Minimalism When Writing Fiction
By Jan O'Hara | December 15, 2014 |
On an evening in July 2014, along with my brother and another hundred perspiring attendees, I crowded into one of the few remaining indie bookstores in my hometown. We weren’t there for a rock star novelist, I’m sorry to say, but rather for two non-fiction writers. I’d been reading their blog for a few months and their message was already having a positive impact on my writing (and larger life). I was eager for an in-person reinforcement.
Have you heard of Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, aka The Minimalists? They are two contemporary leaders in the — surprise! — minimalist movement.
To be clear, I’m not speaking of minimalist literature, which is a form of stripped-down prose made popular by authors such as Hemingway and Raymond Carver, but rather a lifestyle in which one aims for a mindful pattern of consumption so that you’re not trading valuable time and energy for possessions you don’t prize.
Nor am I claiming to be a poster child for the minimalist movement. (As if.) But I was and remain at a point in my life where the message was welcome and necessary if I was to keep on writing fiction.
How can minimalism help in the writing life?
1. It can help recover writing time.
I live in an aging, middle class neighborhood and my cul de sac contains ten homes, housing approximately twenty-three people. We weathered a winter storm two weeks ago, yet if I stand at my front window, I can count eleven cars which have yet to be cleared of snow. That’s eleven vehicles which have been superfluous for fourteen days, and which weren’t protected from the elements because their logical homes — the double garages abutting each house — are stuffed with boxes of surplus possessions. (Only two of the ten homes in our neighborhood can park vehicles in their garage.)
I’m not judging my neighbors. They are kind, mature adults who have the right to make their own financial decisions and bear the results.
Also, I’ve participated in the same pattern of over-acquisition. My present weakness is books and kitchen supplies, and in a past, dramatic example, we over-consumed with the travel-trailer which nearly killed us.
But I’m sure you can appreciate that each vehicle represents a huge investment: time spent to earn the money so they could spend time to shop for the car, so they could spend time on its maintenance and cleaning. When a vehicle outlives its use, they’ll spend time to dispose of it properly.
Minimalism simply invites us to recover our time by eliminating unnecessary purchases upfront or, once we’ve acquired objects, to pare them down to what we truly need and mindfully desire, thereby reducing the time we waste on the latter part of the consumption cycle.
Personally, it’s a message I need to hear repeated at this time of year as we make decisions about gift-giving and receiving. Rather than saddling our family with time-stealing objects, we’re aiming to give them experiences, such as attending a movie or play together.
2. It can help recover writing energy:
Once I adopted a sparer aesthetic, I discovered an interesting thing: more willpower to begin writing, which is at least 60% of my internal battle. According to this article, I’m not unusual. (There are other simple measures to boost willpower, meaning that the same things which help you write will help you stay slimmer over the holidays.)
What does a minimalist aesthetic in writing look like? Well, for me this has meant:
- A gradual decluttering of my home: My office is located in a multi-purpose room which houses spillover dried goods from the pantry, the household printer, supplies for sewing and household repair, Christmas wrap, financial papers, etc. In order to reclaim my office and diminish visible clutter, I’ve needed to downsize the possessions in the rest of my home and simplify my office’s function.
- A gradual decluttering of my writing: This is a big change for me, but I’ve become a serial monogamist by deciding to take one piece of long-form fiction to completion rather than flirting with multiple projects. The simplification is relieving, to be honest, because of the mental effort involved in juggling so many characters, plot layers, etc. (How do people manage bigamy? So exhausting!) As a welcome consequence, I believe I can see difference in what I’m writing — it’s deeper, bolder, unreservedly better even if scarier to write.
- At the end of the day, I turn my monitor off and push it to the back of the desk, then place my paper and pen at the front, poised for immediate work in the morning. Perhaps it’s the conditioning of my childhood writing, but it helps to begin the day with the simplicity of hand-held tools and a cleared desk.
- I’ve diminished my online commitments by decreasing the frequency of my participation in certain groups, cutting some out altogether.
- I’ve worked to cut down inbox clutter by getting rid of subscriptions, moving others to Feedly.
