March 25, 2011

“Just as you carve out time in your day for writing, you need to carve out space in your environment to nurture that writing,” says Kelly Stone in Thinking Write.

Why It’s Important

If you have a special place to write–a place where all you DO is write–it will go a long way to helping you establish the writing habit. You will automatically get into “writing mode” when you enter your special space.

Your special writing space can be anything you want it to be. Some writers write in spare rooms or attic rooms. Some writers put plywood across a clawfoot tub and write on their “instant desk.” [Guess what they use for a chair! I'm not kidding either.]

Other writers use closets. The photo above is me thirty years ago, still an ICL student, in my first “office.” It was a tiny walk-in closet I painted orange. No window, and definitely no air conditioning. But I have to admit, over all the years of different offices, that was my favorite. It was special. It was mine. And all I did in that “office” was write.

Famous Writers’ Sacred Spaces

Whenever I read about famous writers or if I’m lucky enough to tour their homes, I always want to see where they wrote their books. A couple of years ago I was able to see the tiny table where Jane Austen wrote her timeless classics.  (It was just a corner of the dining room by a window overlooking the lane in front of the house.)

C.S. Lewis, on the other hand, had an office with book shelves and a fireplace–not surprising for an Oxford scholar and professor. But something fancy isn’t at all necessary. With some creativity and innovation, any space at all can be converted into a writing space all your own.

Instant Start-Up

When you have a writing space of your own, no matter how small or cramped, you will automatically jump-start your creative juices just by entering! You won’t have to move the kids’ homework or your husband’s snacks or the dog’s chew toys. You can simply sit down and get to work.

Do you have a writing space? Take a minute and tell us about your current or favorite writing space.

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7 Comments »

1. 

   It’s still my kitchen table, where I can look out at the lilac tree and the fence (often with birds on it) and relax and focus.
   My problem now is a husband at home who invades my space but I’ve found an alternative – any nice cafe where I can drink coffee and block out the chatter (easy to do, I’ve found) and focus on the project I’ve brought with me.
   When we need to find a place, we will!

   Comment by Sherryl — March 27, 2011 @ 3:57 am

2. 

   Sherryl, you make a very good point about life intruding on our writing spaces–and the need to be flexible and find another space. Over the course of our writing lives, it’d be interesting to count all the writing spaces we’ve used!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — March 27, 2011 @ 7:07 pm

3. 

   My writing space, thankfully is my own and overlooks a whimsical garden full of sometimes noisey birds and flowering trees. The only distraction I get is from the noisey pigens that burble on the airconditioner!I spend many happy moments here. My study is also my get away place!

   Comment by Dheera Kitchlu — March 28, 2011 @ 4:26 am

4. 

   Dheera, your office view sounds heavenly. I think I really need to clean and organize my office again so that it looks inviting to me again–or a “get away place,” as you said. Thanks for sharing!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — March 28, 2011 @ 12:57 pm

5. 

   Great post, Kristi, and I love the photo of you in your early days as a writer! I write at a secondhand desk in the smallest bedroom of the house. My office overlooks the backyard and the vegetable garden, although I’m usually too busy squinting at the computer screen to look out the window. After years of writing in the corner of the baby’s room or the kids’ playroom, I feel blessed to finally have a room of my own! And I second what Sherryl has to say – a coffee shop makes a great alternative on days when I want to get out of the house.

   Comment by Rebecca — March 28, 2011 @ 2:47 pm

6. 

   Rebecca, I sure looked like a kid–not a mother of three. How nice that you have a room of your own now. I think those of us who had to wait years for that to happen probably appreciate it the most. I overlook a park setting now, but I have to have the desk facing an inner wall or I’d be very distracted, I think. You are better focused!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — March 28, 2011 @ 3:07 pm

7. 

   Hi Kristi,

   I love your photo….that is so wonderful to see you writing in your sacred space.

   I have a private little room for my sacred writing space. It overlooks a library and church. Although our street tends to be busy during the day, it is really quiet at night. I love to gaze up at the library if I am thinking and gazing at a sunset. It is during these times that the muse comes and visits me.

   Comment by Irene — April 5, 2011 @ 4:59 pm

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