Establish Your Writing Space
Every writer may suggest you have a separate writing space for yourself, but what does it mean to have one?
Does this simply mean to put a table in one of the corners of your house and start writing there?
Although technically it is right, and establishing your writing space does mean having your table to write, that is not all.
When deciding on your writing space you need to choose a place that calls your name. Being able to write anywhere or occasionally choosing a café, park or train is one thing, but a place that gets you into your zone, to be able to organize everything; that you have been collecting for your writing, is also equally important.
There can be many more reasons for which you need to establish a separate writing space, let’s talk about that
It helps you Connect
As a writer, as much as writing, the ability to connect with yourself, and your inner thoughts are equally important if not more. In fact, your writing can only happen if you are mentally in the right place and able to associate with your thoughts.
Everything you do, the observation, the research, and all the steps for writing; all are followed by the first basic step of connectivity with yourself.
You Get Disciplined:
Once you establish your writing space, the main element that it adds to your writing procedure or routine is the discipline it adds to your daily life.
Having the task of reaching a goal of writing a certain amount of words or giving an ending or beginning to a new chapter helps you practice more discipline in your daily routine for your writing which is an essential trait to have as a writer.
Establishing a Space That Helps You Focus:
The basic reason you want to establish a writing space is to help you focus on the work. Some people tend to be more focused when they have a lot of clutter around, some work better in clean and organized spaces.
It does not matter which is right, the purpose of establishing a space is to help you focus.
A Place that Belongs to You and Your Thoughts:
There is something idyllic and magical about having your own space for writing. The mood it sets and that you get in, cannot happen anywhere else. Once you get used too of your established writing space, it is like switching on some button that takes you further and further away from your current time zone and state of mind.
It Blocks Out the Noise
The one thing that establishing a separate space helps you with is that it helps you cut off the noise of your surroundings. The only sound is of your keyboard or your pen scribbling on the paper. It is just your thoughts that are speaking and your mind exploring new ideas and imaginations.
For some writers, the hours and hours of writing routine are even therapeutic.
It Has Everything that You Allow
Most of the time, when we get into our writing space we bring in the thoughts that are following us from our day’s encounters, once you enter your writing space, it should be you who selects the thoughts and the mindset you want to work in the rest of your day, not the other way around.
It creates a boundary:
In Stephen King’s words, “it tells people you mean business”. You really define it without having to explain too much. Establishing a writing space and respecting that space yourself first, earns you and your work respect. Once you are in that space, it is a boundary that one has to cross to reach you, and if it is not that important then it is something that can wait.
Find or Create a Space Where You Don’t Usually Go:
When finding the right writing space, it is either you already have a certain space that helps connect or you have to make a space to call it yours. In both cases, it should be a place that is not similar to your dining room, lounge, or your bedroom.
When establishing a writing space, one element to always keep in mind is that you are creating a space that is comfortable enough to invite new thoughts but not put you to sleep.
It has to keep you mentally awake.
Keep Experimenting With Places, Until You Find the Right One:
When planning to establish a writing space, it does not happens overnight. You need to keep experimenting with the different times and places where you mentally feel most creative and productive at.
Sometimes, it may also happen that you have established a writing space, but you are not aligning with your creativity correctly. You may want to force your writing into your routine or maybe because it is the right rule, but there are no rules when it comes to places and times of writing.
Famous poet, Wallace Stevens used to create his poetry while taking a walk to his work, while John le Carre wrote on a train.
Keep the elements that Contribute to your Imagination:
There will be places that serve your imagination and creativity for a specific time. When establishing a writing space what you need to keep an eye out for is the elements around it. it does not need to be filled with elements and objects, if it is a plain white wall that helps you disconnect from the world and helps you focus; then so be it. Having the elements that contribute to your imagination always helps.
Keep the space that serves you:
When it comes to writing there comes to no rules. No time or place is declared “the only way” for your writing. It all comes down to how You like it and how the setup you established, including the deadlines, the number of words as your daily writing goal, and the space that you are working in.
All of it has to serve you, not the other way around. If it is not working to help you, support you, change it.
