Saturday, June 26, 2010

Room to write

I'm afraid I don't have much of a post this week because of our busy Saturday. We've been working on the office/library most of the day. My husband did some wiring, adding another outlet to the room so that I can plug in my laptop behind my desk instead of having an extension cord running across the floor. A pretty straight-forward job, but this house was built in the fifties and it seems like doing even the simplest home improvements turn into a day-long ordeal. I won't be able to put the room back together until tomorrow and that's got me antsy.

This room is very much mine and has been since we bought the house. When we lived in an apartment I usually wrote in the living room at the desktop computer, and that usually took place while my husband was at work. When we bought this house we decided that the second bedroom would partly serve as a library since we have a forest worth of books, strained shelves overflowing with hardbacks and paperbacks. (I badly need an ereader so that we don't have to add onto the house just to have room for books!) The room also holds my desk, which is where I do most of my writing since we bought me a laptop. I think it's important for a writer to have a space to call their own. The portability of a laptop, or even a notepad and pen if you want to kick it old school, is great and a change of scenery can sometimes be just what the muse needed. But having that special area, your home-base as a writer so to speak, is important. It's good to have a place where all of your reference books and notes are located and organized. Having a physical space that is set up for writing can help me get my head into "writing mode." Privacy is a good thing, too. It's pretty much impossible for me to carry on a conversation while trying to write and if my husband knows I'm in here working he's great about leaving me alone until I'm through. I'm more productive since getting my own space, and especially since getting my own laptop. I think every writer would benefit greatly from having a room to call their own.

1 comment:

roh morgon said...

When I'm in serious writing mode, I hole up in the bedroom. A stack of pillows against the headboard, my trusty Synonym Finder (by Rodale - highly recommended) at my fingertips, water, headphones, laptop - and I disappear into whichever realm I'm writing about. My hubby leaves me alone and I emerge every few hours for snacks and a leg stretch. When he comes to bed, I retreat to the living room and my chair.

Space and respect for your space by others in the household is vital to a writer. Perhaps some day I'll have my own writing room!