Where Do You Write?

 

Writing Place

Do you have a special writing place? I usually write on my laptop in my home office, but occasionally, I'll write with pen and pad. I'm not one to go to a coffee shop to write, but many people do. 

I've often wondered if they find some inspiration among the others nearby. Or do they just like the feeling of having others around them? 

When I first started writing, I sat at my kitchen table and typed on an electric typewriter. The bad part about that was that I had to clear the table of all my papers and the typewriter before the next meal. Later, I set up a card table in one of the guest bedrooms which was a light, cheerful room. Maybe that helped my mood as I typed on my typewriter. 

Our next house had 4 bedrooms, so I deemed one 'the office' and shared it with my husband, although I used it far more than he did. By this time, I had graduated to writing on a computer. Now, we have a His and Hers desk in our home office which works well. 

I have friends who enjoy writing in a bookstore or coffee shop. With ipads and electronic notebooks, it's easy enough to do. Even with pen and spiral notebook as our photo for today shows. 

Some writers can write sitting in bed with pen and paper or on their phone etc. That doesn't appeal to me at all. The only time I ever write in bed is to jot down a note regarding a thought that comes to me or from a dream. 

What about writing outside? I have a feeling that people like Thoreau, who wrote about nature, wrote while sitting outdoors with the subject enveloping them on all sides. Inspiring? I think so. You might like to sit at a picnic table by a lake to write, or in a flower garden. When I visited Monet's house in Giverny, France, my first thought was how wonderful it would be to sit in his glorious garden and write. It's where he painted time and again.

Do people ever write on a bus or commute train? No doubt, some do. You might have a seatmate craning his neck to snoop a bit. When your stop comes up, you may be in the middle of a great section of writing, but you must quit or end up somewhere strange.

As a college student, I wrote some of my papers in longhand while in the university library. I had a lot of company as many other students were doing the same. I had to type the paper back at the dorm. The click-clack of the keys would not have been welcomed in the library. 

Those of you fortunate enough to have a front or back porch, or a screened-in porch have a lovely spot where you can write. For me, it might be too distracting with people walking by, birds and squirrels drawing my attention, neighborhood children playing. Pick the right time of day, and it might be quite nice. 

The important thing is to write where you feel comfortable and where you can produce best and fastest. Somewhere that you are not constantly distracted. Do you have a favorite place to write? Share in the Comments section.

What Kind of Writing Space Do You Have?

My Writing Space

My online writing group has a new privae group facebook page where we can handle chatter instead of cluttering up our actual writers group inbox with our chit-chat. One of members who lives in Australia posted a picture of the place where she writes and asked others to do the same.

What fun it's been to see where we all write, whether in Australia, Japan, Ireland, Canada or various parts of the USA. A few were reluctant to 'show' the area because it was so messy. Not a problem with anyone--it shows you're working said one person. The most unusual writing space was on a commuter train that one member spends 2 hours each way to get to work in Washington, DC. She posted a picture of the train seat with her laptop on it. 

Another member who has written nonfiction books and many articles works mostly from her bed! She scatters files and other necessary items around the bed on the floor, sits up against some pillows and tap, tap, taps away on her keyboard. My body would not work well after an hour or two of that position, I'm sure. But it is her favorite spot.

When I first started writing, my place was on the ktichen table with an electric typewriter. That meant I had to clear all my 'stuff' away before my husband got home from work so we could eat dinner there. A real bother on days when I the words were coming fast and furious and I really wanted to leave it as it was so I could hurry b ack to it in a short while. 

In the house we live in now, we turned one of the bedrooms into a home office as per my request. We bought a desk that has a nice shelf unit above it, then a computer desk for me, two small bookcases, an office chair, the computer and printer plus a small file cabinet. This allowed space for both Ken and me. He seldom works at the desk, however, so this room as turned into mine. How could I be so lucky? 

It really doesn't matter where your writing space is or how large the area is either. Designate a corner somewhere if you must. But let it be a spot where you can leave your work scattered around you, easily found when need be. If you still have an active family life--kids coming and going--husband hollering for help in finding something--let them know that your corner is your corner. Nothing there is to be moved or even touched. Set the ground rules early on so there's no I didn't know! statements forthcoming. 

It would be great if every writer had a specifically designated entire room in his/her house for writing--a place where no one else was allowed to come in. That might happen once you're a famous writer but for the majority of us who are working our way up the ladder of success, we're happy to have a corner somewhere to call our own. 

What kind of writing space do you have?