- I’ve become choosier about the writing articles I’ll save for “someday”. Likewise, I won’t be purchasing any new craft books unless I’ve made a big dent in my current pile. (Have you noticed how your mind wants to equate the act of purchasing a book with the act of understanding the material, thereby providing you with a fleeting sense of accomplishment? No? Just me? Regardless, it’s a form of mindless consumption which wearies me when I look at all the craft material I’ve acquired yet haven’t used.)
- Cutting down my personal library by donating non-keeper paper books to the library or Goodwill. Deleting non-keeper ebooks from my ereader.
- I’m trying to make a TBR fiction list rather than a pile, though this is an ongoing challenge.
- Diminishing the number of browser tabs I have open at any one time.
- When I use the computer, writing within a “cleaner” page (i.e. using the Scrivener full-screen app, which allows an experience similar to that of Zen Pen).
As a result of my efforts:
- I feel more peaceful, competent.
- I’m writing more frequently, better, deeper — in part because I’m making better writing decisions. I’m better at killing my darlings because of the immediate, tangible example of how clinging to the past engenders more work and mental fatigue than committing to a change.
- Another personal thing — and I hesitate to mention it because I’m NOT trying to be evangelical so much as transparent — but I feel the same kind of relief from cognitive dissonance as I did when I became vegetarian for health reasons alone, then realized how much it had troubled me to eat meat. I had no idea how much the cumulative weight of my possessions was troubling me until I felt the freedom of owning less.
Because minimalism is so counter-culture and can be tailored to fit your personal taste, it’s helpful to have a variety of role models:
- The Minimalists — an enjoyable couple of authors to listen to if they tour your city.
- Leo Baubata’s Zen Habits — Time Magazine voted this the best blog in the world at one point.
- Joshua Becker’s Becoming Minimalist
- Courtney Carver’s Be More with Less — tips from a minimalist mom.
- Mr. Money Mustache — combines minimalist aesthetic with tips on frugality and financial independence.
Now what about you, Unboxeders? Have you adopted a minimalist aesthetic in your writing life? If you did, what were the results? Have you downsized your life in order to free-up more writing time? Did it work? If the philosophy of minimalism doesn’t appeal to you, why not?
A USA Today bestselling author, former family physician and academic, Jan O’Hara (she/her) left the world of medicine behind to follow her dreams of becoming a writer. She writes love stories that zoom from wackadoodle to heartfelt in six seconds flat: (Opposite of Frozen; Cold and Hottie; Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures). Her latest Christmas novella, The Cowboy’s Comeback Christmas, is part of a 9-author-strong anthology (A Cowboy This Christmas: A Sweet Romance Anthology). She also contributed to Author in Progress, a Writer’s Digest Book edited by Therese Walsh.
I’ve always lived by the advice of Mr. Wilkins Micawber: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”
That solves about 90% of modern life’s challenges.
So true, Jim. One can adopt a minimalist aesthetic without living within one’s means, but the two generally run together and compound the sense of peace and control.
You’ve written on subject near and dear to my lifestyle, Jan. After many years of practicing minimalism (and it’s siblings-simplicity, frugality, and green-living), I now work part-time for a regular salary and the rest-of-the-time as a writer which has yet to pay a minimal salary. Sometimes I question my sanity in living on less but having found a deep seated sense of joy and contentment, I persist.
I have to admit, my writing habit is not yet as consistent as I would have it be. A fast learner, I am not. But I am still new to novel writing.
Within the past year I found Courtney Carver’s Project 333 website and enthusiastically embraced her simplified organization of dressing with less.
It’s great to meet another minimalist pursuer. Minimalism is counter-cultural to the (previous? still?) more-is-better society and so helpful to find others walking the same path.
You sound like a committed adoptee, Lisa. Fantastic.
Thank you for the recommendation of Project 333. (That’s a 33-piece wardrobe for those who are interested. https://theproject333.com/) Another place to browse when I need inspiration/reminders.
Did you know The Minimalists have created Meetup groups in each city they tour? (https://www.minimalist.org/) Perhaps you’ll be able to find others of like mind in close proximity. I have yet to be able to attend a meeting, but my local group as a Facebook page which helps keep it top-of-mind.
Hey, Jan, thanks for the post.
