My Writing Space
by Jess
A book blogger and writer named Kate shared photos of her writing space. Since I just joined a writer’s group and made a writing schedule for the year, I thought I’d share a photo of my writing space.
This isn’t my only writing space. I write whenever something grabs me, although usually that involves snippets, notes and quotes written while in the car or at a restaurant. The couch is where I complete thoughts. I don’t do a very good job of writing things outside, as I tend to get distracted. However, I don’t do very well writing my journal inside. I prefer to right that outside, so thank goodness for this tropical heat wave in Switzerland. Speaking of, I want to go out now and get off this damn thing.
But one last thought: technically my writing space is a notebook. I like to write things out by hand, in black ballpoint ink, in a lined notebook that probably cost about 2.50. I am getting better at writing from scratch on the computer, but not if it really means something to me personally/emotionally – then it has to happen on paper first.
So you, reading this blog. Do you write (and I mean anything that takes longer than five minutes)? Do you have to have paper, or do you use a computer only? What about hours – morning, day or wee hours of the night? What’s your writing space like?
Comments
Your writing space looks suspiciously like mine…
I once used to write like you, anywhere, anytime and on legal pads. Then I discovered I had to completely take apart and reform a whole novel. I had packets of pages in piles all over my bedroom floor and assembled the new form on my double bed.
I quickly taught myself to write on the computer so I could use a virtual bed of a size that would not fit in my house to rearrange a book that needed pruning and shaping. Now I can’t do it another way. If I tried using even a typewriter I’d have to pretend it was a computer– maybe put a silent TV in back or something.
My writing space recently moved into a deep window recess in my kitchen/soggiorno where I had a thick shelf installed for the necessities. Recently my awful neighbor, having discovered that I spend hours facing that window, has taken to stripping in front of the window that faces my computer window. He is just ugly. I live with only a very few people as neighbors in a wild open zone of the Italian countryside, but lucky me, I got icky Beppe for a neighbor.
i cant write on paper… i have trouble SIGNING my name on credit card slips. so for me definitely in front of the computer. Early, 6-7 am in the morning would be my favorite time because i feel like everyone is sleeping and I’m getting stuff accomplished therefor i “win”! nevermind the fact that after 9am, my productivity crashes and i do nothing the rest of the day….
At the moment my writing time is limited to Boy-free time; mornings my husband has Boy duty and I write in bed, unless I go back to sleep which I do more often than I care to admit. So that’s writing space number one: propped up in bed writing in notebooks.
Then there is Boy naptime, when I write at the dining room table. I have an office with a nice desk and all my little books and manuals etc, but I write at the dining room table anyway. I like the clean smooth EMPTY surface.
Poetry I write and revise by hand. I’ve never been able to compose or edit poetry on the computer.
Blog posts, short articles on Swiss politics, dry fact-based articles I write on the computer.
Personal essays I start out writing by hand and once I realize my thoughts are getting away from me I move over to the computer. At some point the whole thing gets on the computer for revising and rewriting. But I am partial to writing by hand, in Moleskin lined notebooks.
By the way, do you have Dorothea Brande’s Becoming a Writer? I find it very worthwhile.
Wow, I just found this big list of literary magazines and contests, thought you might be interested.
http://www.everywritersresource.com/Biglist.html
Judith: Icky Beppe should be the title of your next novel.
Ale: Do you have any idea why?? I used to be a late night writer, but somehow that has changed and I have that “take advantage of the morning” feeling now. Although, I make no assumptions that i’m all alone – people in switzerland are eaaaarly birds.
SwissMiss: No I haven’t – is it worth ordering from USA? I’ve read a few lately, but on Creative NonFiction. “writing for story” was the best so far. thanks for the link!
I actually think I got Brande from the english section at Amazon.de – NO SHIPPING charges and gets here faster. The English books are more expensive, but depending on what you order it’s still cheaper because of the free shipping.
For me it’s worth having; she’s very pragmatic and practical about how a writer can force her way through a writer’s block, get over the fear of failure, just get down to it – for me that’s my biggest problem so it was great advice. She’s got a little plan to follow that ends with sitting down and writing a story or essay from start to finish without getting up from your workspace.