Space to Write

Bathtub. Closet. Refrigerator carton. Hanging bridge. Up a tree. Empty cage at zoo. Rocking chair while breastfeeding. Confession box at the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

These are just some of the places I have written in.

Invariably, my first thought on any space – be it wide open landscape or a shower stall is to automatically assess it as a writing space. I realize this is somewhere up there with incurable obsessions. Just recently, a friend showed me a trapdoor leading to an underground cellar in their old house and the first thing I said on seeing it was: “This would be a great place to write!” She looked at the cobwebs hanging from the beams, the corners thick with shadows, the rough, unfinished walls and gave me the kind of pitying look one reserves for seniors who cannot hold their bladder.

While some writers have a fixed office or studio to write in, others prefer a more vagabond existence, sampling cafes, libraries, parks. I, myself, prefer a mix. I write from my home but after a couple of weeks I need a change of scenery, the fresh stimulus provided by a new environment.

Whatever your place of choice, I find looking for these things in your writing space makes for a comfortable and productive experience:

1 – Well-lit
Make sure the place you choose has adequate light. If you’re squinting in a poorly-lit space, you’ll ruin your eyesight and give yourself a headache in the bargain. If you like to write by candlelight or a single lantern (sometimes I do), at least make sure the page you’re working on is properly illuminated. We have the romantic image of the writer in the garrett, scribbling by a single guttering candle, but really, there is nothing more straining than an inadequately lit space.
Your laptop/computer screen is of course, automatically lit.

2 – Well-ventilated
A good rule of thumb is to choose a well-aired area. Musty, dank holes in walls are probably best avoided because over time they can take a toll on your lungs unless you’re already borderline asphyxiated and ruining them by smoking legal or illegal substances in which case, ventilation is doubly important.

3 – Noise Levels
Any place you choose for writing has to match the level of noise you will tolerate. I find I can brainstorm in the mid-level noise of a cafe, write in the near-silence of a library, revise and proofread in the roar of a crowd. I draw the line at producing any kind of writing with a toddler screaming nearby.

4 – Temperatures
Your output is going to suffer if your fingers are numb from cold and frostbite threatens your toes. Conversely, if you’re dehydrating by sweating buckets and feeling your environment is one step removed from the Gobi Desert at high noon it’s probably not going to be good for your writing concentration. Make sure the temperatures in your writing space are comfortable to you.
5 – Furnishings (or not)
Maybe you write at an ergonomically-designed desk, sitting on an exerball for posture. Maybe you sprawl on a 5′ x 7′ rug. Whether you write standing up or speak into your smartphone while horizontal on a couch, make sure your writing space has the necessary, comfortable furnishings.

6 – Atmosphere
Even though I put this last, it’s by no means less important. Hopefully, you have a wonderfully atmospheric writing space that inspires and moves you to your creative best. If it could use a facelift, give it one. Put up pictures or quotes from your favourite authors. Have your writing totems around you – maybe inspiring books, pictures of loved ones, writing goals on a wall, endless supply of your must-have writing implements. Make it a space you WANT to be in. Make is as attractive to yourself as you can.

I hope the above guidelines help. To be honest, occasionally, I do deliberately put myself in less-than-ideal conditions for writing, if only to challenge myself to be able to create when conditions may not be perfect. I do also like to indulge my sense of adventure by attempting to write in off-the-wall places. Who knows where it may take my writing?

Happy trails. Until next week!