What I’ve also noticed about Ryan and Joshua is that they seem to be terribly stylish about this whole minimalism thing. Hence, I’ve been doing some decluttering, too.
If it looks as good on me as it does on them, I am so there. :)
-p.
On Twitter: @Porter_Anderson
I agree, Porter, having met them in person. They’re down-to-earth people, too, so it’s not simply about what’s on the outside, making me admire them all the more.
Jan-
As in life, on the fiction page you need fewer words than you think you do.
That’s it. Thanks.
Don, in the spirit of brevity: I agree. ;) Thanks.
Cool post Jan, and a subject close to my potentially OCD heart! I’m a minimalist with my desk and my office. I use a drafter’s desk so it’s impossible to leave anything on it when I’m done working for the day.
If I was going to pick a form of OCD, I’d prefer your type, I think. :)
A drafting table sounds like a marvelous desk!
Jan–
I don’t think it’s possible to generalize about paring down, simplifying, rationalizing, etc. Like you, I live in a community overrun with cars, located in a climate where a garage is a good idea. But again like you, I think my wife and I are the only people on our street who use the garage for its original purpose.
But here’s what I mean about generalizing: ours is also an area devoid of reliable public transportation, where citizenship or status as a person virtually requires ownership of a car. The couple next door have three children of driving age. Everyone has a job or goes to school. Five people = five cars. Does this make any sense? Only if you live somewhere like Detroit, where people cling tenaciously to their personhood, which means the maximalism of owning a car.
As for your urging minimalism in writing behavior, there you have caught me squarely in the headlights. Life would be much better if I could figure out how to change the slovenly habits of a lifetime. Especially now, in the putative Golden Age for writers. Added to everything that always needed to be managed are all the shiny, new demands of being one’s own publisher: mastering and keeping track of innovative tools, aids, guides, websites, marketing instruments and strategies, etc. For me, electronic file management alone is a daunting task. In the past I could get by. Not now.
Everyone prefers to believe change is always possible. Alas, for some of us, that’s a chimera. I mean this side of moving to a Trappist monastery.
Barry, I agree completely about the need to personalize minimalism. As a matter of fact, our city sounds like Detroit in that you can’t live in the suburbs and rely on public transit. Cars are essential — why I’m puzzled that these small sedans could sit idle for two entire weeks. They’re not recreational vehicles.
As for the electronic clutter and detritus of writing, you have my sympathies. You’re probably aware there are professional organizers that you can hire to come to your home and make over your workflow and closets? I suspect there’s a market for a virtual organizer. It takes time to discover the tools to manage electronic files. Wouldn’t it be great to have someone customize a process that would work with your brain? Then it would only require maintenance.
Great article, Jan! (She says, as she looks around her cluttered office and reflects on her even more cluttered list of things to do today that are not writing…)
Minimalism. Simplicity. This is not where my life is at right now, but it’s something to aspire to! Thank you for a blog post with lots to think about.
Maybe I’ll even move these Christmas knitting projects off my desk. ;)
I’m laughing in sympathy, Erin. (When I work with yarn, I crochet.)
For me, it’s too much to do all at once, so each day I’ve committed to finding ONE surplus item and rehoming, discarding, or using it. It’s not the dramatic pace I would wish, but it’s sustainable, and as with writing, once begun, it’s easier to persist. My home is much more peaceful than it was in the spring!
Hey, I didn’t know you lived on my brother-in-law’s cul-de-sac, Boss. Yep, he’s the one with the jam-packed double-garage, and snow on his exposed vehicles (and on his kids’ bikes and ATVs).
Admitted former conspicuous consumer here. It’s been eleven years and a few weeks since my wife and I made a conscious and quite deliberate decision to simplify. We have a hand-painted sign on our porch with just that one word, “Simplify,” to remind us (yep, a “purchased thing” to remind us we don’t need more “purchased things” – a bit ironic, but it’s at least a locally produced craft, and not from Pottery Barn).
