I love seeing what questions people ask the internet. Google auto complete has given me marvelous blog fodder in the past, but you can find great questions in other places too.
Yahoo Answers contains some real doozies, but I found a simple one today from a young girl who wanted to know:
“What do writers wear/look like?”
Apparently her school was doing something about a reality town and she was to dress as a writer. As a professional writer, I suppose I’m qualified to answer this query. Sure, we look a lot different in public than when we’re at home crafting brilliant prose. *snicker*
Well, today was an extra funny day to ask that because I happen to be in the midst of a writing binge. These are often accompanied by the following:
- Delayed showering
- Abstaining from shaving
- Lots of peanut butter (for eating)
Also, some of you know I’ve been having occassional “ocular incidents” this year. I don’t know what they are, but I’ve learned how to combat them for now. First, I never work in a darkened room anymore. Second, and this will seem weird to many of you, I wear sunglasses at my computer while writing. For hours. I only have to do this when I feel the eyeball-head weirdness coming on.
Lest you think I jest, here’s a picture of how this writer dresses.
The literary Stevie Wonder look
Notice a couple key things about this look. First of all, I rock my alma mater because it’s my favorite sweatshirt. Also, the beanie is important as it reminds me that eventually I will have to shower. Yes, I really look like this while writing salable stuff.
The bottom line is that comfort is king. You need to round out the attire by wearing pants. Or don’t. Being able to work in one’s underwear is a dream held by many people. Some people even prefer to work from home in the nude*. Not me though. I’ve chosen to round out the look with an all sweats theme.
The right slippers complete the ensemble
I hope I was able to help out all you aspiring writers. As you can see, professionalism is important but only when you’re interacting with other humans or being seen in public. The rest of the time it’s pretty much a Febreeze and peanut butter on a spoon lifestyle.
Writer or not, do you work from home?
What do you wear when you’re working at home?
*Do be sure to close the curtains. And technically, there are some people who leave the house and still go to work in the nude, but this is a family blog.
You crack me up. I’m 3/3 on your bullet-ed list above. No sunglasses for me though; they’re in pieces. Either William or Vivian jumped on them, or I drove over them. (The sunglasses…not my kids). The case didn’t survive either. Oh well. They’re older than my kids.
My work at home wear also includes yoga pants, fuzzy socks, and hoodie with the hood up (don’t ask). But I’m writing in a cafe now. So I’m dressed to the 9s. I mean 2s.
I totally get the hoodie up. That’s just needed a lot of the time. Makes me feel smarter. Glad you didn’t run over your kids.
hehe! You…you…wear sunglasses and a beanie while you write! I’m speechless!! Seriously, I don’t know what to say. That is so quirky.
I’m an early morning writer. I wear pajamas.
I won’t deny the quirky, but remember we don’t live in Texas Miss Ellie. Beanies are common. And comfortable. The glasses are needed sometimes when I feel the weirdness coming on. Otherwise I have to stay away from the computer!
Since my writing focuses mostly on my 70s/80s childhood, I like to sit at my laptop while wearing a pair of corduroy culottes and my favorite Miss Piggy (“Camp Kissy-Kissy”) t-shirt. Then I top off the ensemble with a 70s Steve Martin arrow-through-the-head hair band. Okay, not really, but this is all what I wear in my mind.
Great post! Sorry to hear about your eyeballs.
Ha, I got the visual. And after just discovering your writing I must say I was impressed.
I think you look kind of super-hero-y and if you changed to alma mater spandex, you could leave the outfit on while you showered and then no laundry. And your alter ego would be without the glasses which would put a huge spin on the whole “only need a pair of glasses and no one recognizes you as superman or wonderwoman” thing.
As for me, I’m doing a personal study to see if I write better in my pajamas.
I’ve been wondering for years why I’m not confused for a superhero more often.
You are truly a stud-muffin. I feel the need to break into song:
“I wear my sunglasses to blog
So I can, so I can
Write the good pop-stuff that people love…”
Kinda still worried about those headaches. I’m assuming you have been checked out, right? Had an MRI? Sorry. Doctors wives know too much.
I wear my sunglass to type would be a better parody, but I like the way you think. And I’m fine.
Dang it. That would have been better. Well, then, that’s what I meant. Myt fingers just did something else.
My best writing happens late morning or anytime in the afternoon so I’m usually wearing normal clothes by that point. Especially since I write at my best friend’s house (sitting on the window seat) or a coffee shop. I haven’t worn my pajamas in public since college. Those were the days. But I do love checking email and reading blogs in my pajamas!
Yeah, I remember sitting in college classes and almost everyone wearing pajamas and smelling like a basement from the night before.
Love your writer duds. I write in whatever I’m wearing that day but as a domestic engineer that usually entails a hoodie and jeans/yoga pants. Oh and also my old man slippers.
