Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Outer, Inner Spaces

A Writer's Space by Eric Maisel, PhDOne of the reasons I picked up A Writer's Space ~ Make Room to Dream, to Work, to Write is because it was written by Dr. Eric Maisel, the author of one of my all-time favorite inspirational nonfic books, A Writer's Paris. I was also curious to see what he had to say about writing spaces, the birthplace of every book in existence.

The first 10 chapters of the book address the physical writing space, as well as how to find, regard, respect, manage and protect it. Lots of good advice as well as several exercises at the end of every section to help put theory into action (don't be intimidated by the number of chapters; they're short and the book is only 248 pages in length.)

While reading I learned that I'm not alone in needing a very small, completely uncluttered place to write; evidently Amy Tan has the same problem. Dr. Maisel mentioned some other, interesting famous writer quirks: James Joyce preferred to write in bed; Isaac Asimov had several typewriters set up on tables around his office (one for each project). Alice Hoffman goes so far as to paint her office a different color every time she starts a new book, using a shade that resonates with the book's theme (good thing this isn't my little quirk.)

The next 25 chapters of the book, however, deal with the writing spaces less apparent to the rest of the world: mind, emotional, reflective, imagined, public, and even existential. Here Dr. Maisel discusses things most writers wrestle with in private, like envy, depression, dissatisfaction, coping with rejection, the weight of individuality (chapter 16, the story of my life) and how destructive they can be to the writer as well as the work if left unchecked.

Chapters 26-28 deals with how the writer should handle public spaces (for blogging writers, that's the internet) and this is where I thought Dr. Maisel was being a bit naive at times. He encourages the writer to stand up, speak out, and not be so nice while he downplays (or really isn't aware of) the risks involved for today's working writer. Here I would have liked to see a couple of chapters on how to handle those brave, usually anonymous souls who decide you and your public-accessible space are their personal soapbox, punching bag or restroom.

Aside from that one blip, the book is quite good, which I expected, and chock full of new ways and means of dealing with all these different writer spaces, which I didn't. I've imprinted myself with several phrases I'm probably going to use way too much now, like emotional intelligence (chapter 15).

As always, you don't have to take my word for it. In comments to this post, describe your ideal space for writing (or if you're comfortable working anywhere and everywhere, just toss your name into the hat) by midnight EST on Wednesday, June 18, 2008. I'll draw five names at random from everyone who participates, and send the winners an unsigned copy of A Writer's Space by Dr. Eric Maisel. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

76 comments:

  1. My ideal space for writing is my desk, with my kitty crawling behind the monitor, and my favorite munchies sitting on the side to grab between paragraphs.

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  2. A room with a desk and a laptop & a comfortable chair. That's all. (Oh...and a good printer)

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  3. My ideal space would be a nice big desk with all my reference books stacked on one side. The desk would be positioned by a window that looked out on the ocean or a lake. Of course, what I have is a cluttered desk that barely has room for my laptop and no view out of the window on the other side of the room. But I still get writing done everyday.

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  4. I need wide open spaces, preferably under a huge leafy tree with a brook flowing past my feet, into which I could dip my toes at odd moments, listening to birds calling overhead. I need to be able to stare into the far distance, maybe at the sunset/sunrise, maybe at the cloudy sky, thus opening up perspective.

    Since this isn't likely to happen in the near future at least, I often find myself ensconced in my rocking chair beside my favorite window that looks out into my tiny garden, feeling the cool breeze in my face and watching birds flit around, and allowing my thoughts to float about.

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  5. My ideal writing space is a laptop and a sofa with my headphones in. In fact, I'd say the only thing I really have quirks about is the software I write with. I use Scrivener (being on a Mac) and I like it full screen so the rest of my desktop is greyed out. I have a playlist for each project and I make sure I've got my noise-reducing headphones so I can shut out the world and let my imagination take over.

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  6. I have to write onto the computer screen (longhand makes my fingers ache) with a full-sized keyboard and in QUIET. No kids, partners or partners girlfriends in the room. I also need a cup of tea.

