One of the relatively unknown keys to successful writing is to have a dedicated space for your writing.
Photo by Grovemade on Unsplash
Some people who live in small homes don’t have rooms they can use, so often a writing space is a chair in front of a window or bookshelf.
Whatever your home office or writing space is, you absolutely must make it a happy, dedicated space in order for you to make your page or word counts. I find that if I’m near my wife, and put on some headphones, I can do everything except beat boards.
For that I have to be in my office.
How so you make your writing space conducive to writing?
- Put something personal in your writing space. A souvenir or keepsake is often a good idea. I’ve got several personal items in my writing space, such as a piece of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie set, a 1940’s Lionel Train engine, and other assorted objects.
- Dedicated to writing and writing business only. Be obnoxious about this rule. Once you start breaking it and letting other people use that space, you never get it back. This has to be a sanctuary, some place where you use it for writing. The reason is, it sometimes can take a while to shake the world, and write.After a while, just sitting in your writing space or office starts putting you in the writing mindset!
- Comfortable. This space has to be comfortable. I don’t recommend that you have to buy a thousand dollar ergonomic chair, but it has to make you want to stay there. A cluttered, cramped or uncomfortable space will inhibit the ability to write. And when you’re stressed or bone tired, you need as few distractions as possible to keep you from writing, or make you give up early.
- Clean, Organized. If you are disorganized, it shows up nowhere faster than in your writing. Keep it clean, keep it organized, and don’t let ANYONE put anything in your writing space, pile books or other objects on there.
- Put your writing reference books in that area. You’re going to need to refer to all your reference books as you go along – no sense having them in another room! This way you’re not interrupting your workflow to go get something! Workflow usually doesn’t survive interruptions.
- Art work. Are you motivated by beaches? Get a print or two of them, and hang them in your writing area. Waterfalls, forests? Hang them there. Whatever your motivation is, get photos or prints of them. I tend to prefer forests and woods. And since I’ve made a life long study of Asian things, my wife surprised me with a print from a Chinese artist. I love the ocean, but not beaches. So, I’ve got a photograph that I found where someone took of the ocean during a winter storm. If it motivates you, if it interests you, then get prints of that in your writing space.
- Make it professional. If you plan on being a full-time writer someday, this area needs to be treated like an office where work is done. Once I’m making enough money from writing to retire from my day job, trust me – I’m going to be there Monday through Friday, 7-3.
Conclusion
Ease of mind is required to try to write. To be creative means no stress, depression, anger, anxiety, etc. Setting up your writing space correctly can help to have a space where all those emotional problems and upsets go away immediately – and that’s something you’ll need if you’re going to be a writer.
How have you set up your writing space? What personal things do you have in yours?
