That actually sounds really nice. I wish i had a nice place to write, i generally do it in my living room.
Sometimes if its a crappy day then I will sit inside. I find that getting my body prepped for a couple hours writing is most important because I'm a very restless person. I also find mobility exercises helpful every hour or so. Using a foam roller to rub tense, un-used muscles to get the blood flowing makes you feel awake and alive again.
There's no freaking way that I could drink absinthe, listen to Hank III, and watch Dr. Strangelove while writing. That sounds like a cocktail for disaster for someone who's easily distracted. Lol.
I usually go sit at a bar while I write, so yeah, I'll have a beer or two. Any more than that and my writing's shit. The ambient hum of conversation helps me focus, and occasionally I'll meet someone interesting and take note of their personality/story for future writings.
And that would be where i would get distracted. but mostly because i don't like to be around people. lol
Before I write, I wash the dishes. If there are no dishes to clean, I take a twenty minute nap. Once I'm primed, I write. In a week, I write about 12 hours. The only influence I'm under while I'm writing is good ole' caffeine from the great teat of the coffee machine.
This is a fun thread, because there are SO many different approaches here! I'm pretty mundane. I have a separate room I call my 'office,' with no view at all, at least not in the direction my desk is pointed. I use a desktop computer (hate laptops) and sit in a purpose-built office chair at a real desk. Behind me are all the research books I need (two bookshelves full) so if I need a fact, I can find one quickly. (I write historically-set stories, so research is important to me.) I do require quiet, though. I can deal with certain kinds of noise going on outside my door or my window, but it needs to be the kind of noise that doesn't involve me. I hate interruptions. I want to know that when I sit down to my desk that nothing short of an emergency is going to intrude. Otherwise, I can't concentrate. I don't want to answer the phone, or have somebody bopping in and out of the room asking me questions, or stuff like that. It's one of the reasons I prefer writing very early in the morning, before other people are up. If outside noise becomes too distracting, I can play instrumental music loud enough to drown it out. It's got to be the kind of music that doesn't intrude, though. Classical string quartets, classical guitar—stuff that's evenly-paced and not too much boom and bust, if that makes sense. I can understand the appeal of writing retreats in lovely places. We have a few here in Scotland, and I've been tempted. However, I know myself too well. (And I'd have to buy a laptop!) I would sit staring out the window, slurping up the wonderful view and THINKING about my story. I might even come up with some great ideas and scribble down bits of dialogue, etc. I would certainly enjoy interacting with other writers. But I would not actually get stuck into writing till I got home! My writing space 10 minutes ago.... Cluttered, but it's MINE!
Mine is pretty simple. Get home, go for a run. Shower. Turn on PC. Read last chapter, continue writing! Although I must say, writing can get a little addictive. Regards Mike
@jannert Your writng space seems lovely, and in understand the fight against interruptions. @MikeyC A little addictive lol, it seems like writing is my life anymore.
Do you not suffer with aching wrists with that set-up? I need somewhere to rest my lower arms when typing, otherwise my wrists start to ache very quickly.
Y'all should use the nuclear option on the stayfocused app for google chrome (if that's your web browser). I have the internet blocked (except Pandora) from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. I get off of work at 3:00 so it gives me time to drive, shower, eat, bullshit, etc. and then I get to it. My productivity has increased substantially, maybe even 400% like the other dude said. Used to write in the mornings but with this new job I get up at 4:00 so that shit ain't gonna happen. Only on the weekends now, and speaking of that I need to set the app to block the internet for a few hours those mornings as well. The internet is a blessing and a curse.
I read an article about how to create an inspirational workplace. She included that it should be clutter free and neatly organised. To me that sounds like the opposite of an inspirational workplace. If I worked somewhere it would be a place with personality, odd things on the walls where everything has a history. Preferably historical buildings of some kind. What do you guys think? Where is your ideal workplace?
I'm usually good working wherever. When I was living with my parents I'd often write on my bed before going to sleep, or on a tray table while sitting on the couch. After moving out I've done all my work on my coffee table sitting on the couch. But I also jot notes whenever I think of something, wherever that is. I also used to write in college, either at my desk or in the library or at lunch or during class or... I just need my laptop. Ideal location be damned.
I agree. To write, I can do that anywhere. As long as the air is comfortable. But I am talking about the ideal place, because you need to see things and hear things to write with emotion. For instance, I had trouble visualizing a forest that my characters was traveling through. After visiting a national park here in Cambodia I got extremely inspired and wrote almost 5000 words in a day.
I don't think I have that need, so much. I'm more of a barebones description kind of person. My POV characters react to their environment, sure, but usually just to the stimuli going on that are story-relevant. I don't need to visualize a forest because I don't describe the forest. I say "forest" and let the reader invent the forest. But if there's a deer jumping out of the forest right in the path of my MC's car, that's something I'll be describing and having her react to. But it's different strokes for different folks. Some prefer that kind of visual stimulation. Some authors are more "method" than others, for lack of a better term.
brightly lit room, preferably natural light with a comfortable chair and nicely positioned desk. I wait til my kids are in bed so i can focus more. I dont mind "clutter" but of course i like to keep a clean house so we dont tend to have much clutter unless its small things in my area like headphones, cups, and all other desk crap.
I like a balance. If my desk is messy it's because I don't have the five minutes it would take to clear it, so for me a tidy desk means I'm in control and not pushed to my limits. My office has around 90 desks and there are only two people who have a consistently messy desk, so I would say that is pretty universal. But I do like personal touches and a hint of personality. In our room we have a white board where people (residents or visitors from the main office) draw pictures or leave funny remarks. We have our own beautifully decorated Christmas tree (ahem). Most of us have a few personal items on our desk, whether it's a picture of our kids or a souvenir from a holiday or whatever. We laugh as well as work and it makes all the difference.
I tried that, but I am so easily distracted by everything else. Meaning I go watch an episode of adventure time, gravity falls, steven universe or whatever. Simply, I take much more breaks when I am alone in my room.