But with the passage of time, I’ve noticed that old habits have a way of creeping back in. With the advent of Amazon Prime (free shipping), I’ve noticed the frequency of stops by our UPS truck’s nudging up. We recently started chatting about a fairly substantial remodel of our little cottage. I might be just due to restlessness over ten years of monotony. But I think it’s a good time to stop and ask ourselves why. Why change? Do we really need what we’d gain? Are there other, more enriching ways the costs of such a project?
And today you’ve got me asking myself what such a project would cost in terms of my writing. It’s a valuable topic for musing and discussion. So thanks, Jan! Good for you. Keep on simplifying!
You’ve got an ace in your pocket as you move forward, whatever you decide about the renovations, V. It’s the one I’ve heard you refer to time and again: a spouse with the same values. Helps when you’re fighting against creeping consumerism.
Jan,
Fantastic post!
For the past couple of months, I’ve been slowly making my way through the house and deciding what to keep, what to store, and what to donate or throw out. Not an easy task for a pack rat, but one that was about five years overdue. I had no idea how distracted I was by all that clutter.
The writing retreat I went on last weekend proved to me that I may just have to pare down even more or, at the very least, pare down the area surrounding my work space. Without the distraction of “things” around me, I wrote 7,200 words in two-and-a-half days.
I find travel is an excellent way to see “normal” life with fresh eyes, Kim. I’d be motivated to make changes with that word count, too! Good for you. (I’m also doing the slow purge. It’s easier and less daunting.)
Thank you, Jan. This comes at such a perfect time of year. And, because I am a pile-er and a not-neat freak, it resonates with me.
On my writing desk, I have a dead-battery kindle, two fiction books, my son’s “snow bus route” information, a Yoga Kittens calendar (to be given at a white elephant Christmas party–that is, in itself, a nightmare for those trying to declutter . . . we surrender one piece of junk, only to receive another!), a set of earrings, three scissors, a three-hole punch, a stapler, an overflowing cup of pens and pencils, 1/3 of which likely don’t work, a photo of Abe Lincoln (my hero) a photo of my daughter (my Sweetie), two thumb drives, The Sound of Music DVD, a PCC grocery coupon . . .
It’s a very large desk. But please! It makes ME feel cluttered. I have to wake my son in three minutes. That gives me three minutes to clean up this writing area.
Thank you for the post. When my home, counter tops, desk areas are clear, my brain is free to focus on fiction. Ack, now two minutes!
xo,
s
LOL. Here’s hoping you made a dent in the pile within the two minutes left, Sarah. (When my kids were young, we used to set the timer for 5 minutes and go into a frenzy of tidying. You can get a lot accomplished that way.)
“…we surrender one piece of junk, only to receive another.” Yes, this is the crux of the problem, and many times we ourselves are the donor. It’s not easy to change this habit, but I think it’s worth the effort.
xo back
With the Christmas shopping craze coming up, this is the perfect time to remind us of the virtues of minimalism. Economize on everything, yes, and throw out the clutter! I couldn’t agree more even though this is advice that is just as hard to follow here in Europe as it is in America…
Ah, if only we could go back to the Age of the Cavemen! But we can’t, so we have to learn to navigage between what’s essential and what isn’t. Sounds relatively easy but it isn’t. What looks essential one day suddenly loses its primacy the next. That’s why most of us hang on to our clutter, it gives us a sense of security, you never know when you’re going to need this or that thing…So the clutter is our safety blanket, and most of us (me included!) are like that little guy in peanuts, walking around with his blanket.
Well there goes that romantical notion I had of Europe, Claude. ;)
I agree we conflate security with possession, the irony being, of course, that we often go into debt to purchase things which we don’t need or which we want for a limited period of time. And bringing this back to writing, that quest for security means we have less freedom to take risks in our writing.
Yes yes yes! My husband jokes that I’m a freak because I’m “so anti-stuff,” but you’ve perfectly captured and explained why being (minimalist is so important to me. Physical clutter makes me feel mentally cluttered, and that’s a really hard mindset to escape when you’re trying to fall into a story.
“Physical clutter makes me feel mentally cluttered…”
I had no idea how true this was of me until recently, Kristan. Even if it provides your husband with joke material, it’s good you know this about yourself.
