Do you ever write naked or dress up like your characters to write?

Writers will try all sorts of crazy things to grease the writing wheels and inspire the muse. It can sometimes be as superstitious as athletes having their special game-winning underwear, what writers will do to get in the right mood for a story. This week we asked the Confabulators if any of them write in costume…or in nothing at all!

Paul Swearingen

No! (I’d look silly in a dress.)

Jason Arnett

I believe that every writer should do whatever he needs to put himself in the proper frame of mind to get some writing done. I see a lot on the internet about ‘no pants’ and stuff like that and while it’s tempting, I don’t feel comfortable writing without clothes on. Of course one can assume that each writer has tried every trick he’s been made aware of to tap the muse when it seems impossible.

Larry Jenkins

I try not to write naked because I have a leather office chair and bare buns present sticking issues. (Hello, voice of experience.) That being said, pants are always optional.

Amanda Jaquays

I do my best writing in the living room, so with roommates, writing naked is a bit of an issue. They tend to object when you lounge about on the couch starkers. Plus, I write on a laptop… and those can get really hot, my delicate skin just can’t handle it. As for dressing up, well… there aren’t any pictures of me dressed up as my characters while I write, so I think I can continue to deny that one too… at least until I’m caught.

Ted Boone

Sadly, my apparel during writing is always boring and…there. But now I’m inspired to go au natural and see how it inspires my writing process. Hmm…Naked NaNo?

Sara Lundberg

Oooh, I definitely want to have a character costume party for Halloween now. Might be a great way to kick off National Novel Writing Month on November 1st: have the midnight write-in be done in costume? And while I’d never rule writing naked out completely, the closest I’ve come is sitting down to my desk to write something down I thought of in the shower while still in my towel. Sometimes there’s just not enough time to get dressed before I lose my train of thought!

Kevin Wohler

When I’m writing I try to be as comfortable as possible. A t-shirt and pajama bottoms is my favorite writing attire. But when I was starting my superhero novel last year, I made a point of wearing superhero t-shirts as often as possible to put me in the frame of mind of a hero.

Jack Campbell, Jr.

I have a laptop with a rather ineffective heat sink. It could be downright dangerous to use the thing naked. I’m not a suspicious person, at all. I don’t have things that I think help me get in the proper mindset. I wish I did. I wish I had some hat or something quirky that I could point to and say “That is what I have to wear when I write.” Unfortunately, I am nowhere near that interesting.

Cafe Management

Cafe Management is run by the administration of The Confabulator Cafe. We keep things running smoothly, post stories by guest authors, and manage other boring back-end tasks.