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  7. I love 'A Writer's Paris' and as I'm going there in September, I'm about to take notes from that book so I don't miss anything.
    I've also got his 'Creativity for Life', which is good but a bit heavy going at times. Maybe I need to do some of the exercises more seriously because it has almost convinced me that I can't live a 100% creative life.
    I want to write in my study, but it's too messy! So I end up on the kitchen table a lot of the time, because I can spread out pages and there's room to think. Maybe I move around the house, depending on what I'm working on. I'm lucky I don't have kids at home anymore, so my mess is my own!

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  8. I also have to be someplace clean. If there is a lot of clutter around I can't focus. I prefer a desk or table to set my laptop on, but it's not a necessity.

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  9. Anonymous7:43 AM

    For some stupid reason, the shower is my ideal writing space. Unfortunately, the laptop don't go there.

    So I usually sit on my couch with the laptop on my lap, a towel on my head as I furiously type out the ideas that warm water and silence have given me.

    Suelder

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  10. I have a closet. A walk in closet. It has a door and two desks (I'm a very short person, so this works out). One desk deals with the email, business side of writing, etc. The other one is a small corner desk where I can hide from the main room's entrance door. It's my writing nook.

    In front of me are the few things that I've allowed to keep there to inspire me (I'm a clutter bug, so I have to be careful...too much clutter and I can't do anything lol). Over here is my Asus eee laptop. And that's where I write.

    I've got two shelves for my reference books and upper storage. Again, since I'm so short I don't see the top shelves unless I look up. LOL. I have a week calendar (dry erase) in front of my computer reminding me of my goals for the day.

    When it gets bad (ie constant interruptions) I shut the door and it's like I've left. No one bothers me.

    If, for some reason, I can't write at home, I adore going to this little restaurant down the road. They have internet access and this corner table they let me sit at where I can plug in my asus (it has a 3.5 hour battery life, but I usually drain that when I'm out).

    My little slice of heaven. I just wish I could get my brain to focus LOL. Some days it's really rough.

    Great post! I'll be checking out the Doctor and his works.

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  11. I can write anywhere as long as no one is leaning over my shoulder trying to read what I'm writing. *shudders*

    I prefer a clean desk in a quiet space away from a window so so I'm not distracted.

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  12. Anonymous7:56 AM

    My ideal space is generally somewhere not in my house - away from all of the distractions lying around! But, if I could make a room magically appear here, it would be one with a clear desk and comfortable desk chair, and not much else. Perhaps a small refrigerator to stock Fresca and Cherry Coke Zero for fuel.

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  13. My ideal space would be an office/den with a big desk and a computer so I can spread out notes and type at the same time. And the room would have a view... of something interesting, unlike the AFSCME building I stare at now when writing...

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  14. Now that I have a laptop, I do most of my writing on a lap desk on my bed. It is away from the television and the kids. One day I hope to move to a cafe.

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  15. My ideal space...someplace quiet. I've always worked in the upstairs living room. Oh yes, a set of shelves that held all my reference material.

    Hey, I want an office. That's it. That's what I really want. Grin.

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  16. Anonymous8:56 AM

    emotional intelligence (chapter 15).

    I've got the emotional intelligence of a five year old. ;)


    My ideal writing space? I can write in most places, but I tend to focus better on the couch, for some weird reason...

    Even more bizarre, some of my most productive writing spurts have come while I've been sitting the passenger seat on a long road trip.

    I've finished quite a few books that way.

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  17. Anonymous8:58 AM

    Lately I'm not sure, which could be part of the problem. But back in college, my ideal writing space was the computer lab of the undergrad library. Mostly quiet, a little implied camaraderie, and enough pressure (from other people wanting my seat) to help me bash out an hour's feverish effort.

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  18. I prefer a wide open space, also, and my desk is at one end of our home office, and my dh's desk is at the other end. I enjoy the rumble of quiet tv playing in the background (white noise.)

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  19. I need a room with a door, like Rob, and I think best in the shower, like Sue, although the hot tub is a good place to think. My oddity is that I have a hard time editing in my writing space. I usually bring the laptop downstairs to my chair for editing. Occasionally I'll take the laptop outside or to appointments, but that's usually because I have a ton of work to do or just to be able to say I left the house.

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  20. Dawn, that sounds like heaven!

    For me the only physical requirement is that I have to be alone. I just can't concentrate when other people are in the room, even if they're reading or otherwise not paying attention to me. I'm paying attention to them.