You are so Right On about what we need to Write Onward. Clutter in all its disguises is anti-creative. Interesting how your post comes just as I’m purging my house of all kinds of stuff. I start to “itch” with the need to purge right after the UNCon and have been tackling some aspect of my house every day since. The more we streamline the external nature of our lives, the clearer our internal goals and intentions become, which makes it much easier to prioritize our writing. Yay! Thanks for this, Jan. Happy Holidays and Write On!
How interesting about the UnCon-decluttering pairing, Jocosa. That’s true of me as well in that it helped me recommit to what I’d already begun. Now I’m wondering if this was a group phenomenon. Hmmm. Perhaps I’ll ask on the Facebook page.
At any rate, I’m glad you’re feeling productive and encouraged.
A beautiful post. I am glad to be in the company of another minimalist (I can think of at least one other here who I greatly admire for his minimalist lifestyle).
Minimalism in general is a great break from out clutter-culture. Mental clutter. Physical clutter. Psychological clutter. I’m so happy to hear you’ve made these changes and are feeling the benefits. Of everything you listed, monogamy to one project really stuck out for me. Growing with a story is much like growing with a husband or a wife–the more time you put in, the deeper and more fuller the love that comes out of such a union, and the brighter your fiction pages shine.
Forward, Jan
“Clutter-culture”. I like that, John. Says it all.
As for your further thoughts on monogamy, exactly. Well said, and thanks!
This was perfectly timed (as many of the posts are). Thank you! Thank you!
I’m so glad, Denise! Thanks for letting me know.
I would not have been able to write without having a minimalist ATTITUDE. It can do wonders for your sanity, too. WooooSaaaa!
But can it give me your joie de vivre, Brian? I want me some of that.
I believe your “joy of life” has surpassed mine. I can hear it through your digital text. Man, look at how you respond to everyone’s comments. You’ll be leaving Don in the dust pretty soon, Jan.
Go Jan, GO!!!!!
OH YEAH!
OH YEAH!
YOU GO GIRL!!! Em-er-ah, you go, grown woman!
I have always been someone who regularly purges “stuff” from my home and I’m getting better and better at not acquiring more. However, all that extra space that I empty gets swiftly filled by a husband whose motto is “If you get rid of it and then want it again later, you have to re-buy it” and son whose motto is “Every room in this house must contain a bunch of my toys and/or stuff I found in parking lots and want to keep for my collection.” I try not to let it affect my mental space, but I know it does.
I hear you, Erin, and I sympathize. Compared to my family members, I prefer a leaner aesthetic. I won’t lie; it creates tension at times.
For a while I became discouraged and wasn’t a great model, to be honest. But this spring, when I decided to be more consistent with my values–had to, if I was going to keep time for writing–they shifted along with me. Now we’ve reversed the trend so the clutter is confined to islands, rather than forming the sea. It’s a welcome change!
Jan, this is such a wonderful and timely post for me, I’m bookmarking it. Thank you. I go through and purge on a regular basis, but with two kids it is amazing how much stuff we acquire. (And I’m sentimental about things like art projects and drawings, which doesn’t help.) But a clear and clean space definitely makes for a better writing day, for me at least.
And I’ve looked at photos of your home, Liz, and sighed with envy. My place would (still) drive you nuts.
What I’ve done with the artwork, which worked well, is to display the best and most recent on the fridge or in an actual frame until its outlived its time. Then I take a photo. The original gets recycled/discarded but I get to keep the memory.
I’m not ready for this stage yet, but one day, I intend to do what The Minimalists advocate: scan all our photos and upload them to a digital frame.
Jan, as our kids are getting older, we are decluttering more and it’s amazing how much that seeps into my writing life as well … and it’s making me a better, more focused writer. I still have my pencils in 3-4 projects at any one time but that’s just how I operate. But I’ve been saying “no” more and that’s a good thing because it gives me the chance to say “yes” to the things that are meant for me.
To get to the place we can say “no”, we require both discernment and confidence. So glad you have both, Vijaya. Tools which will help you in your writing!
One of our downfalls? Saving certain possessions for our someday-grandchildren. You know, things like the Legos or mechanical sets which will be played with by any generation, and which never lose their value. But we’re paring those down, too. There’s no guarantee we’ll have grandchildren and if/when they arrive, their parents will probably want to purchase their toys. In the meantime, it gives me pleasure to think of a small child who might not have been able to otherwise afford such things.
