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I toss this topic out from time to time. Mostly because authors can be very particular about where they work. Some are homebodies and others function in public. Some have designated space to work while others go wherever they can find privacy. Some need utter silence and others need noise. Authors are all unique when it comes to work space. So, let’s get to the questions.
- Do you have a special or preferred place to write?
- What is one thing you absolutely need in your environment for writing?
- Has your writing space changed over the years and why?
Legends of Windemere 
Great questions. I know a lot of us have our rituals to get into the right head space.
1) Do you have a special or preferred place to write?
I can make notes and sketch out scenes anywhere, longhand, but when I sit down to compose I have to be at my desktop computer. Saves me having to back stuff up and move things around.
2) What is one thing you absolutely need in your environment for writing?
Music and coffee, basically.
3) Has your writing space changed over the years and why?
It hasn’t changed, because I haven’t moved in 20 years and probably won’t again.
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I’ve tried so many times to explain the rituals and atmosphere needed to write. Most people don’t seem to get it. Some even say it’s clear I don’t really want to write because I would just do it anywhere if that was the case.
Really cool that you’ve had a consistent space for so long.
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I do not have a special or preferred place to write. I can do it anywhere. The only thing I absolutely need in my environment for writing is my Mac. My writing space has changed over the years. I used to sit at a desk in isolation and have music playing. I don’t know why but I have migrated out to the living room with no music. I think it was a pandemic thing. Isolation from the family and the world seemed pretty dire.
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Do you find that you have more privacy now even if you’re out in the open? One of the big reasons I can’t write anywhere other than my room is because people always interrupt.
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That is true. On those occasions that I go to my office, Twiggy and Lucy can’t stand it. If I’m out in the living room they basically ignore me.
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That’s interesting.
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Well I think there’s a “missing you paying attention to me” factor.
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1. I usually write at my desk where my laptop is. It faces the balcony. I can see the trees and the birds flitting about.
2. I need quiet. I don’t have to have total quiet. After all, the grass is cut often in the summer. But I can’t get much done with people talking around me. I also like having a window to look out of.
3. It’s changed because I moved. When I moved, I acquired a new desk that wraps around one corner.
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That’s a nice view. I have a window with a tree and a street. Be nice to have a balcony and full nature to look at.
Don’t get me started on the summer lawncare sounds. It’s more of an issue when I need to sleep, but it can make writing difficult too.
Awesome sounding desk.
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The desk is pretty cool. It came from Ikea. It keeps selling out, and I can see why. It’s easy to assemble and light to move.
Yes, the grass cutting can be annoying when you’re trying to sleep.
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Are Ikea furniture really that hard to put together?
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My writing space is not ideal. It’s a shared space with my husband, who has an annoying habit of talking to me.
Some writers write to music, but I can’t. I’ve tried it, and either I don’t write because I’m listening to the music, or the music finishes and I don’t notice because I’m engrossed in my story.
As to writing in public, like in a cafe, I don’t think I could do that. I would feel guilty about staying for a long time in the place. Why would people do that? Surely the privacy and comfort of home is preferable? I’d be interested to learn why some writers choose that.
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I used to have to work in the dining room. Even headphones wouldn’t stop people from talking to me. Would happen when I worked in my room and was married too, but I handled that better for some reason.
I use music a lot because that’s how I did homework and writing as a teenager. It’s a piece of noise I can control, which keeps me calm. So, it’s all psychological. I just toss on Pandora or a local radio station that doesn’t have a lot of commercials.
Definitely with you on the public writing. Only place it makes any sense to stay for a long time to write is a library. I mean, it’s a place of books and has areas for people who are writing papers. The busy coffee shops and cafes always confuse me though. Feels too chaotic and loud.
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I used to write in the Student Union building on campus. I would go up to the third floor, wrap around windows full of beautiful green mountains or the fire of fall foliage. I had no problem writing there. I was isolated yet the background noise was comfortable. I also think walking up the stairs put me in the headspace of it’s time to write. I miss that time and space, you would think 18 years would have dimmed the feeling.
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I remember the Student Union at my school was always full of activity. The library was a better area, but I never really took advantage of it. I did get some use out of computer labs, which tended to be quiet.
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The third floor just had those huge wrap around windows and some tables. So I always had it to myself. Although the occasional visitor going to the roof to sunbath. Nah that was a little much for me. The library was comfortable if I was reading, researching or in there for class. But I really didn’t spend a lot of time writing for myself in the library. Too busy for my taste.
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Surprised they let people on the roof. Couldn’t even come close to that on my campus.
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It was Appalachian State and yeah there was a cable fence around the roof and some sun loungers. I never had the want, need or desire to go out there.
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I went to SUNY Oswego in upstate New York. I think if we had an sun loungers they didn’t last through the first winter. Probably crazy people from Florida and California who didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.
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LOL 😆
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Not much has changed over the years. It’s a big chair with an ottoman. I have a similar setup in an alternate room, so I can retreat there if the living room gets distracting. I tend to write in silence, but have taken to some noise cancelling headphones with ambient sounds the last few years.
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How well do the headphones work? I thought about getting a pair, but wasn’t sure if they were worth it.
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They work extremely well for me. Masks the TV and even the dogs barking. I also found tons of ambient sounds on YouTube. I have have my phone play those while writing on the iPad.
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Cool. Never got into the ambient sounds thing. I tried it and just didn’t make me comfortable.
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Mine are Bose, wireless, and Bluetooth. Listing to Samurai sounds right now. Lots of soft music, some flute, crickets, wind, etc. Amazon Prime Day is coming up.
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I don’t think I could handle those sounds. I’m too used to regular music.
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I listen to spaceships and all kinds of things. Probably not for everyone.
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Absolute silence indoors. On the porch, wind, trains, and birds in the distance are welcome. Occasionally a car brings to mind the part in Charlotte’s Web where the car is whispering along the highway. That makes me smile.
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I guess outdoors requires some leeway for noises. Can’t silence the world very easily.
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Depends on where you live. City sounds are not easily silenced. While the same can be said for country sounds, I’ll take birds over cars any day. Best to you, Charles.
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That’s the thing. All outdoor areas have some level of noise. It could be cars or birds. I think that’s why I can’t write outside. Got something about sounds I can’t control, which is why I prefer playing music than having anyone around me.
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I totally get it, Charles. Music can be magic.
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If I had a choice, my writing space would be somewhere quiet and austere. But I’ve needed to hone the skill of writing anywhere (mainly because I’ve realised that many full-time jobs don’t offer the luxury of quiet), so now I seek to challenge myself by changing up my writing space. Great question here!
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I only became able to outline and design characters with noise around. Just can’t write actual stories unless I’m alone and there’s only music playing.
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