What is a writer space? Shouldn’t it be called your “writing space?” I prefer the term “writer space” because it is people-centric, focused on who you are. But “writing space” is more about what you’re doing.
A major part of your writer space is the physical space where you write. It is a sacred place for you to work on your writing. There are lots of options for this. Many people go to their local library or a trendy cafe. Others prefer to write high on a mountaintop, or on a shady park bench. But a lot of us do our writing at home.
How to Create Your Writer Space:
1. Keep one area of your home off limits for everything except writing.
This is similar to the concept that your bed should be reserved only for sleeping. The idea behind this theory is your brain associates certain places with specific activities.
If you use your writing area to watch Netflix, fold laundry, play games with your kids, etc… Your brain will expect you to do some or all of those things in that space. When writer’s block is creeping in, or you’re not super focused one day, that can be a problem. So, save yourself some trouble. Keep your writer space sacred.
2. Make it comfortable.
This is kind of self-explanatory, but I’ll elaborate anyway. Make sure you love your chair. Sitting for hours in a bad chair can really distract you from writing your best life.
You may also like to keep your writer space stocked with lots of healthy, grab-and-go snacks and plenty of fresh water. Take it a step further and add an electric kettle with a box of inspiring herbal teas. This eliminates the desire to get up in the middle of a writing streak to tend to your needy tummy.
Keeping a yoga mat handy is another way to make your writer space super comfortable. Use it for an occasional 15-minute stretch break. You really should stretch once an hour- about every forty-five minutes. Remind yourself to get up and ease your achy muscles by setting a timer.
Sitting near a window is another way to keep your butt in the seat. This gives you changing views, fresh air, and some sunshine. Windows are great.
So think about what makes you comfortable. What do you love to have around you? Make a list, draw up some plans, then prepare your writer space for ultimate comfort.
3. Keep your writer space well stocked yet clutter free.
I spoke about keeping snacks handy to prevent you from wandering away from your work. You may also want to keep a healthy provision of blank notebooks and fresh pens. In addition to that, you might have novel notes, printed research, books, sticky notes, and other supplies. All of this (and potentially more) should be within reach at all times while writing.
So you can see how clutter can catch you off guard. Make sure to keep your writer space neat and organized. This way you can find stuff. Keeping things tidy prevents them from being distracting. If you find you don’t have enough space – it might be time to downsize your supplies or consider upgrading to a larger area.
4. Make it yours.
This might mean simply hanging a kitten poster on the wall. Or it may involve some contractors and a backhoe. Whatever you need to do to make that space scream your name, go ahead and do it.
You need to love your writer space. If you don’t, at the very least you’ll subconsciously avoid it. At worst, you will outright say “I can’t work here.” That’s no good for progress.
So take some time beforehand, figure out what inspires you. Then use that amazing imagination to create a space you love.
I’ve just listed some of the key elements to creating an awesome writer space. But there are two final elements I’d like to discuss. This is about creating a writer space both in your mind and in your life.
Creating a writer space in your mind.
Basically, this is like your writer space in your home. The difference is that you create this one in your mind. When it’s time to write, you need to be able to clear away those pesky thoughts that have nothing to do with your story.
Before you sit down to write, take 5-10 minutes to focus your mind. Listen to a little music, or meditate for a while. It’s rare to be able to just sit down and start typing unless you’re truly inspired.
But that’s not usually the case. If you’re like me, writing is your passion, but not your full-time job. We always have a million things going on.
Because your life is so busy, clearing your mind is not only necessary but often difficult. If you find you’re struggling to create a mental writer space, check out this guided meditation.
However you choose to create it, just remember that a clear focused mind should be a critical first step in your writing process. Give those few extra moments to your craft. Your story will thank you for it.
Creating your writer space in your life.
Finally, we come to the tough part. Life is chaos. It is our mission to find peace among the chaos. But that is easier said than done. After years of struggling to make time to write, I discovered scheduling! What a brilliant idea, right? Thank you.
Here’s Something to Try:
- Use Google Calendar to block out all the time you absolutely cannot spend writing, like when you’re working or sleeping. Then spend one week researching what else you’re was doing with your time. For an entire seven days, write down everything you did, hour by tedious hour. You may discover you’re wasting more time than you thought!
- Next, you have to decide to make a change. Everybody likes progress, but nobody likes change. It won’t be easy. But you can borrow time you had been using for things like Netflix, commuting, sitting around playing video games and replace it with your writing.
- You also need to tell people about what you’re doing. This is very important, do not skip this step. First of all, this provides you with some accountability. Find a partner who will tell you about yourself. It should be someone who knows how important writing is to you and will remind you to work on your dreams. That’s super helpful, albeit obnoxious sometimes.
If you don’t put the effort into creating a writer space in your busy life, you will struggle to accomplish your goals.
If you haven’t already done so, try this scheduling process. You can also check out my article on “Creating Your Writer’s Life” for more tips on scheduling.
There you have it, my friends. Your step-by-step guide to creating your very own peaceful and inspiring writer space. Hopefully, this will save you a few wrong turns. If you have your writer space all set up, drop me a comment with a photo. I’d love to see it! Best of luck on your writing journey.
