Thursday, August 24, 2006

What Writers Wear Writing: Confessions

Okay!

Now we're cooking with an efficient, non-polluting, renewable resource!

The "What Writers Wear: a survey" post provoked a crazy and unprecedented response. And I knew when I posted it that this post would shortly follow.

Writers: what do you wear writing?

Forget the penny loafers and the tweed jacket with the patches on the elbows and the little hash burns on the lapels that you toss on when you step out. What have you got on when you're scribbling your play on the yellow pad, typing up your novel on the old Smith-Corona, dancing your fingers across your laptop's keyboard as you pump out quality television programming? -- if anything at all!

Tell all; omit no detail however stained, worn, or sophisticated in aroma.

Since I do most of my writing when I literally first get out of bed, I'm not wearing much. Sometimes my Stanfield's and a t-shirt-- usually picked up off the floor where I dropped them the night before.

Lately I've been wearing one of those wrap around things fat guys wear in Bali. It took a long time for me to work up the courage to get one but I got tired of using a towel and pretending I was Yul Brynner's younger, bigger-boned, brother. So I got this very manly one; it's a black and gold number that I just slap on when I stumble over to the kitchen for my Raisin Bran and fire up the computer... I'm lovin' it.

2 comments:

DMc said...

I actually had a rule about getting dressed when I went freelance. Yup, there was nothing keeping me from writing in a bathrobe or jockey shorts, but for some reason, I felt that the day I didn't get up at a normal time, and get dressed like I was going to work for real, then it would be all over.

So for a while I'd just get dressed as normal. This had the added advantage of eliminating a step if you realized that you had run out of say, coffee at an inopportune time.

But eventually, long before Friedman made it a point of honor, I discovered trackpants. Trackpants seemed like a glorious compromise. Never in a million years would ever wear them outside, but inside they were comfy and practical. And they of course went well with any of a number of t-shirts with ironic and clever sayings on them that I wore to round out the ensemble.

Then about seven weeks ago, I found an old pair of trackpants that I'd spilled bleach on down the leg. I found that bleach stain distracting. It was literally distracting me. So I took scissors and cut off the legs, and turned my track pants into cut off track shorts.

I'm never going back.

Also: bare feet. Toes gotta breathe.

Even in the production office now -- I find myself letting the tootsies loose.

Never got the white sneakers thing.

But cargo shorts, polo shirts and those ironically clever tshirts?

Golden.

Diane Kristine Wild said...

I'm not pumping out quality television programming, but when I write about quality television programming, I pretty much have to be in PJs - the man-style ones with pants and a button down top, except with girly patterns. Sexy. OK, it's totally the opposite of sexy, but it makes me feel kind of dressed and ready to work, but still incredibly comfortable.