Where Do You Write?

Mfraser said:

My husband and I were once looking to buy a house that had a little converted shed out in the back garden - it was this perfect little house, just made for writing. It even had a round window like a porthole and the garden went down to a stream in the back. We didn't get the house, and I still dream about that space.

Ever see Neil Gaiman's writing tree house (okay, it's not really a tree house, but it is in my mind because that would make it perfect)? That man is still spoiled. Here's a post (old) with a photo of his space and a bit of a rant about getting the right space vs. just getting it together and writing wherever:
http://doycetesterman.com/index.php/2010/11/you-do-not-need-neil-gaimans-fucking-gazebo/

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That place you wanted to buy sounds great, like it was built for a writer.

I have seen Gaimen's gazebo. He's one of my favorite writers, and I'd love to have a place like that to write, but we seriously downsized when our last child flew away, and I really don't have room to build anything.

We are thinking about buying another acre or two of wooded land, though, and if we do, I will put some kind of writing abode on it, though I have no idea what right now.

I usually write in bed. The cat's way less likely to come and lie across the keyboard there, and I have the bedside for my tea and snacks. I wish I could write in a cafe or restaurant, or even outdoors on a sunny day, but I can't stand to write near other people. I end up sort of hunched nervously over my screen (I probably look like I'm searching for pipe bomb instructions), paranoid that someone I know will stroll by and look over my shoulder while I'm writing a sex scene or something. I know that it shouldn't matter, but I'm a very private person, so that would pretty much ruin my week.

Sometimes I enjoy having music and background noise, but other times, particularly after work when I just want peace and silence, I'll put in earplugs.

A specific room for writing sounds fantastic, but in practice I would probably just end up writing in bed as usual.

I tend to get distracted writing at home too. We have a study but I use that space for academic work so I find it hard to think creatively in there.
I usually like to have some kind of soundtrack, but occasionally I need total silence to work effectively. I like to know other people are around, going about their own business and letting me do mine.

Sometimes I work in the library. I'm pretty lucky because it's my university one so they have a ton of resources and a good atmosphere - although not too inspiring.

If I'm writing whilst travelling, especially during the nicer months, I like to write in a journal outside. If there's tea, that's a bonus. It's my creative fuel.

I am in the exact same situation as you! I recently had to move home after a weird breakup, and now my childhood bedroom is housing the entire contents of my old two bedroom apartment... There is a toaster on my dresser, a coffee pot in my closet - you know how it goes.

I've adjusted my schedule as much as I can to be awake after everyone's gone to bed so I can have the living room to myself, but my main goal is to move out. I kind of just need a desk, and that's not possible here. While saving up, I've been trying to get a half hour to an hour of writing in a night. I sit with my laptop on the recliner. I type notes into my phone for that ambiguous "later" when I'll have a nice big desk on which to spread out notepads and papers and laptops. It's not the best, but it's better than nothing.

Maybe you could ask everyone else in the house to sacrifice thirty minutes of television for you? Have a designated "please be quiet - I'm writing" time? This is obviously very important to you and is worth fighting for. If you haven't already, you should express to everyone in the home how important writing is to you, and how you need support if you're gonna do this.

While I think that it's good to be adaptable and learn to write in crappy situations, you can't overlook the importance of having a space that's your own and a setting you feel comfortable in. I completely understand your situation and know how frustrating it can be. Get through this time in your life, maintain whatever creativity you can. If you don't have room for writing, paint, draw, glue Barbie heads together until you've made a giant monolith. Keep that river flowing until you've come upon something better.

Jamesaritchie said:

That place you wanted to buy sounds great, like it was built for a writer.

I have seen Gaimen's gazebo. He's one of my favorite writers, and I'd love to have a place like that to write, but we seriously downsized when our last child flew away, and I really don't have room to build anything.

We are thinking about buying another acre or two of wooded land, though, and if we do, I will put some kind of writing abode on it, though I have no idea what right now.

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I love Gaiman as well, and I'll envy you both if you build yourself a writing retreat in the woods as well! Actually, I think I'm already coveting that local library of yours you described a few posts back. Sounds like you live in a town that loves books (and writers) if they're supplying writing rooms. I love a local library. Ours is tiny and, sadly, no cafe. But they're kind enough to let you bring in your mug.

I usually write on the sofa. Envy everyone that has some sort of dedicated space to write.

I have a place I can go though, where I park up at the shore with a flask of coffee and get some words down.

I agree WriterDude - a dedicated writing space sounds like heaven. I'm either on the couch or in a cafe living out the cliche. Unfortunately, the cafe is also great for people watching and often has some very cool conversations going on that I can't help but overhear… the distractions are rife!

I have a really nice desk that I haven't used since I got a laptop about four years ago. Now I do most of my writing on the couch, but can write just about anywhere. Back porch when it's warm enough, library or coffee shop, airport/hotel when traveling.

Although I haven't done it, I could see going to the mall. Ours has a huge food court where the tables only fill up completely on weekends, and also a lot of benches, chairs, and sitting areas all over the mall. Some are in quiet corners, some are more central, but with a pair of headphones and a white noise app, you'd be golden. And nobody would care if you sat there for hours.

I write in the train to and from work. It's not ideal, but at least I can get some writing done that way.

I write at a bagel place in the morning and a Subway (the sandwich place, not the transportation establishment) in the afternoon. No internet, and I'm always the only person who stays for hours. I like it there, though. I never get much done at home.

Glad it's going better! And we'll all dream of our gazebos...

Anna Spargo-Ryan said:

When you have a baby, one of the bits of advice the hospital gives you is to expose it to lots of noise. A baby that can only sleep in complete silence is a baby that rarely sleeps.

I think the same is true of writing. The more criteria you have around where you "can" write, the less likely you are to be able to fulfil these criteria and the less writing you will do.

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Great point, Anna. I never thought of it that way!

As for me, I love to write in cafes or coffee shops because seeing other people around me doing their thing makes me feel more like a working writer than someone who is just aspiring to publish (but I'm getting closer to self-publishing like I want - it's just going to take a while). I am also a shameless eavesdropper - I love to eavesdrop on other people's conversations and I sometimes get ideas or quirks of character doing that. So I look at writing around people in that way as an opportunity for inspiration. Sadly, I am now living in an area that is very car-heavy (and I don't have a car), so I have almost no cafe nearby. The nearest I have is a Starbuck's about a 20 minute walk away and so I get to it only once every few weeks.

One of these days I'll be able to afford to move back to an apartment I have in San Francisco where there is cafe galore within a few blocks and I'll be a happy cafe writer again .

Djuna