The Write Space - Part 1
One of the beautiful things about writing is that you can do it almost anywhere. And I usually do. Except when I’m driving, and I’ll confess, it isn’t because I haven’t tried.
I carry my notebook and an arsenal of writing utensils with me wherever I go. I write, as my students do, in our daily 10-minute journaling time. I write at Barnes and Noble in the bustling bookstore café. I write at my kitchen counter on the rare occasions I find myself home alone. I scribble down ideas on the back of the church bulletin. Guess what I do as I wait at the library for my son to finish Lego League? Yep, you guessed it, write.
It’s great! It really is.
But let’s think about this freedom through a different lens for a moment. Let’s think about other professionals. For example, where does a banker work? At a bank, of course! But what if the banker counted back your crisp hundred-dollar bills at the bowling alley? (I’ve written there!) What if a doctor offered to take out your stitches at the neighborhood park? (I’ve written also there.) Would you expect your lawyer to file evidence while sitting in line at the carwash? (I’m probably getting redundant now, but I’ve written there, too.)
The answer on your lips is probably no. No, you wouldn’t expect their work to be done in those places, never mind your level of comfort with the task being completed in those locations.
So let me ask you this. As writers, are we different?
I’m positive you could argue this both ways. On one hand, I find it wonderful that I can literally write anywhere, at any time. There is both joy and freedom in this knowledge.
On the other hand, writing from my couch, with my tablet on my lap and Monday Night Football on the TV in the background, doesn’t give me a lot of professional credibility. I’ve produced seven books and hundreds of nonfiction articles and blog posts in this fashion, but lately my lower back and my passion could use a little more support. I have also recently resigned from my full-time teaching job (effective at the end of the school year), and come this summer, I will need a more permanent home base for all of my writing endeavors.
So, with the help of my husband, parents, and uncle, I am creating a writing office. A space that is mine alone. A space that I will use to create, write, dream, plan, envision, organize and totally rock my writing business.
In the past when I found it hard to sleep at night, I would envision this space… my writing office... both the “if I won the lottery version” and a more realistic and practical vision. I’m happy to say that the final result is somewhere in between.
I plan to reveal the final result of the renovation in two weeks, so I’ll have to leave you waiting with baited breath until then. For now, tell me this… where is the most interesting place you have written? Or, what is one item you would love to have in your dream office?