We know that musicians and authors release their works as one big collection. Musicians release an album containing several songs while authors release books with several chapters or short stories, depending on what kind of book it is. Musicians sometimes release an extended play (EP) with fewer songs while an author may release a novella which is also shorter in page length compared to a novel.

Musicians usually will have most of their songs in a rough form before going to a studio to record them. When in the studio, the songs come together and are recorded, mixed and ready to be released on vinyl, compact disc, or on a digital platform. It would seem that the process is straight forward. The amount of time it takes for music to be released depends on the work flow of the musician.

Authors usually don’t follow the same kind of schedule. An author begins his novel, has a deadline for the first draft, has a deadline for revisions, and has a deadline for a final draft.

So I was thinking.

What if authors worked like musicians when working on their novels or novellas?

Strange thought I know, but one to ponder just the same.

If an author has a typewriter, as some authors still use them, or a computer with a word-processing program or maybe a tablet with a word-processing program, and author can begin his project.

But what if an author had to go to a word recording studio to bang out his novel? I bet if an author had to travel to a studio where he was given a finite amount time each day, he may be able to finish sooner rather than later.

What I mean is there would be less distractions.

Many authors describe how their words make the pages. They describe how they write, and where they write. Most have their own studios or rooms where they write. If they let in distractions, then the distractions are on them. Some authors don’t have the luxury of having a separate studio or rooms in which to write. A tiny desk in a corner of the dining room may suffice as their studio space. Cramped it may be, but they write what they can there.

What if they had a different environment in which to write?

Some authors will tell you how many words they have to write in a session in order to keep pace with their self-imposed deadlines. That is fine, but what if they doubled their output?

So the word recording studio may be a solution for some. The studio just needs to be big enough to hold a desk and a chair. There doesn’t need to be an internet connection. There only needs to be an electrical outlet so the author’s laptop or tablet can be powered. Without the internet, and by turning off his cell phone, the author virtually will not have any distractions. Depending on his schedule, he stay as long or as short a period as he needs.

In that word recording studio he is free to do as many “takes” as needed, so he can get his project where it needs to be.

I have tried going to a bookstore and a coffee beverage store to work on my writing projects. I can write while distraction is going on around me. I tend to tune to distractions when writing. It’s just a skill I honed over the years working as a journalist.

But at the bookstore and coffee beverage stores there a more distractions to make a writer pause his work. If a friend or an acquaintance sees you and walks in your direction, you have to be polite and pause your work.

That’s bad if you were in the middle of a good thought and you were hitting a groove. What do you say to your friend? “Hey thanks, you just screwed up my writing groove.” “I can’t really talk right now, I am writing.” What ever you say, your friend will not understand the importance of what it is you are trying to accomplish, so it may be in your best interests not try to write your first draft there.

Those places are fine for brainstorming session because you can use their energies.

In a studio a friend would not stop by.

You may want to try writing in a different environment.

It’s that easy.

It’s that hard.