The decluttering style, which hit the world by storm in 2014, can do much magic to your writing process too.
These past few years, I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about the KonMari Method, a tidying technique eponymous to Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizing consultant. When the pandemic lockdown happened, I decided to take a closer look at why it is so revered and thought it would make better sense to relate it to the art of writing for our blog readers.
Marie Kondo’s spark began in 2012 when her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was released in Japan. However, she never really hit it big until her book reached the US and the worldwide market took notice of her minimalist decluttering method.
We understand minimalism more in the context of lifestyle where one chooses to live with only the things he really needs — the fewer, the better. It is also applied in other forms of art (i.e., visual arts and music) where the goal is “to create something that refers only to itself, allowing the viewer an immediate, purely visual response,” according to the Artland Magazine article, “Art Movement: Minimalism” by Shira Wolfe. She further wrote, “The personal, gestural elements were stripped away with the aim to reveal the objective, visual elements of art.”
In other words, ‘What you see is what you see’ is the mantra of the minimalism art movement of the 1960s that has endured through time — even up to the 21st century. But can ‘tidying up’ truly change one’s life from the inside out? In this blog, we’re discussing how five important KonMari principles can make a difference on your passion as a creative writer.
#1 Principle: Your workspace affects your writing.
No person wants a cluttered workspace and working in one can mess up your brain and limit creativity. A study by UK company Brother found that 40% of participants admitted an untidy workspace makes them less productive. Not only that, they also said it affects their mood and stress buffer, with some worrying that their colleagues would be judging them because of their unkemptness.
Fortunately, we now have KonMari to save promising authors from utter chaos — or should I say clutter chaos! How? Marie Kondo insists that when tidying up, the first thing you should do is take everything off your desk, separate items into categories and put back only the essential items. Don’t forget to give your desk some good wipe-down. Any objects that don’t belong (e.g., loose change, batteries, clips, excess pens) should be categorized and stored away in drawers.
Not applicable for everyone, but some people actually perform better amid the chaos. If it’s your thing then we get that. But packrats aside, most people will find it more inviting to work in a space that’s neat, clean and visually refreshing.
Take it from the Kondo: “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.”
#2 Principle: Commit yourself to writing.
How’s your commitment level to finishing that book? I’ve seen so many people fail at writing their book because they do not create a plan, goals and most of all, they’re simply not committed. This is like anything important in life: losing weight, saving money, creating a business, falling in love — if you are not honestly committed, you’re only bound to stay at it halfway through, at the most.
Take it from the Kondo: “People cannot change their habits without first changing their way of thinking.”
#3 Principle: Envision the ideal future.
I know people who envision ‘the movie’ they want their book to turn into while they’re writing it. Like they’re that sure Hollywood would pick up their work and make a blockbuster out of it. Some even envision the lifestyle they would like to have if they hit it big and become a best-selling author in the likes of Patricia Cornwell, J. K. Rowling or Jeff Kinney. A waste of time, you might say? Not at all.
Simply put, when you’re able to clearly see your future, you’re more likely to make it happen. Here’s how you do it: Set aside a few minutes in a quiet place and with pen and paper, answer the question, “If everything goes well starting today, what will be my life five years from now?”
Then play out as much detail as you can muster in your head — the things you will be doing; the people who will be with you; the places you will be visiting; the house you will be staying in. Write these details down. Feel your future like its happening right before your eyes.
Take it from the Kondo: “When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state.”
#4 Principle: Does it spark joy?
Always ask yourself, “Does my act of doing something actually bring me happiness?” If it does, keep it. If it doesn’t, throw it away. It is the same way with your writing process.
Say, your writing spot has you staring at the same wall or picture or people all the time. This tends to make your environment boring and sometimes, it can even impact your mood and line of thinking. What you probably should do is decide to renovate your workspace or work in a totally new environment.
You can apply the ‘spark joy’ concept to just about anything — when deciding your book’s genre; when writing an ending to your story; when choosing publishers, to name a few. The key here is to always put your entire heart at what you do. Don’t create any room for complacency. Remember, if it doesn’t spark joy, discard it.
Take it from the Kondo: “When you surround yourself with possessions that spark joy, you’ll create a home and a life you love.”
#5 Principle: Look more closely at what is there.
You can tell a writer is fearless if he can self-edit his work without feeling shameful and wasteful. Sometimes, you get lost in the bigger picture of finishing a ‘masterpiece’ that you forget to look at it from a different perspective.
For most authors, a different perspective means approaching the manuscript as a reader and trusting your instinct. If you feel something in the story is quite off, don’t hesitate to delete some parts, add new ones or rewrite the ones that seem scrappy.
Co-author of Cruelty to Innocents C.K. Webb probably has one of the best insights on editing one’s own work: “We never end up with the book we began writing. Characters twist it and turn it until they get the life that is perfect for them. A good writer won’t waste their time arguing with the characters they create…It is almost always a waste of time and people tend to stare when you do!”
Take it from the Kondo: “Letting go is even more important than adding.”