Creating Your Perfect Speechwriting Environment

photo by Reg Saddler

Ahhhhhh. Do you hear that? It's the sound of quiet. The quiet that comes after 18 days of Winter Break. 18 days filled with anywhere from 6 to 20 kids in the house, and the cacophony of screams, whines, cries, yelling, and thankfully, a lot of laughter that accompany them. At last it is over, the kids are in school, and I can write again.

Well, that is, if I can ignore Facebook and Twitter long enough to type something. If I can turn off Pandora so I don't start typing the lyrics to whatever song is on instead of the thoughts I'm formulating. If I can focus on actually writing instead of the dozens of projects I have to work on.

Internal noise can be a lot harder to block out than external noise.

I have attempted, over the years, to create a perfect writing environment. I like to surround myself with books, artwork and toys - as many creative-types do. My toys tend to either be super-hero related or Star Trek themed, though I also have a Jack-in-the-Box bobblehead. The toys bring me joy, and transports me, subconsciously, I suppose, back to more innocent times, when I had less to worry about.

The books make me feel secure, in an odd way. I grew up always wanting a den with a big library - both of grandfathers had offices lined with books. Captain Kirk was always fond of 'real books', and of course, every motivational speaker I've ever heard talks about the importance of a personal library. While I probably have 10x as many books on my computer as I have as hardcopies, my external hard drive doesn't bring me quite the same joy as seeing the spines of real books lined up in my shelves.

Of course, I always have to have something on the desk to drink (usually diet Pepsi), and I can't let myself get too hungry. If it's too cold or too warm, that's a problem. If I let my desk get too messy, to the point my paperwork needs to be identified by carbon dating, lets say, it's tough to work as well.

With all of my efforts, my pain-staking attention to detail to master my environment, I have successfully created the perfect setting within to write. About twice in ten years. 

Who knows how many books, speeches, cartoons, paintings, and civilization-changing blogposts have been lost to the dedication to 'the perfect setting, the right mood, and exactly the right moment' to create, by creatives throughout the centuries?

The best environment to create, particularly for writers, is often right between your ears, extending to your fingers, while focusing on your page, electronic or otherwise.

Some of my best writing has come inside Carl's Jr., the airport, the city bus, and even sitting with 100 other people waiting to fight a traffic ticket. When I, beyond all logic, manage to simply shut the world out, and not worry about whether everything is in its place around me, but am focused instead on what's inside of me, waiting to be expressed.

There's nothing wrong with creating a great workspace. I just ordered a new Batman the other day with an Amazon giftcard, and, looking around me, I probably need to clean up again. But the perfect workspace isn't perfect if its the only place you can create, and for only those short, perfect windows of time when its exactly what you want. It becomes both a crutch and an excuse more than a facilitator.

Where do you create? What is the most bizarre place you've written something that turned out awesome? What do you consider your perfect writing environment?

The world we live in is imperfect and messy - but its also where we are most needed to create, and ultimately, to Speak & Deliver!

Six Degrees of Your Great Ideas

I drive my wife nuts. 

I know none of you are surprised by this. Perhaps its better for me to say I drive my wife nuts in many, many ways! The one that matters today might just help you find your next great idea - so I'll see if I can focus on that for you.

A common question my wife asks is "What are thinking?" Dangerous, of course, to ask any man this question, but even moreso for me. Because we might be eating dinner, and she's expecting me to say "I'm thinking how wonderful your spaghetti is...", but what actually comes out of my mouth is "Dwight D. Eisenhower". 

The next question, of course, is WHY? Simple, actually. I start out thinking about the meal, then the noodles make me remember Patch Adams, when the doctor set up a pool of noodles for a terminal patient to wade in. Patch was played by Robin Williams, who used to be Mork, in Mork & Mindy. But first he was on Happy Days. Then I think about Fonzie, and how he used to wear a grey jacket, not a black leather jacket, and I remember the episode where they are campaigning for, drumroll please, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This thought process takes all of 5-10 seconds, for me. It's just the way I think.

It's Six Degrees of Separation on steroids - free association for the terminal daydreamer. At the dinner table, it can have its downsides. But as a speechwriter, it can be a salvation.

The process can be harnessed to help you find incidents from your past to bring into your speeches, whether they are events in your life, or stories you've read or heard. It can help you create new ideas and draw new conclusions. You can trigger it just by staring at something and letting your mind wander a bit - linking one thing to another, and seeing where it brings you. Sure, you'll hit some dead ends, but at least it'll be a lot more fun getting there than staring at a blank page.

The ideas you reach may help you immediately, or they can be held for future consideration, just like those epiphanies you have as you fall to sleep or take a shower. Write them down, get them in a story file.

If you don't see yourself thinking this way, no problem. There was probably a time you didn't see yourself on stage, either. Give it a shot anyway. Pick an object by your computer. What does it remind you of? Where you got it? Who gave it to you? Where were you when you used it? What does it look like. Get to the next thought, and then link to another.

There's a 'Jack' bobblehead on my desk. Got it at a Jack in the Box grand opening. I used to drive my preacher, 20 years ago, to get Jack in the Box tacos, two for 99 cents. I remember when I used to work at Taco Bell, and sold tacos 3 for a buck. Boom Boom Boom - two, if not three anecdotes that might come in useful.

And heck, even if not, the process itself helped me write a blog post!

Let your mind wander so your mouth can Speak....and Deliver.