    So I like to have a house to myself, or a room to myself if I can't get that. Other than that, I'm pretty flexible. Chair, table, couch, bed, music, dishwasher gurgling in the background...whatever. Maybe I haven't yet figured out what environment works for me, but I find the mental landscape is harder to tend. Sometimes I'm alone in a house with all the time in the world, and if my mind is cluttered, can't write a word.

    I'd be really interested in seeing what A Writer's Space says about that.

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  21. I recently cleared out a section of my open concept living room/dining room for my writing space. Bookshelves (with only my favourite books and my most-used reference books) line the walls behind me and I have a small table to write on and an even smaller one beside me to hold my drink, a flower or two sometimes, and an inspirational plaque. And that's it. The rest of the space is empty, to let ideas flow.

    I love it, and I'm working so much better!

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  22. My ideal space changes a bit with my mood. I do ok on the couch, indian style (is there a more PC way to say that these days?), with my laptop on my legs. I can do the same thing in my bed. I've done a lot of Starbucks lately. Sometimes I want quiet, sometimes background noise--I can write to some kinds of music, but am too distracted by others. I have an "office" but it's shared with my video-game playing husband and my plethora of (unorganized) sewing and crafts junk. So I rarely actually work there (I rarely sew there either, which probably makes it more of a closet than an office).

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  23. quote: Alice Hoffman goes so far as to paint her office a different color every time she starts a new book, using a shade that resonates with the book's theme (good thing this isn't my little quirk.)

    Oh my, I'm picturing the flashing kaleidiscope of colors now. It would make you so dizzy you wouldn't be able to write a word. LOL

    For me, I have a perfect space in my mind (LOL, that didn't quite come out right). I envision myself on a laptop out in the fields behnd my house, enjoying nature--my luck, it would thunderstorm.

    Unfortunately I can't use a laptop (hurts my wrists with those funky keyboards, and having a bunch of peripherals attached kind of defeates the mobility purpose), so I have my office.

    When the daughter moved out of her bedroom, I moved in. It's a little cluttered (okay okay a lot), it had a fresh coat of paint--once, but it's mine... all mine I tell you.

    It's perfect for me.

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  24. I can write anywhere when the muse is in top form. Most days, though, the muse needs a jump start and the right tools to slide into productive mode -- computer with ergonomic keyboard, instrumental-only music in the background to block distractions, and a big desk space to hold the notes and reference books. Lots of shelving nearby to hold all the other references I might need while I'm following those tenuous trails of thoughts, imagination, and facts.

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  25. Anonymous9:46 AM

    I can tune out a lot of noise. My ideal space would be on the first floor or second, with a widow for light and air. I don't need a very large space, but my space is narrow and not quite complete yet. When I find a door I can refurbish, I will be very happy.

    I made the mistake of storing family things in the one open area I planned to use for a comfy chair, and I've had a hard time reclaiming it. It has a large counter for my laptop and art projects, but I tend to let that get too cluttered. It's downstairs and does have a window well, but there are usually spiders in there, so I have a stained glass window I'm going to hang over the well. (I can't clean it from the outside -- the previous owners planted bushes so close to the house there is no getting through them.)

    The biggest problem I have is a matter of temperature. I can't work in a room that is too cold. Unfortunately that one is, so for a large part of the year, I'm upstairs anyway.

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  26. Anonymous9:49 AM

    Doesn't matter where I am, as long as I'm alone. That means I can be in a very loud place (like a bar or cafe) but without anyone I know there.

    If I'm at home and my bf is home as well, then I need to work in another room to be productive. Fortunately I have a laptop and the apt has WIFI (although sometimes when I want to be *really* productive, I turn off the Internet).

    Cheers,
    Alex

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  27. Anonymous9:52 AM

    That sounds like the kind of book I need to read right now!

    My physical writing space, ideally, would be a small office with a bookcase on one wall, a cork/whiteboard on another, perhaps another bookcase, and the fourth wall would have a very large window underneath which sits my desk. The office would face either east or south. It would be painted a light robin's egg blue, maybe a bit darker leaning toward teal, with splaces of other shades of blue and white for decoration because those colors manage to both calm and rejuvenate me.

    I want a big desk so I can spread out notecards if I need to.

    But I'm much more interested in the rest of the book than the physical aspect. :)

    My ideal mental writing space is a place where my peers and family let me work in the safety that they think it's a worthwhile endeavor, instead of plaguing me with "get a real job," no matter how much they love and otherwise support me.

