Is happiness a writer’s best friend?

Or is misery the key to writing success?

I sat writing yesterday morning with the sun shining through the window, the birds singing and a slow breeze washing over my face from an open window. It felt like a great moment to be alive. I felt great.

But does this necessarily mean I have written something great?

I’m one of those people who think the best songs ever written are those steeped in sadness and upset rather than those written about love. Take Let Her Cry by Hootie and the Blowfish — surely the greatest song of all time. Here are a few of the lyrics -

She never lets me in, only tells me where she’s been
When she’s had too much to drink
I say that I don’t care, I just run my hands through her dark hair
Then I pray to God you gotta help me fly away

And just let her cry if the tears fall down like rain
Let her sing if it eases all her pain
Let her go, let her walk right out on me
And if the sun comes up tomorrow, let her be, let her be

There’s a little hope in this, but not a great deal. You can bet that Darius Rucker wasn’t thinking entirely happy thoughts when he came up with the lyrics.

So, does that mean I haven’t written to my best yesterday because it was a happy, relaxing and warming place to be? Well, time will tell on that one. This is the first draft and the proof of the pudding will come in book sales after I have edited and released the book.

What are ideal conditions to write in?

That’s a great question. With all of the above taken into account, there can be a lot said for writing in isolation on a cold, miserable winter day. It would take away a lot of the temptation to step away from the keyboard and walk around in the great outdoors.

But writing is an individual thing. One constant theme that comes through my blogs is that you should do what makes you feel comfortable. If you like writing in a busy place and feel it brings out your best work, then write in a public place such as a coffee shop.

At first, you should try writing in different places to see how it feels, and how productive you are. I have a current target of 2,500 words per day in addition to all the writing work I do for other people. This means a 100,000 word boom will have a finalised first draft in a matter of 50 working days. Then all the work begins. I have tried different ways of working -

• Sat on my own in isolation
• In a public place (the local Starbucks or supermarket café)
• With music playing
• Listening to podcasts
• With the TV on

And I have found what I first suspected — that I work best when sat on my own without distractions — and in a happy place with preferably the sound of birds singing and bees buzzing around.

Find out what makes you most productive. And use it.