u00a0Indeed, some people will actually be hindered by what I’m about to describe, because every writer is different, and the boon of one might be the bane of another. \u00a0That being said, this\u00a0might work for you, so don’t knock it until you try it. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":419,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418\/revisions\/419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briancebuhl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}