I have a hard time writing at my house because I don't have a space dedicated to it, and the every day distractions of the house get to me: "Oh, there's a dirty towel. I should do laundry. The dishes could be loaded, too." So I go to coffee shops sometimes, but then I get distracted by other peoples' conversations, or strangers want to start a conversation with me (I live in Texas, so that's to be expected). The libraries here are full of small children because I live in the suburbs where stay-at-home moms make up a huge portion of the population, and they frequently take their kids to the library for something free to do, especially in the summer when it's extremely hot outside. What works for you?
My room and cafes, mainly. My porch sometimes. Right now I'm on my friend's couch, writing. There's a cat curled up on my bag, nudged against me. It's making it hard to type, actually. But I love cats. Now, the thread is derailed. For cats. FOR CATS.
On my bed in my bedroom. I have a desk but I usually sit cross legged and I haven't been able to find a comfortable office chair to sit cross legged in. Sometimes outside. Sometimes in the library, or a coffee shop. Depends how much I let the internet or people distract me. I live in a small town and get a lot of hellos and such.
I have a home office I write it, but in the winter I often shift to in front of the fire in the family room, and in the summer I often go outside and sit by the lake (if I can find enough shade to allow me to see the laptop screen properly).
I have all those problems to but you know what I do? I tell myself I don't give a shit and just write. You don't need "a room." No one has "a room." Everyone has responsibilities and writing definitely doesn't come before them. Even if it's just being nice to people or doing the laundry; that's your responsibility. I guess I'm just not seeing the question.
I have found that home offers too many distractions, and I find public places like coffee shops noisy, expensive and pretentious. Recently I have been going into work early, sitting at my desk and working. There are no distractions, no noise, the phones are turned off until office opening hours, so they don't even ring. My focus is on my writing, with only a cup of tea for company, and I have a daily deadline to get something done, before my colleagues turn up. Lastly, because I'm doing it before work, I've not worn myself out, and my brains not fried.
Either I'm sitting at my desktop PC, typing away on the keyboard (I'd prefer to use my laptop, but neither Scrivener nor Word starts on it...), or I'm somewhere with scribbling away in my notebook (at my desk, at the kitchen table, in my bed, outside in the grass...).
Usually in bed with my laptop. I used to use my desk frequently but I have a pet snake whose tank takes up too much space there now, hahah. Sometimes I'll sit in the kitchen but there's more likely to be distractions in there, so.
I have a desktop powered with the souls of orphans, that could destroy a sun. That's pretty much where I spend all of my time.
You can move along now. If you don't see the question, as I've advised you before, you have absolutely no obligation to try and answer it. I can't imagine why one would waste so much valuable time that they could spend writing trying to do so.
This is brilliant. I love this idea. I'm far too burnt out after work to write, but before work? Now that's a novel idea (pun intended).
Either my bed or my desk. My bed is too comfortable and I get distracted, and my desk is too uncomfortable and I Can't sit there for long periods without moving to my bed. I've been trying to sit at th ekitchen table, but then my resident Mother glares at me every time she walks by (like WHY AREN'T YOU CLEANING OR LOOKING FOR A JOB OR PLAYING WITH THE DOG OR DOING SOMETHING _USEFUL_) . Sighs. The past few days I've been tryin gto get up earlier than I usually do and sit at the table and eat breakfast while I write, then get up at about 12/1pm and do whatever she feels like having me do. TLDR; I have the same problem you do.
I have this desk from Ikea shoved in the farthest corner of my room. I am so incredibly easily distracted its not even...Oh, look at that butterfly... I really can not leave the house to write unless it's a guaranteed isolation chamber. Anyways, love the size of the desktop. The huge open surface, for some reason, is really inspiring for me. Maybe because I grew up in a house of really bad hoarders? It also leaves plenty of room for drawing. I actually find that if I have to have a cramped writing space, it's too distracting and the writing just doesn't happen. Same with if I'm uncomfortable. @peachalulu, I do the cross-legged thing, too. Somehow this chair works for me, because the sides are open and if I sit slightly sideways, my legs fit. Going back to the same place every time to write really helps me prevent the distraction thing.
At work, secretly... but mainly either at home or in a pub. Pubs are my favourite because there's noise, beer and, if need be, food.
Coffee shops for me. I get "bored" at home or I find it too easily to drift with thought. I like the fact that I'm near people and listen to hum-drum of life, shoppers, the traffic and the clinking of cups. At home I don't have a good writing table. I find the tables at coffee shops a good height. Also time to time in a pub. Generally I like to be around people and don't mind the conversations they have I can tune in or tune out. Also out and about like that I can pick cues and tips that I can use for characters. What someone wears or how they talk, what they talk about, what they bought...etc.
I'm like @Wrizzy, I need the chamber mentality or else I get nothing done. I'm fortunate to have the house to myself all day so I don't need to go wandering, but even so I can't migrate around different rooms with my laptop. Too many things to see! I get more done now I sit at my desk (which is handily faced by a wall) and there's a window to stare out of which if I'm determined to procrastinate. I also sit cross legged, on a deskchair my friend nicked from their workplace for me (ssh, don't tell anyone).
on my bed or the living room mostly. I do however do my planning and any kind of idea brainstorms in coffee shops, and luckily my old university library accepts graduates with open arms (and summer means the library is empty yaaaaas).
I do a lot at home - but lately my new favorite writing spot is a little sandwich shop/salad bar/sushi/Chinese hot buffet place about 20 minutes by my house. It stays open later than pretty much anywhere else, and it feels a lot more "real" than coffee shops. Most of the people who stop in are working class, the chairs are plastic, the tables are cheap, the floors usually need mopped a bit, and sometimes I wonder how long the salad dressing has been sitting out...but I love the place. And I like it better as a place where my story can marinate since the surrounding dialogue is grittier and distinctly lacking in upper-middle class hipsterisms. Although I'm going to have to figure out a way to write a scene that involves the homeless guy who starts knocking on the windows around 9 PM each night trying to get people to buy him food, then comes in and starts begging people at the salad bar before getting chased out by the owner.
