6/3/2014
People are often fascinated by writing space. Where does a writer work? How do they work? How is their sacred space laid out?
I’m sure it would be nice to have such a space but above is a small slide-show of a few of the places I’ve written over the past few weeks. They vary from my dining room table (my regular haunt), to the local library to the beach.
The truth is most writers are just trying to carve out a niche in their family home and da to day life to write. Finding the time to write is a huge issue and finding the space is another.
I know lots of writers with young families who write on laptops in front of the TV pretending to be enamoured by Ben Ten or Pepper Pig or Superman. Some of them have a space but no one will leave them alone long enough for them to use it.
I know people who write wildly o the train as they commute from the outer suburbs to the city. They find a space between the thrumming music of their fellow traveller’s headphones, the newspapers and the school students to scribble in their notebook or tap out a few words on their laptop.
I know others who spend their lunchtimes in cafes, libraries and parks trying to keep the story moving forward daily with only forty minutes to spare.
There are writers who share a desk with a teenager and others who have an armchair and a coffee table.
Of course there are many writers with a desk and an office just for them. A constant and regular place to develop good habits (or tear their hair out) and most of them are extremely grateful to have it.
I myself am usually perched on the end of the dining room table which is a total pain when we have visitors and we do that pretty regularly. I load everything in an archive box or my backpack and tuck it away. At the moment we’re doing some renovating so my space is dusty and noisy. It’s hard to write to the dulcet sounds of an angle grinder.
You will often here people say “I have no time to write” and “I have no space to write” but just like exercise or watching Game of Thrones or following a football team, if it matters to you then you find a way. You sacrifice one thing for another. In the case of writing space often what gets sacrificed is good posture and ergonomics, in the case of time it’s one of these other pursuits.
So for the next few weeks as the dust flies and the contents of my kitchen remain scattered around my home I guess I’ll have to be creative about my writing space.
Comments
Betty
6/3/2014 11:48:37 pm
I totally agree. “If it matters to you you will find a way”
I am always impressed by how tenacious you are about writing and how much you get done.
Reply
Monique
6/8/2014 05:59:47 pm
I’m not sure how tenacious I am when I see what some people achieve but I do try.
louise wise
6/8/2014 05:50:55 pm
I’ve write where I can keep an eye on things: the dinner, kids, delivery guy and on some kind of installation being carried out. But because of that I don’t think my writing is being taken seriously by my family. To them it’s ‘just a hobby’. Grrr
I long for an office that I can call my own, so I’m waiting for my 20 year old son to move out and then I’ll claim his room!
Oh, I’m so baaaad!
Reply
Monique
6/8/2014 06:01:21 pm
I’m sure I get a bit of the same treatment honestly Louise. In theory I have a desk in the office but I can’t write when my husband is in there and it’s not really a big enough space for two…in a perfect world we would add an extra room but in the meantime one must make do.
