Small Spaces
I’ve been writing up a storm lately and loving every second of it! And that burst of creativity made me wonder why the sudden rush of new ideas. Hard to ignore that I’d been living in a trailer for several months while our new home was built, and we’d finally - finally! - moved into our house.
At first the trailer seemed like a great idea. We had a deck and a view that was, still is, the envy of everyone on the bay. Breakfast on the deck. Oh, yeah. Until summer rolled over into fall. Still with the nice weather, just not quite as nice. And no more breakfasts on the deck. Or dinners, or cocktail hours. Tasks that had been so simple during the summer grew into arduous chores as the cold weather moved in.
After seven months we moved several yards up the hill from cramped quarters to what felt like heaven—our new house. The first thing I did was set up a large table as a desk and spread out. And a strange thing happened. As I spread out physically, I expanded mentally. I could think again. Story ideas blossomed. Characters started behaving themselves, and Snap! that new synopsis almost wrote itself. Almost.
I’ve never taken the time, or maybe it’s had the luxury, to analyse the ideal conditions for me to be able to write. The things I do know – a room with a closed door and a minimum of noise - I’ve learned through experience. Up until this fall, I didn’t know that feeling cramped could cripple my imagination. I wonder if small spaces affect other people the same way. If their creativity reflects the area around them. Maybe that’s why going for a walk helps shake up story problems or any kind of problem, really. I never purposely set out to solve anything, but I often find after a long walk answers fall into place. A good night’s sleep will also do that, and I suppose in a way sleep is another avenue to explore a different landscape.
Or maybe some people are the opposite and need to minimize their working area in order to concentrate or create. Walking, sleeping and giving myself enough space are some of the circumstances that help stretch my imagination. And that’s only the physical aspects. The mental and/or emotional state of mind is another layer of complexity I’ll leave for someone else to discuss.
I’m sure others have methods they favor, and I’m always open to learning new approaches. I’m curious. What detracts from your writing? What are your ideal conditions?
Kate Kelly
22 comments:
My "writing space" is wherever I can sit with my laptop. The good news is that I can work anywhere. The bad news is that I don't have a door to close. The worst is when my 9-year-old son crawls into my lap as I'm working. It's like having a cat, only one who can read and he tends to pick the times when I'm working on love scenes to curl up with me.
I don't write, I read :) My husband does write essays though. When he hits a road block he usually goes for a walk or goes out work in the yard and usually what he needs to say comes to him or works itself out somehow.
I have an office that's gloriously all MINE! It's a beautiful green and I have a built in desk with bookshelves and a large window that give me a view of the backyard. I do love it. But I also like to sit in the recliner on the laptop to write as well.
The best way for my characters to talk to me is to take a walk and think about them. If I can get a friend to go with me and talk about my characters, that's ideal.
No matter what it’s for, I do my best work at the last minute – which probably isn’t a good thing! There’s nothing that motivates me to do a good job more than knowing something is due in a few hours – the setting doesn’t matter as long as nobody is talking to me while I’m trying to do it!
Interesting. Four replies and everyone said something different. Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Kate, that's so cool that your creativity expanded with your space!
The best place for me to write is somewhere not connected to the interwebs. :) Seriously, I like nothing better than to take my laptop to a busy, noisy cafe. Something about all that noise that is unconnected to me really helps focus me. In fact, my writing partner and I go the pub 2-3 times a week for a power hour of writing. (The waiter dubbed this Battleship, cuz that's what it looks like w/ our laptops back to back.)
Really interesting parallel you draw between available space and level of creativity, Kate! I never thought of it that way. I do have a reserved workspace but I also like to carry my laptop around to different spaces, just to mix it up sometimes. The amount of space doesn't bother me so much as the noise factor--I'm one of those who needs quiet. And a walk every now and then definitely helps me work my way out of a corner--ha, literally! :-)
Congratulations on moving into your new house!
And LOL, Norah, on the Battleship scenario!
-Kathy
I'm like a bowler with lucky socks. I have different places that work for me at different times. Sometimes(mostly) my office, sometimes the kitchen table and in nice weather the deck.
Love your blog, Kate.
I find different spaces work at different times. And I often have to shake up the scenery to feel productive if I'm stuck.
Glad you're now in you're home and feeling creative once again, Kate.
In a pub, a cafe, the kitchen table, the back deck. I'm the less adventurous of everyone. I'm going to have to get out there and try something different. Not the pub, though. Wine makes me sleepy!
I am not a writer but a reader and I can tell you right now that if the tv is up loud it distracts me from my reading but hubby just doesn't understand that I like to read when its quite.
Hi Kate, What a great blog! For me, I've still not got back to writing, a painful plate with screws still in my ankle are keeping my prisoner but after reading your blog and having Norah's help I do feel I will get the bug back. For me getting up at 2 or 3 am is the best but after entering a relationship it disappeared but you know I think I'll try it again. A closed door or noise doesn't matterjust privacy. Thanks again, Doris
Doris, good to hear from you. That's great you're ready to start writing again.
Virginia, my sister had the same problem with her husband watching TV. To make it worse, he has a hearing problem and had to turn the TV up loud. She bought him wireless headphones and now they're both happy.
Kate, I like peace and quiet for writing, so pubs and coffee shops don't work for me. Neither does having a TV nearby. It draws my attention away from the writing. I write in my dedicated 'office' space on one wall of the dining room, but it's all mine. No one else uses it, so it works for me.
Congratulations on moving into your new home and having space to write!!!
You must love having a bigger space! My best writing space are coffee shops. Starbucks comes to mind, with Second Cup a close second. And like some of the others, I'm best if I'm not in close proximity to the internet! Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations on moving into your new house! I like to write anywhere with my laptop. One requirement, though, is my noise-canceling headphones. Sometimes I hook them up to a soundtrack, sometimes not.
I can't write much at home unless I have the headphones on and can block out the rest of the world. Oddly, I like writing in the dark so no one can see me talking to myself and I can't get distracted by the dirty floors.
Hi Kate! My favorite place to write is in a red rocker chair that is by the front window of our house. I sit in that chair with my laptop, a blanket on my lap and my dog Tinkerbell curled up next to me in the chair. Oh I also have to have my IPod. Different music helps me get into the mood to write different scenes. Plus it helps me drown out all the noise around me(Three kids and a husband, lol).
Have a wonderful day!
I like a clear, open space. I also like the TV on. I'm weird.
Kate, congrats on the new house! My first ever 'office' was a tiny alcove next to the bathroom, just big enough for my computer and a chair. Years later when we built our house I insisted on an office for my writing. I like silence and no interruptions. Don't always get it, though. If I'm stuck I go for a walk. Once the blood starts flowing, so do the ideas.
What a unique take on expanding your mind. I never considered that before. Cool!
For awhile now I've been thinking I need to declutter my office. Actually, I think it's that I KNOW I need to declutter my office. My brain's been feeling cluttered and when I look around my workspace my mind's on everything, but writing.
Hmm...maybe even a fresh coat of paint.
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