The other day as I was sifting through my box of hats (trying to find my purple tweed cap) it occurred to me that we, as writers, wear a lot of hats.
Off the top of my head (go ahead, groan) here’s a list I came up with.
CREATIVE THINKER CAP – This is what I wear when brainstorming. Inspired ideas, clever turns of phrase, and unexpected plot twists can be discovered while wearing this. Unfortunately it often works best while I’m in the shower, so it appears a bit bedraggled.
PROJECT MANAGER HARD HAT (aka the Plotter) – I draw up the blueprint for my story before I ever begin working on it. My project manager makes sure that the structure I build is sound. My writing has many faults, but I’ve never had anyone tell me that my plotting is weak.
FACT FINDING FEDORA -- When I’m writing, I often toss my fedora in a dusty corner. I’ll make notes about things I need to research, but I don’t do the actual work until a draft is done. Others do as much research as they can before they ever write the first page. Still others do it as they go along. Which method do you prefer?
CRASH HELMET – Safe writing is boring writing. Sometimes you just need to channel your inner-daredevil and take some risks.
NEWSBOY CAP – When it’s time to edit and revise I pull on my newsboy cap and pull out my red pen.
COWBOY HAT – When it’s time to start marketing what you’ve written, a cowboy hat can come in handy. It can add some swagger to your step, showing the world you’re confident in your creation. Plus, it can shield you from the blinding glare of rejection letters.
These are just some of the writing hats we can wear as writers. Do you wear them? Can you think of others we should add to our collections? Which hat fits you best? Which hat do you dread having to put on?
9 comments:
Great post, JB! For my next WIP, I'm definitely going shopping for a project manager hat, because I so need a blueprint. This "I don't outline" crap is NOT working for me.
I do enjoy wearing my fact-finding fedora, though. Research isn't so bad, and I usually put this hat on multiple times during a first draft and wear it almost the entire time during a final draft (to make sure my details are accurate).
'Off the top of my head...' ROFL Excellent.
I love the hat analogy. I try to wear my fedora after I'm done writing because if I start checking facts in the middle, it's a timesuck for me.
Other than your hats, the Self-Doubt Beret comes to mind, but that's only because I personified my self-doubt and made her French. She wears the hat, not me.
And the Flying By the Seat of My Pants Aviator Cap. I need something to keep the hair out of my eyes.
Jennifer So I'm guessing your fedora isn't covered with dust.
B.E. Ah yes, I too have the Self-Doubt Beret (love that you've made it French, lol). Does your aviator cap come with those giant goggles?
Sometimes I feel like a wear a Director's Beret - I spend so much time trying to orchestrate all the things I have to do and make them turn out right, I don't have time to try on the other hats I should be wearing. I hate the Cowboy Hat. I'd rather be hiding under the wide brimmed sun hat where the afternoons are lazy and the writing is easy.
Great post! My favorite hat is the crash helmet. I love playing with words and their order until a character has a unique voice. My fedora - I do my research as I go along because oftentimes I don't know what I need to know until I'm in the midst of a story.
Jennifer -- Have I mentioned that my Cowboy Hat is really beaten up? ;-)
Joann -- Uggh...I never research mid-story. I just keep a running list of things I need to research.
I was just thinking that the only time I don't wear a hat is when I'm sleeping. But even then I've got my dreaming cap on.
Jai
LOL excellent post!!! I think if I had to choose a hat to wear most of the time, it would be the crash helmet - I'm very accident prone and have been taking a lot more risks in my writing than usual:)
Jai -- ah, a dreaming cap....the most wonderful of all headgear. Thanks for reminding us of that!
Lindsay -- lol, crash helmets definitely come in handy!
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