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  28. haha-Rob-I used to write at the local Denny's at night (when my kids were little and noisy). The closest one now is 40 minutes away so I don't go there anymore. Treasured memories though.

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  29. Honestly, in recent years I've found I can write just about anywhere. But oddly enough, my best writing usually happens on the train, headphones blocking out all outside noise, writing by head in a small spiralbound notebook. Not sure why this works for me, but if I ever find I'm stuck, I usually go for a train ride.

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  30. My ideal space is less a place than a situation -- I write poorly with distractions, so I really prefer NO music, NO people, NO TV, etc. Quiet solitude anywhere in the world works for me.

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  31. I write just about anywhere I can take my notebook. When inspiration strikes, I can sit and scribble for hours and not notice anyone else around me.

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  32. Sounds like a fantastic book!

    My ideal place is actually wandering around in the woods, dictating the story to myself. Then I come home and write it down quick. Sometime I'll get a tape recorder so that I can just tell the story to it and replay it later. I got that idea from Kevin J. Anderson's website.

    I saw Rob's comment about listening to music while writing. I have to turn off all the music, because I'll start typing the words by accident!

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  33. Great post.

    I like to be outside on the patio and listen to the birds. My AlphaSmart Dana works just fine in sunlight and doesn't bleach out like a laptop's screen.

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  34. I *can* work almost anywhere. I write on the couch or in bed or at my desk or when watching my kid play at the park. I do tend to be more productive when I've eliminated distractions, however. Just yesterday, I said that I need to get my mind uncluttered before I can declutter my desk. This book sounds like it would be terrific for that.

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  35. My ideal space is at home, in a comfortable writing chair. I like to have my outline or notes nearby and a cup of coffee within reach.

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  36. Big desk. Big, big, big. Bigger the better. Lots of flat space to spread it all out! Such luxury.

    I will buy this book for myself if I don't win the drawing. It sounds really great. (I have Maisel's other book--Fearless Creating--on my TBR pile.) I met him at a conference. He's really smart and really nice.

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  37. I have a pretty ideal writing space set up in my office--at least it's ideal when it's clean, which it isn't at the moment. (My living space descends into chaos when I come back from a trip, and I was just in DC for most of a week.)

    I have a desktop computer on my desk, which is where I do photo editing as well as writing. There's a couch for me to sit on with my laptop or a book when I'm doing long stretches of writing or I'm doing research. There are lots of shelves with books on them, a collection of inspiring objects, candles that smell nice, and lots of colorful boxes that I organize things in.

    When it's tidy, it's a lovely, cozy, sunny space. I'm looking forward to remodeling this house, though, because if all goes well I should be moving into a space large enough to serve as a photography studio.

    I can write pretty much anywhere--it's why I have the laptop--but I really like writing in my office.

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  38. I write best at a computer - at home (in the evening once the child is in bed) or at work (over lunch breaks when there's less chance of being interupted).

    I can write almost anywhere so long as I have paper and pen: in the car, in an elevator, in line at the cafeteria waiting for my food to cook.

    My favorite place though is my home office, on the computer, with theatrical music blasting through my headphones. (I share an office or it'd be blasting without the headphones).

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  39. My dream place would be a corner room at the Mandarin Oriental over-looking Tokyo. :) The rooms are so zen that your brain just instantly clears of mental clutter, leaving acres of room to dream.

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  40. Ideal writing spot is an interesting term. Seems like ideal would be an L shaped desk so I could spread out all the related stuff--or snacks! And a window to a quiet place: garden, lake, mountains, something like that.

    What I HAVE is the back corner of a retail store, partially barricaded off with flooring racks. I have a clear view to the front door and no window, but I've written seven novels here so it must work. My bosses would flip out if I needed to repaint before every project, though!

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  41. My ideal writing space is on one of the quieter floors of the university library. The chairs are comfortable, the desks are nice and wide, there's a little bit of background noise but not so much that I can't concentrate, and being surrounded by lots and lots of books just inspires a ridiculous feeling of happiness in me. Plus, I have the option of writing in my notebooks or pulling out the laptop. And the vending machines are a long walk away, so I have to think very seriously about whether I need a snack break. :)

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  42. Ooh, I also can't have music on when I write. I'm way too auditorily focused for that.

