A WRITER NEEDS SPACE!
My writing desk is an upturned garden seat in the corner by the kitchen. My spot–and I love it.
Ultimately, the singular most important thing a writer needs–is space. Space to write, space to think and space to relax and rejuvenate after a hard day of writing.
One of the principal elements of the Chinese art of Feng-Shui is the creation of a dedicated space for all aspects of one’s life. The essence of it is that once a space has been allocated to a particular task or area of your life, the spirit flow of that area builds to the point where the instant one moves into that area in one’s home one takes on that state of mind. It is a system of physical and mental functioning which is extremely effective indeed.
In order to write effectively and efficiently a writer must have their very own dedicated writing space which they can nestle into and walk away from, fully confident that every time they return to this space they can take up precisely where they left off with their current writing task, without disruption of any kind.
As a writer I have found I need three things to function. My writing space, my laptop and a healthy pair of sound blocking headphones.
My own dedicated writing space is an upturned garden seat in the corner by the kitchen. For many months I searched and searched, waiting until I had the necessary budget to buy the exact writing desk and accompanying chair I desired to have in order to kick off my writing career. I felt I couldn’t settle to seriously write unless I had a dedicated desk at which to do so and in not having this I grew more and more frustrated and impatient at not being able to settle to write.
One day a cork popped in my brain. It was time. The desire and innate need to just sit and write overcame the desire for the perfect conditions in which to do so; I needed a desk and I needed it today. I was mowing the lawn at the time and my eye caught the garden seat perched on the front veranda which was rarely used except by delivery men dropping groceries and parcels at my front door. The decision was instant. I stopped my mowing, grabbed the hose and cleaned up the garden seat before dragging it inside, tipping it on its side and sliding it into the only remaining empty spot in the house; in the corner, by the kitchen, right by the back sliding door which opens out onto the back veranda. Two upturned masonite paintings serve as a table top. A cloth to cover, a wooden shoe rack that never got used as such became a makeshift small bookshelf down one wall. Mission accomplished; my own writing spot established in the space of a few hours; my writing desk is an upturned garden seat in the corner by the kitchen. My spot–and I love it. Here I began the Telling Tales series and three months, 98,300 words later completed the task. Now I am half way through my second book.
Nothing in this world will just come to you. Nothing in this world will wait for you either. Only you can make your world work for you–and if it isn’t working–change it. If you can’t change it with that which you wish you had and can’t yet acquire, pull out your lateral thinking pot and create what you need from what you already have. As the old saying goes; necessity is the mother of all invention; and you will surprise yourself at just what you can come up with if the only choices you have is that which you are presently stuck with.
Make yourself a writing space, proclaim it to all and sundry as your very own space–the entire space–not just the desk and chair. Let all in your world know it is not to be touched on pain of death. Declare yourself unavailable while-ever you are seated here. Turn off your mobile, unplug the telephone, turn off the television, disconnect twitter!–indeed temporarily unplug and disable your internet connection from your own computer. Wrap those headphones about your little writer’s head; turned up load enough to drown out the world as you know it; and damned well write! Most importantly of all–having set your writing working boundaries to all around you–if you are interrupted–by anyone–for any reason… Hit the roof with a temper that would make the God of war himself proud. I guarantee you, it will never happen again–and for your own sanity as a working writer, you need to ensure it doesn’t.
It may sound harsh, but when you walk away from that desk with a wad of printed pages the thickness of the length of your own hand–which is your completed 100,000 word manuscript–you’ll thank me. You won’t be disappointed. I guarantee it.
© Anika King 2013. 830 words.
Twitter: @AuthorAnikaKing
Email : AnikaKing@ymail.com
Anika King 