The Butt in Chair Method – BIC

In past posts, I’ve passed over the various ideas behind writing. Most things I’ve kept open ended and, as they say in business management, “high level.” For this post, I’m going to delve a touch deeper.

I want to talk today about what is affectionately called the Butt In Chair method, or BIC. When I first saw the BIC method, I wondered why a pen company wanted to be involved in writing. Yes, a forehead slap was warranted. Once I started reading, things made sense.

I’m actually using the shortened name of the method, as it should be Butt In Chair, Hands on Keyboard or BICHOK. I think BIC sounds easier and allows for those who write long hand.

The entire concept behind this method is if you want to be a writer, you need to write. Simple. It’s meant to fight against the Excuse method, which tends to find reasons NOT to write. You’ll note I’ve already addressed excuses in an earlier post. Really, it isn’t meant to tell you about sentence structure, grammar, or paragraph lengths.

All it talks about is making time to write.

So consider this. In the BIC method, it states someone should create time to write. During that time, your butt should be in a chair with your fingers on a keyboard, or pen in hand against a piece of paper. Just because the page or screen is blank doesn’t grant you an excuse to avoid the writing you want to do. If you’re blocked, you’re supposed to just free write, let anything in your mind flow onto the page or screen.

The entire idea is to write.

What did I chose this for my post? Because I wanted to offer a thought process to people. I praise National Novel Writing Month for being a training ground for writerly habits. The BIC method is one habit that NaNoWriMo should instill in someone serious about the writing craft. You can’t win NaNoWriMo by waiting for inspiration to strike. Three weeks may pass before the Muse decides you’re worthy, then you have seven days to attempt to write 50,000 words, provided the Muse gave you enough material. I’m not prolific when I write, so I don’t think I could pull 7200 words a day from my head. Some writers can and Bless them for that ability. It isn’t something everyone can do.

I’ve stated before that I don’t believe writing every day is a necessity. Some people just drain their creative batteries faster than others. When first beginning the writerly path, you do need to develop good habits that will sustain your writing.

Perhaps a lot of this method is also a question of your desire for your writing. Are you a hobbyist, where awaiting the Muse’s inspiration doesn’t matter, because you’re the only one that sees it? Or are you looking to make a career of your words in print, either through the Big Six or by self-publication? This will answer whether the BIC method is of import to your writing life.