Creating a Space for Writing

Aloha, it’s Erin, and I was just thinking about how difficult it can be to start writing.  I don’t even mean that in the long term sense, but in the day to day.  I just moved into a new place, and it was my first opportunity to have my own area to create in.  Now that I had enough space to make my writing haven, I was faced with a difficult question.  What goes in it?  What do I need?  What will help me to create?  There were a few answers I came up with right off the bat.  It seemed obvious to me that I would need a comfortable chair, a desk, a reference book shelf and an internet connection.  I went to war and soon had a picture perfect nook with inspirational photos on the walls and a high-band width internet connection.  Well, it didn’t take long before I realized I’d made a few mistakes in equipping this space.

Mistake number one was the internet connection.  I can’t stress to you enough how important it is to have a distraction free environment while writing.  I’m not new to this by any means, but there I was, telling myself that I’d only use my internet connection for good!  I’d just research the stray word or idea or two and thus add believability and extra dimension to my work.  Yeah, right.  It wasn’t an hour before I was surfing Craigslist personal ads for a cheap laugh and posting status updates on facebook.  I tell you, I don’t care how disciplined you are, you are undermining yourself if you don’t disable that connection before you sit down to write.  Here’s my argument, and then I’ll move on:  There is research time and editing time and writing time and these are very different stages.  If you try and combine them, you’ll get bogged down.  Even if you are the perfect soldier and won’t stray from looking up information important to you story, you’ll still find that you’ve cut your speed in half.  If you have a question while working, write it in the document and flag it.  Come back to it later.  Just keep pushing on and get those words on paper.

Mistake number two was not having a window I could see out or open.  I think its important to be able to look up every once and awhile.  No one is a machine.  If you try and just write for hours on end, you’ll either fail, or end up with list-like stories.  “She went to the table.  She sat at the table.  She ate a meal.  It was good.”  A window is a good way to quickly center yourself when you find your speed flagging.  Just a quick glance up and you can reconnect with the real world.  Open it up, and you can experience new smells and the stray voices of other humans wafting in on a gentle breeze.  I wouldn’t really know because the dumpster is sadly close to my window.

Mistake number three was assuming that posters on the wall or mini desk gongs was going to make me a better writer.  I honestly may have put too much effort into my nook.  While several of my stories now prominently feature gongs, cats hanging from branches, and eagles in the sky, I can positively say, that these items have proven a shallow inspiration.  As I said earlier, a window is about all you need, because the view changes every day.

My last mistake was the chair I chose.  It reclines, it’s cushy, it have a cup holder, I assumed it was the writer’s dream chair!  Well, dream chair is right, I found myself slipping off into a sort of stupor where I was scrolling through what I’d already written and didn’t really produce anything new.  Office chairs go in an office, recliners go in the living room.  Your posture directly effects your mood and your attitude.  Sit in a comfortable, yet upright position while you write, or risk losing concentration and focus easier.

Anyway, I hope this helps for any of you who are looking to create a perfect space for writing!

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