From Beginning To End
By Joanne Stanko   

GETTING STARTED (PART THREE)

SETTING A CREATIVE ATMOSPHERE

Whether it's a complete room, corner, closet, or laundry room, you need a place to write.  

This column will cover some of the questions I’ve been asked by writers and would-be writers – questions about my writing area and reference books, and answers that may give you ideas on how to set up the most effective, efficient, creative atmosphere possible. 

WORKSPACE

It would be ideal if we all had an extra room to use strictly for an office or writing room, but sometimes that’s not possible.  I didn’t always have an office, so some of the suggestions given here are from my experience of working in small, and sometimes unusual cramped quarters for two years.

When I first started writing seriously more than thirty years ago, I was cramped for space and worked with the basic essentials.  For the first six months of my writing career, I typed my manuscripts on, don’t laugh, an antique Underwood typewriter, which sat on a metal stand in my closet.

I had no extra room to “spread out” my work, so I decided to use the closet as my office.  Two shelves were installed on the back wall, a bulletin board went on the side wall, and a 4-drawer cardboard box held my typing paper, pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.

As my writing assignments increased, my workspace decreased.  It wasn’t long before I needed to move to a larger area.  Still with no extra room to spare as an office, I moved to the basement laundry area and half bath.  This worked well for a while since the half bath wasn’t used.  I placed a piece of plywood across the sink and stacked my reference books, used the medicine cabinet to hold the pens, pencils, etc., and stacked typing paper and such in the small vanity below.  Another piece of plywood was placed on top of the toilet seat, which was now the new home for my used electric typewriter.  I still used the bulletin board and 4-drawer cardboard file cabinet, and used a small soft stool as a chair. 

There was more space, but the dreary cement block walls needed something.  So, I wallpapered them – with all my rejection slips.  This wasn’t quite as depressing as it sounds.  I’ve always been an optimist and thought of the rejections as accomplishments.  I had something to show for my writing.  Though they were rejections, they represented hard, fulfilling work that I had the courage to send to publishers.  Some would-be writers never get past the “I can’t send this out, I’m afraid of rejection” syndrome.  I had, and believe me; I have a lot of rejections to show for it after thirty years.  By the way, when I finally moved my office into a spare room, the rejection wallpaper stayed on the basement and half bath walls.  It makes for interesting conversation when someone uses the bathroom facilities.

Now, let’s get to the essentials and how to set up a creative atmosphere.  First, you need to access the area you have in mind.  I made a drawing of my area to scale on graph paper and cut out graph paper sections the size of the furniture I would be using.  This made filling the area less frustrating and much easier to decide where to place things without having to move them when you find they don’t fit.

I’ll go with the thought that most people have a small room to use as an office and I’ll also give suggestions on how to set up in small, confined, unusual places.

Desk

If you do not have a desk, use a sturdy table: kitchen or dining room table, cardboard table, or a piece of plywood across and old sink or laundry tub.  You can even have a shelf put in a closet to use as a worktable.  Whichever you are using, try to make it comfortable height.

Comfortable Chair

If you’re working at a desk, make sure whatever chair you pick your feet can be flat on the floor.  You'll be spending long hours writing from this chair and you need to be as comfortable as possible.

Good Lighting

If you are using an entire room, make sure the light from the window comes over your shoulder from either your back or side.  This not only saves strain on your eyes, but also minimizes the glare on the computer screen if you’re using a computer.  Pole lamps or desk lamps are advised if there is no natural lighting from a window.

PROPER TOOLS

Before you begin, you must have the basic proper tools to accomplish your writing.

Typewriter or Computer

If you plan to be a serious writer, a typewriter or computer is an absolute must.  Publishing companies will not accept handwritten manuscripts.  Computers can be purchased at a respectable price today and most are offered with a word processing program, monitor, and printer.  Some deals even offer a scanner with the package.  So, shop around and look for the best deal you can afford.  Whichever you are using, make sure you have extra ribbons, White-out, toner, disks, and paper.

File Cabinet

Of course a file cabinet of any size would be ideal to help keep all your papers, article ideas, articles, and manuscripts in order.  If you don't have a file cabinet, the corrugated shoe stacks or 4-drawer files are great--they hold manila folders perfectly.  These items can be purchased at a low cost at discount stores.  I’ll get into a more specific filing system in another column.

