Creating a Writing Space That is Right for You and Your Process
I am writing this piece from a desk in my childhood home after having to travel back to my hometown for an emergency dental appointment. I’m back to using our old slow computer, with its clunky grey keyboard. But something about it has made my productivity spike in a very unexpected way; last night the hours seemed to slip past smoothly while I was working, and I was done before I even knew it. What witchcraft is this?!
The answer may be a combination of pretty boring things: the desk here is much cleaner than my usual desk back at my student house; it is higher up, with the computer at eye-level so that I am constantly drawn to look at it; the chair supports my back much more effectively than my previous chair.
Or perhaps it is mainly the change of scenery that has refreshed my brain. I tend to underestimate just how much your surroundings can affect your work, and how valuable even the smallest of changes can be to help you break through the writer’s block you might be feeling. And at such a time when a lot of people are self-isolating and working from home, our writing spaces have never been more essential.
Now, it is important to remember that everyone has different needs and different requirements for their work spaces. Perhaps you are someone who values having easy access to all your papers and notes and miscellaneous objects. Or maybe you are someone who can’t concentrate if there is too much clutter around you. Or maybe you love having a perfectly organised writing space, with colour-coordinated stationary and beautiful notebooks. At the end of the day, we are all different, and sometimes the only way to figure out what works best for you is simply through trying things out and seeing how they work for you.
However, I would like to propose my own set of three criteria to consider when you are thinking of redecorating your writing space: comfort, resources, and aesthetic.
Comfort
To me, comfort is perhaps the most important thing to take into consideration, however it is also the one that I most often neglect. I have sat in many uncomfortable plastic desk chairs over the years, and then wondered why my neck was killing me. And don’t get me started on the height of the desk itself! I find myself constantly hunched over like some kind of writing goblin.
Of course, you don’t want to be breaking the bank splashing out on some super fancy chair or desk. Perhaps thrift stores or charity shops could be useful for this - keep an eye out for anything that you think will enhance your overall comfort. This could be cushions or blankets, or something to rest your feet on. Anything that makes you feel warm and cozy as the colder weather is approaching!
Resources
Now, it’s vital that your writing space includes everything that you actually need in order to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). You don’t want to constantly be running off elsewhere to grab something. Stationary, notes, snacks, water bottle, headphones, a good Spotify playlist - all the necessities for a productive writing session!
However you do need to walk the line carefully here in order to avoid filling your desk with unnecessary items that might get in your way, as these will probably just take you out of ‘The Zone’ (whatever that is…). So I would advise that it would be best if your writing space involved a series of shelves, or perhaps a handy backpack stored at your feet. Try to maximise all the space that isn’t in your immediate line of sight, so that way you won’t feel too overwhelmed when you’re in the middle of your fourth Zoom call of the day trying to locate the specific notebook that you need.
Aesthetics
Ah, the aesthetically pleasing writing space! We’ve all seen the Pinterest pictures - perfectly organised, with a matching colour-scheme, probably very expensive to put together and frustrating to maintain. But even if that’s not your cup of tea, you shouldn’t completely ignore the way that your space looks, because the appearance of your desk can have a direct impact on how you feel about working at it. A clean environment that is at least some level of organised will make you feel better about spending long stretches of time sat in front of it.
Personally, I think that having some sentimental objects with you can help to keep morale up when you hit a rocky patch in your writing. It’s nice to have some little things to look at instead of just having a blank space. For example, at my previous desk, I had a series of weird photos of me and my friends on my wall, a rubber duck with devil horns, and an ornament of a frog wearing a dress holding a cake with a cat at its feet. At the very least, this can work as a talking point for anyone who happens to enter your writing space!
At the end of the day, your writing space should make you feel safe, secure, and well equipped to face any challenges you might happen across - and therefore it is completely up to you what it looks like. So my advice is to take all that in hand and run with it! Feel free to mix things up whenever you feel yourself starting to get bored of it - change can be a writer’s best friend.