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  43. I learned to write in the middle of noise and chaos when I wrote copy for a radio station. I like my current writing space -- laptop computer on the dining room table so I can look out the window at the harbor or over at my saltwater aquarium. If there's one common element to where I write best, it's water.

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  44. When I started writing with a serious focus--aka 5 years ago when I started novel number 1--my kids were 7 and 10. They were also *very* needy. I learned to write at any time, in any place, and under any circumstances when I knew I would have at least 15 minutes to devote to it. Coffee shops, sitting in the 'pick up' line at the school's live parking lot, in the dentist's waiting room.

    I also had to write regardless of what was going on at home and in between one kid or another yelling 'MOOOOOOOOMMMMM' for some dire emergency. Also between fielding homework crisis questions.

    Now, with the kiddos older and more self sufficient, I have more stretches of uninterrupted writing time which is a gift, though paradoxically enough, I do find myself more easily distracted.

    Fortunately, I can also write in a quiet, uncluttered space. Unfortunately, that doesn't exist in my house, LOL. So I do go to the library at least once a week.

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  45. My current writing space is my bed with a laptop.

    Really I'd love to have a tidy (tidy ... me?) little office with a big window with a nice view, a lock on the door and a very full bookcase.

    Also I'd love to have a room where I could write whatever I wanted all over the walls/the floor/the ceiling and then repaint it white and start all over again whenever it got full up.

    Johanna xxx

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  46. My ideal space for writing is any comfortable spot with my laptop and a beverage. I think the inner space is maybe more important. I'll have to check this book, sounds very interesting.

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  47. I'm finding that my ideal space isn't any one place in particular, but a time. And not any specific time, just time when the tv is off, the child is in bed or away, the husband is in bed or away, or I'm completely removed from the house altogether. Early mornings are good, late at night (if I can stay awake), and writing time with writing friends at local restaurants or libraries.

    I just need to be able to hear myself think!

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  48. My ideal writing space would have a large antique mahogany desk, with bookcases around the walls full with reference and fiction books. There would be a large window to let in lots of light and fresh air, looking out into unspoiled country - trees, fields, rivers.

    As it is, I write with my laptop on my knees, the printer is on a small set of draws next to the chair, and I do any research from reference books while in bed, writing down what I need into a little spiral bound notebook.

    Oh, for the dream!

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  49. Anonymous3:20 PM

    I have this great desk that I got for free from my dad's old office. It's huge, ugly, cheap and about 1,000 lbs., but it let's me relax because I can keep heaps of stuff on it, not worry about putting my feet up and stores even more heaps of notes and ideas. It's almost like a room in and of itself. It relaxes me almost instantly when I sit at it.

    I write best there, but can write anywhere the mood strikes. I really like having a large wall next to my desk that I fill with post-its too. I'm not looking to become published, but I writing is the only way I've found to organize and purge all this stuff in my head.

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  50. Anonymous4:06 PM

    I use my laptop more and more and spend less time at my desktop. That probably speaks volumes about my current workspace and I need to do something.

    Thanks for the heads up about the book! I'll have to check it out.

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  51. Anonymous4:15 PM

    My ideal space is a loft with a window (basements always seem cold), a small glass-topped desk, thick carpet, laptop with wireless connection (for research only, of course), and a cold Diet Pepsi (unless I'm freaking out about artificial sweeteners at the time, which happens periodically but usually passes).

    Cheers!

    KTB

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  52. Ideally a desk, a computer, with quiet music not playing on the computer (so I can't play with it for hours). No other noise. Especially children. That's not too much to ask for, right?

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  53. I can write anywhere, but I like writing in bed or on the couch. And if someone is watching TV, I put on headphones and listen to a playlist I put together of instrumental music that doesn't distract me. I just don't want to see the TV or I'll keep glancing at it.

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  54. I used to work for a newspaper so I got used to writing wherever I could or calling in a story on whatever phone I could find. (Cell phones never seem to work in county courthouses when you need them to. I don't know why.) At home, I have one small corner of my living room devoted to my computer and to my writing. That works fairly well, but I dream of a large room filled with shelves and tables where all my materials could spread out and get fat and sassy.

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  55. I love reading Maisel's books. Recently I bought his DEEP WRITING and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, not too long ago I participated in his Free Creativity Coaching project.