Catch-Alls

If you can afford it, small office and desk equipment will help avoid clutter.  Some of the things you might want to invest in are: pencil, pen, paper clip holder, plastic stackable paper file or cardboard alphabetized accordion file, and computer disk trays.  When buying all the extras is out of the question, small stackable plastic containers can be easily purchased at a dollar store to hold such things as paper clips, rubber bands, pens, pencils, erasers, thumb tacks, etc.  Before I began making money from my writing, and couldn’t afford even the dollar store prices, I used a cupcake tin for these small items, and I decorated various sized soup, vegetable and coffee cans for the larger items.

Bulletin Board

If you have wall space, a bulletin board is essential.  On it you can post deadline reminders, story ideas, appointments, phone numbers, etc.  I added notes of encouragement to my bulletin board that say, “PERSEVERANCE: TO PERSIST IN SPITE OF DIFFICULTIES” and "KEEP WRITING!”  If you have space on the board or wall, a calendar marked with important dates is a good idea.  Another suggestion is a small desk calendar.  If you don't have room for a bulletin board, hanging or desk calendar, you can write notes and reminders on sticky post-it notes and stick them on the sides of the computer screen, on the wall, or any place they will be visible.

Office Space and Tools Overview

For a quick reference you can take to the store, here is a list of the basic essentials you’ll need to set up an office. 

Once you’ve decided on an area and set up shop, you may think of other items you will need that haven’t been mentioned here. 

BUILDING YOUR REFERENCE BOOKSHELF

One of the most common questions asked of me by would-be writers and writers is, "In what books should I invest to further along my writing career?"  Some of the books I list here are essentials for any writer.  Others, depending on the type of writing that interests you, can help answer a multitude of writing questions.  If your interests are in certain fields, there are specialty books that will help answer questions for your particular need.

Before we get into what books you should purchase, let’s talk about how to organize them.

Bookcase or Shelf

Naturally, bookcases are the most logical to store reference and research books.  If bookcases are out of the question, you may want to invest in the plastic stackable shelving units sold in discount stores.  Another suggestion is to buy wall brackets and place boards across them to use as shelves.  If there is no room for bookcases or shelves, use the top of your work area to keep research material and reference books.  A set of bookends, if you have them, will hold the books in place.  If not, here are a number of items I used until I could afford the extras.  Remember I mentioned using coffee cans and such to hold larger desk items?  These can work well for bookends.  I have even wrapped bricks in colorful paper to secure my books.  If all else fails, line the books in a row then place heavier, thicker books on each end to hold those in the center.

BOOKS EVERY WRITER SHOULD PURCHASE

Regardless of what type of writing interests you, some books are an absolute necessity for any writer.  At the end of the column, I will provide online sources where you can either purchase the books mentioned or websites that you can access for online use.

OTHER SPECIALTY BOOKS

Now that you have your writing space, make it as comfortable and creative as you possibly can.  I have cartoons about writing tacked on my bulletin board to add a little humor to my day.  If you're using a complete room as I do, decorate it in a fashion that is peaceful to you in order to create a writing mood.  I love lighthouses and being by the water, so my writing room is decorated with my collection of lighthouse amongst all my book shelves with all my writing materials.  You should use whatever gives you a calming effect in order to create the right atmosphere for your writing.

Most important, now that you have your schedule ready, is to know how to manage your time and your office space-- set aside time to write!  Above all, let everyone you know what time of day you have picked for your "creative time" so you're not disturbed.

http://www.writersdigestbookclub.com  Great resource club for books writers need.

http://www.qpb.com  Also have books for writers, plus if you join (it’s free) there is an online dictionary and encyclopedia available free for your use.

Now get that room and reference bookshelf ready.  Be creative!

Joanne will also accept questions by email about writing from readers and answer those questions in her column.

E-mail Joanne: joannedstanko@attbi.com.

Visit her site at http://worldzone.net/arts/joannestanko/

Joanne Stanko has published more than 2,500 articles. She was award recipient of the 1990 Woman of the Year for Beaver County, Pennsylvania, for her accomplishments in her community and excellence in journalism. 

She was on the staff of Slippery Rock University teaching her copyrighted writing course "Sell What You Write" and Creative and Freelance writing.  She has appeared on television and radio, hosted several Writers' Conferences, and spoke for many conferences and writer's organizations.  Her most recent articles were published in ByLine Magazine, Absolute Write.com, and Moondance.org.

For more columns by Joanne (Stanko) Kiggins, please click here.
 

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