A Perfect Writing Spot
Once upon a time I was obsessed with finding a perfect writing spot.
I was only beginning to write my first novel and the level of self-doubt was off the charts. I didn’t know what to write, I feared that I will run out of ideas after each chapter, I was worried about the plot or lack thereof, I was looking for an inspiration.
So I began to scour books about writing, blogs about writing, go to classes about writing to find out what is that perfect combination of place and time that successful writers use to get their writing flow.
Over and over I came across writers mentioning a special writing place. For some it was an office with the door locked, an attic getaway for others, a special spot in the house of some kind, etc. Knowing how often I get interrupted at home and completely lose my train of thought, I went ‘A-huh!’, I must be missing a special writing spot! Having a designated place will surely make a world of difference.
And off I went. I inspected my house. Unfortunately, my house is small, so there was no talk about a separate office with a locked door. Garage was too creepy at night, plus it had spiders. The only thing I could think of was having a designated corner where everyone will be ordered to leave me alone 9-10 pm every night. I went to stores in search of that special inspirational arm-chair and the lamp, oh, you should have seen all the bookmarks I had on my browser.
Well, I didn’t end up buying an arm-chair and a lamp. They were pricey and the corner I had available was too small to fit anything comfortable that I found.
Being kind of down about the whole thing I thought: ‘How would I even know that the magic chair would do the trick? How about those moms that wrote in their mini-vans while waiting on the kids at the soccer practice? How about writers that write in the noisy coffee shops? Or students writing their poetry in the dorm while their roommates blasting heavy metal right into their ear?’
So I decided: place doesn’t create me, I create the place. The perfect magical writing spot will be anywhere I decide to sit down and write. And then I went ahead and wrote sitting on the couch at 5 am, and in my car while my daughter was at the practice at 7 pm, I wrote in the park and at the restaurant, I wrote while my daughter was napping in the afternoon and while the house was quiet at midnight.
And an interesting thing happened. Inspiration seemed to visit me more often, it became easy to grab my notebook, or open my laptop and just start pouring the words out. The anxiety subsided, the ideas keep on coming and I look forward to each of my writing moment instead of dreading it. It looks like my perfect writing spot was inside me all along.
What is your special writing spot? How is the location affects your writing?
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About Lillith Black
Computer geek by day, paranormal and urban fantasy writer by night, Lillith Black hails from Southern California where the weather is great and the ocean is just 30 min away.
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This is an interesting post! Thank you for sharing it. Right now, my writing spot is either at my desk or kitchen table. I write more at my desk, but enjoy the kitchen table more because I can look out the window… I do love the idea of your writing spot being inside of you, though!
I like to challenge myself to write anywhere so that location would never be a roadblock to what I want to do. Especially since I have grand plans of retiring young to live by the beach! One can dream, right?
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Ha! That’s my goal too. I can write books anywhere! I want to get hubby retired so he can relax. My job doesn’t feel like work. 🙂
Lillith, I enjoyed reading this post, how you translated your quest and solution into a captivating little story. As well, it intrigued me to investigate what book you mentioned.
~ Dena
Thank you!
I appreciate your interest and kind words!
When I was starting my first novel, I went through a similar ordeal. I did end up setting up an office space (have to share with hubby, but at least we have separate desks). However, something has changed in the last nine months. I find myself wandering more. I do still work in my office some, but I’m finding myself writing in the yard, in the back seat of the car while my daughter is at practice, on the couch, wherever I feel comfy that day. The first book is out and the second is well under way. I think the confidence I gained from going completely through the process once freed me up to work anywhere. I’m not holding myself back anymore with the excuse that everything has to be perfect for me to be creative.
Exactly! I think with the first book there is so much uncertainty in everything we do that we try to control what we can. It is easier to control the writing spot than, lets say, the Inspiration, so we try to make everything just right to make ourselves feel easier about the whole process.
Thank you for reading the post and leaving the comment!