Writing Edge

With the popularity of laptop and netbook computers, writing can, in theory, be done just about anywhere; on a bus, train, airplane, at the beach, a coffee shop or on the back porch. While this is true, it’s also important to have a special workspace set aside. The main reason is to avoid distractions. We all have distractions, whether from children, spouses, friends, cell phones, those old-fashioned land lines, TVs, iPods, even pets. For example, I have three hairless Sphynx cats that need constant attention and like nothing more than to perch on my shoulder or in my arms while I’m trying to write. Don’t get me wrong, I love my cats, but it’s very annoying and distracting when I have kitties smothering me. This is why a dedicated workspace is a grand idea. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy like a bookshelf-lined study with soft lighting and Mozart playing in the background, although that really does sound nice. It can be your bedroom, a spare bedroom, or even the garage (providing it has heat or cooling when necessary), so long as there’s a door that you can close. Let your family members know that you won’t answer the phone and they are not to bother you unless it’s an emergency. Your workspace is where you can concentrate, dream up ideas, develop plot and characters, and write. It doesn’t mean you’ll isolate yourself from the family or friends, although you will for a short time, but instead simply means you will extricate yourself from the normal, or abnormal depending on your life, distractions that make it harder to write. Many writers, me included, write late at night when the kids are in bed, the TV is turned off and there’s little noise around. In this instance, your workspace becomes the living room, den, kitchen or whatever. The ‘door’ I spoke of earlier is the night in this case. The night has closed the door on the daily distraction. A writer friend of mine has a small spare room she uses as her writing room. On the inside of the door, she hangs a sign that says ‘do not enter’. Yep, the inside of the door. This is so when she is tempted to go out, she sees the sign not to enter the noisy world outside of her door. It’s a form of self-discipline for her and keeps her tucked away in her workspace until the time she’s allotted herself it up. If you need a similar reminder to stay put and write, try whatever method you need. Most of us don’t have the luxury of writing all day, so try to set aside some time each day, whether it’s late at night or during the day like my friend, and make it known that you need time in your workspace to work. After all, it is a work space!