Yeah, in Canada you have to get the warmth going eh? Are you known for those old man slippers Trish?
Yes to sweats.
Also to snuggies.
Snuggies get my vote too. I think Clay is missing the boat on that.
Though apparently Snuggies have competition – The Forever Lazy! They even have a flap in the back. I love that one of the colors is “asleep on the job gray”
Maybe I should rock some pajama jeans.
I’ve asked for pajama jeans for my birthday from everyone I know but have yet to own a pair. They all think I’m kidding.
I don’t joke about the marriage of extreme comfort (and/or laziness) and public appearances, people.
I want a post-Christmas post on this issue to appear on your blog. Do a J Butt consumer report.
I bet Dan Brown sits in a Snuggie and writes.
For a second I thought you were going to say you were using the PB to shave.
Speaking of shaving…it’s Movember. Where’s your stache?
I use the PB for no nefarious purposes. As for Movember, I just don’t know how to grow a lipstache.
Okay, that’s not really true, I use to have a goatee. Next year. Maybe.
The truth comes out….
Scandalous!
I just shuddered at the thought of Febreeze and peanut butter on a spoon.
Yeah, I don’t think they’d go too good together.
OK I have the shades and the beanie and the slippers! all good?
You got it!
Ha ha. Those are funny pictures. I don’t get the sunglasses thing, though…
Since I wake up WAY too early these days (between 5-6 am), I usually wear my PJs until my husband starts walking by my desk, shooting me “the look,” which means “I know you work at home, but can you please at least get dressed before you start working?” (But I always get dressed eventually, often before 10am!)
On Jill’s Christmas list this year: comfy sweat pants and slippers.
On my husband’s Christmas list to buy for me: More trendy jeans and high-heeled boots.
:-/
Random thought: I once wrote a character who eats peanut butter on a spoon.
Way too early for sure! Yikes. I was up until almost 3 last night, so I do more late.The glasses are because every once in a while I get headaches or something and can’t look at the screen at all. Sunglasses help me, so I’m able to write for hours like I did yesterday. And another great character who loved peanut butter on a spoon is the grim reaper played by Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black.
I used to be a night owl, but I’ve been re-trained over the years by my husband and daughter, who get up early every day–even on weekends! (That’s not right.)
I’ll have to try that sunglasses thing sometime…
I wish I could work from home (since the nearest civilization — by that I mean McDo or Walmart and I go to neither — is 26 miles away) since it would shave off 2 hours of commute (I hate to drive and if we don’t have a McDo, what do you think the chances are for public transport?), let alone fuel expenses, let alone…well, anything. When I say “I wish,” I don’t mean I want to become disabled and forced to work from home, just that it would be something that would pay better and avoid the commute, suppose, whilst allowing me to live in the middle of a forest.
I’m wearing a night dress, as usual, when I’m home. Oh, and spectacles but not sunglasses. Is this due to polarization?
That’s a lot of driving just to get some McDs! The glasses are because I get headaches sometimes from the screen. Thanks for your comment!
I totally get the sunglasses thing. I wore them at my computer for years. Now I have an LED screen, and that helps.
Yes, I work at home when I blog and at a coffee shop or the library to write my fiction. Too many distractions at home for that. I just posted a blog. That means I’m still in my jammies.
I can only work at the library if I’m doing research. Or at least that’s all I’ve done. After my thesis I never wanted to step foot in a library again!
I don’t think I’ve ever thought of wearing sunglasses for the computer… not sure it would do me much good as I’m an artist and photo restorer/colourer and it’d make the colours look kinda yukky…
Clothes I wear have to be comfortable, I don’t really care much about what I look like. But I’m that way about clothes when I’m with people too!
I do not work from home, although the offer was made. I felt it was better that when I fell asleep under my desk that someone be there to correct the scenario.
When I DO work from home, I wear pajamas. Cozy-comfy-fall-asleep-under-the-desk pajamas.
Ha, I have definitely fallen asleep at the desk!
When I work from home, I wear yoga pants and a Victoria’s Secret T-shirt (trust me, that sounds way sexier than it actually is…just a free black T-shirt I got for free from them…not hot at all). It’s like my “work-from-home uniform”. I wear it every time.
I also choose not to shower those mornings because I feel that it interferes with my productivity…also because I’m too lazy.
Ooh lala! Showers are lame on work from home days. Sometimes when I need to feel business like I get a shower early to feel like I’m going to work, but for the most part I’m motivated to write.
I do not work from home but wish I could.
If I worked from home it would be athletic shorts and t-shirts everyday. If it happened to be cold I would through a hoodie in the mix. Ahhh.. What a life that would be!
It’s interesting when you work from home and have a workplace. One day I’m a hoodied slob, the next it’s all business casual.