I know the kinds of places that I don’t want to write in but sometimes struggle to pinpoint what aspects of an environment make it a good place to write in. So where do y’all write? Does it really matter where? Is there something specific you look for in a place to write? Thanks!
If you ask four different authors this question, you'll get five different answers. For me, the answer is pretty much anywhere that I can sit down and focus without outside interruption for a length of time. I also find that I get distracted easily if it's too quiet, so I like to write in libraries, on buses or car journeys, etc.
At my desk, in front of my PC whilst listening to either techno/electro style music, modern classical, or true classical depending on the mood of the scene and mine. But no, I do not have any specfic requirements other than no outside interruptions like phone calls or people obnoxiously knocking in on you and asking “what are you writing”?
I’m flexible. Wherever it’s peaceful and I can think. Home office. At a coffee shop. In a tree. I’m flexible.
I usually write at my desk or on the chaise lounge in the front room. It just depends on how I feel or how quiet I need it to be.
It depends on where I am. If I'm at home, I'm usually in the writing corner in the livingroom. At Mom's house I'm usually in my home office or on the screened-in porch. At Sis's house, I'm at the dining room table or on the screened-in porch. Elsewhere, who knows? I tend to move around a lot when I'm brainstorming, though, and there's often a paper trail of evidence.
On the go is my favorite. I like to get out of the house. A burger joint, my iPad, a bluetooth keyboard, and I can be amused for hours.
Typically I write sitting at my desk in my bedroom. I'd like to note that I can write in public as long as it's, like, pretty quiet. I just recently wrote some in my college's library and bookstore/Starbucks. On the flip side, if the family is being loud, I have a hard time writing in my room. The TV, even if my door is closed, distracts me to the point where I can't write as well and I don't really even want to try.
I do all my writing at the desk in my living room. There's a loft upstairs, then two large windows so I have a nice view of the back yard. There are two cats inside who do their best to distract me when they're awake. I need to clean all the clutter off my desk some day.
I do all my writing in jail. No, seriously. I work at one. 12 hour shifts of sitting in a housing unit supervising minimum-medium security inmates gives me a lot of time to write. I save it all to Google Docs so it doesn't matter what computer I'm at for the day. I can't write at home. A 6 year old and a 2 year old see to that, lol. So at work it is.
I write in the most quiet and undisturbed place I can possibly find, which sometimes means I don't write. I can never understand people who write with music playing or people chatting. My stuff needs total immersion. Perhaps I'll buy an isolation tank, but my paper might get wet.
The first draft of my story is hand-written in a series of Piccadilly notebooks. This I work on while at my desk at work. Why? Because when I'm at work, my brain is actually in the frame of mind to be productive with writing. With how my work can be quiet/slow most days, it gives me time to sneak in some progress. Then, on weekends, I will type up past chapters on my laptop in my bedroom. I never type on weekdays, nor am I able to hand-write on weekends. I cannot focus on handwriting my story at home to save my life!
anywhere and everywhere. I've once had to pull over at a gas station to write a scene on a series of napkins. I worked as a janitor back in college and wrote an entire sort story in the broom closet (this idea was just not going away so I had to write it down). I've taken to carrying a pocket notebook in each purse just in case. Now that I've been using Google Docs a lot more, I've taken to loading up my Doc during slow times at work sometimes
1. A door I can shut. 2. Peltor Optime 3. 3. Laptop. 4. Decent quality 4K monitor. At least 32". 5. Books & bookshelfs. 6. Decent printer. 7. Decent headphones for video material. 8. Binders, paper, hole punch, staplers.. 9. Chair 10. Coffee. 11. Shredder 12. Window 13. Memory sticks. 14. About 5600K light. (Absolutely no 2 700K shit for me.) 15. A possibility to use autistic inertia and its momentum for me , not against me.
At my desk on the computer, or in bed on a notebook. However I'll write on anything if I'm taken by surprise by an idea. That has included coffee shop napkins, expired bus tickets and the paper wrapping from an ice cream cone so far.
In bed generally, where my mind is most calm and therefore most likely to be harnessed usefully. At other times my mind is in chaos and I'm too anxious to really concentrate.
I have that as well. Damn anxiety issues. Brain is sometimes just in overdrive. Bed with the lights out is the place with fewest distractions. Sometimes I'll lean over and turn the nightlight on and off a dozen times to write new stuff down in my notepad before finally falling asleep.
Exactly - complete darkness is best for me too. Well, aside from the slight bit of light from my tablet or phone, but I have it set to black and white mode to minimise the contrast.
For a while I actually set my word processor to be a black page with white letters. It was so much easier on the eyes!
oh yeah, agreed - that setup is much better for reducing eye strain. It's also a bit more relaxing so that when I'm finally ready to sleep I don't have to battle insomnia.
Yeah, that. You have that too, eh? I find perfect darkness and perfect silence is the only way to start trying to fall asleep. Exhaustion helps too, but it's not a guarantee.
Yeah I have a lot of mental health problems that interfere with my sleep. That's another reason why I like to write at night, it gives my mind a focus and stops me spiraling off into something uncontrollable.