A wonderful post and I’m glad to see all the positive responses to it. I’ve been moving in this direction for a number of years and it’s great to have a blueprint handy. This is exciting and I can’t thank you enough.
Delighted, Christina. And you know what? I’ve barely scratched the available resources with that list.
I’m looking forward to digging into the links later today. My husband actually started me on the “if you don’t use it, give it away or get rid of it” track, and I love it. It’s wonderful to decrease clutter, but my real challenge is to decrease clutter on the front end and just not buy stuff (which hasn’t gone so well lately), so I’m excited your post may be giving me exactly what I need to reassert some self-control. :)
If you’d like a chuckle, Lara, here’s an inforgraphic from GOOD Magazine via another minimalist, David Friedlander. https://www.lifeedited.com/how-to-know-if-you-should-buy-something/ It addresses the front-end loading. (I’m with you on the challenge; I partly wrote this post to remind myself of where I’m heading.)
That was awesome!
Last year, I moved myself and my two children into a caravan in the bush, and got rid of 90% of the stuff we owned. I’ve never been a big consumer, but it was still amazing what had accumulated. And yet, even here, I find that there are things I’ve kept just because I didn’t want to throw them away. That’s okay. As long as it doesn’t get out of hand, I’m okay with that.
I also discovered the huge weight it took off my mind to rid myself of stuff. Once it was done, I felt like I could fly.
Good luck, Jan!
90% is amazing, Jo. Truly. You’ll be such a good example to your sons of how to manage with less. In our case, 50% would be an unabashed triumph.
Jan, I’d admired Leo Babauta’s focus and clarity (and kindness) for years; have to check out your Minimalists. (Or should it just be “Minimals,” for fewer syllables?) I’m pretty much of the “if it ain’t beautiful, useful or amusing, it’s got to go” school, so I’m not a clutterer.
In fact, since I’ve often been accused of giving away things that are not my own, I might be of the forcibly minimalist school. I am grateful that both my girlfriend’s and my car (and all the termites) fit in my garage.
However, I wrote a magazine piece on of one of the leaders of the Tiny House movement, and his designs are for houses all of 300-400 square feet. Not certain that my size 13 feet could even fit in there. That’s minimalist.
Oh, and since I’m rambling, I love Scrivener and picking nits off the carpet too. Thanks for the good read.
“Minimals”? *snerk* I love it, Tom.
I’ve been accused of being in the stealthily-forcibly-minimalist school. Does that count? ;)
Tiny Houses are intriguing and beautiful but beyond what I’m ready for at this point in my life. It might take 300 square feet to store my seasonal clothing.
I am for sure becoming a minimalist as I get older. Like you, I’m trying to focus on one project at a time (save what needs to be done for my freelance clients). I clear clutter constantly, passing books on to the bookshelves in the English department at my university). I read an ebook and delete it. I am attempting to have less paperwork in my life and store things electronically (backed up to cloud storage, of course). I still feel like there’s too much stuff, but it’s getting better.
We sound like we’re on similar paths, Brianna. I’m surprised and grateful that there are so many WU folk who’ve considered minimalism. :)
Love this. I try to declutter in many ways, but I could stand to work on this more in order to have more focus. One of the things I would love would be to have less TV noise clutter around my house, but since I live with a roommate that likes to always have the TV on, that one’s difficult.
Unwanted sound is a definite category of clutter, Andrea. I don’t know if your roommate would consider this, but would he/she be willing to use cordless earphones?
Having been engaged in the orgy of shopping (mostly for food) the past week, and feeling weary over getting All the Things clean for the holidays, this really spoke to me. It does take time and energy to take care of things, read things, think about things.
And the craft books thing is like diet promises on the front of magazines. If I read it, I’ll learn the Secret!
☺️
Yes to everything you said, Barbara, including the food bit. I stepped off the treadmill this year because I’m not hosting, but also because of what we’re trying with gifts. It’s a revelation to feel peaceful as Christmas approaches.
Hope you get a chance to catch your breath and have a marvelous time with your loved-ones.