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  56. I can write just about anywhere as long as I have headphones and the right music. I have to have the music or else I get distracted by the noise around me.

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  57. Anonymous6:34 PM

    A soundproof room, deep undergrounf somewhere. Or, perhaps a nice open field in the middle of nowhere.

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  58. Anonymous6:38 PM

    My favorite space to write is Panera. There is all the iced-tea I can drink and plenty of cannon-fodder. I like people-watching and surreptitiously sticking the interesting ones into what I'm working on. The only problem is that I feel guilty taking up a booth if/when it gets busy.

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  59. My physical writing space varies with my mood... My desk at home with computer or notebook and fountain pen... My bed with laptop... My desk at my day job when I'm bored out of my mind. Bored at work has actual been some of my most productive.

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  60. Anonymous7:27 PM

    My ideal place to write, I must admit, is my desk where I type this, when the internet isn't working, my friends are out of town, my phone is dead, there's a massive blizzard outside, I'm writing a passionate love scene, and I've found that ambient electronic CD that went missing the other day. :-)

    -Johnny

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  61. Anonymous8:51 PM

    Nowadays, I sit at my desktop with iTunes tuned to the Big R radio station on a low volume. Back in the 90's when I was in college I used to write in my room at night into spiral notebooks with Pilot V-ball pens with black ink and the stereo on low so that the music served as background noise. Sometimes I go back to the spiral notebooks and the V-ball pens but usually I just type directly into the computer now.

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  62. Anonymous10:11 PM

    Taking it in a slightly different direction, I realized last week that my ideal space for writing is the beach. Somehow being near the ocean revs my creativity up. I live 200 miles inland, but we're making plans to move to the coast after the teenager graduates high school.

    But right now, I have a writing desk in my great room, near a window but out of sight of the tv. I plug the earphones in, turn on my Pandora internet radio station and work.

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  63. A big desk for my computer, a comfortable chair for my backside, loads of bookcases filled with my favorite books and pictures and a big picture window that looks out over a large expanse of green grass.

    Oh, and a cat. Okay, two cats.

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  64. My ideal writing space is a large desk (which I have), a comfy chair (which I also have), reference books within reach (umm... check), filing cabinet with drafts, research material... oh, I have that too; and an easy to reach coffee pot and munchies bowl - which I don't have because everything else takes up all the room. sigh

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  65. I already have it, more or less - my son's bedroom after he moved out.
    If I could only get rid of the library-long card file from pre-computer days, it would be perfect.

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  66. Anonymous7:41 AM

    I haven't done much writing in a long time, especially this year to an overloaded uni course. My ideas are bugging me about it.

    The thing I miss most, though, is RoughDraft. I didn't download it and haven't downloaded it yet onto my 'new' laptop (now 1.5 years old), and I can't stand to write anywhere else. I just like the continuous flow of writing space without the page breaks and visual clutter of Word.

    And quiet. I can do jotting when there's noise, but not actual writing.


    Wolverine

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  67. Anonymous7:56 AM

    Bowling alleys.

    Our daughter's best friend is in a teen league and her mother can never be bothered to take her to games or practice, so I do it. Some days, I think I've written more words in bowling alleys than I have my own home. Not sure why, but there's something about the random yet constant rattle of the pins, the hum of conversation, the ping-ping of a kid playing in the videogame room that just downshifts my brain.

    I love writing in bowling alleys.

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  68. Anonymous9:37 AM

    Well, I actually HAVE an office and a proper desk, but I find that more often I wind up in the living room being superficially social while sitting on the sofa in the presence of the family so that they don't feel ENTIRELY neglected.

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  69. When I bought my condo last February, I opted to make the master bedroom into my "studio", and put my bed in the smallest second bedroom you've ever *seen*! Seriously, there's only room for my queen-size bed & headboard/bookcase. But I only sleep (and read) there, right?!

    Now my "studio" is huge and spacious, with a couple of long IKEA tables as workspaces, with my computer at one end and my crafting area at the other. There's plenty of light as I put all this right under the huge window (although my computer faces the wall, not the window), and I have all kinds of other IKEA thingies for organizing my craft & writing stuff.

    Right above my monitor is a small shelf with a wooden-block sign that says "Imagine", and to the right is a bulletin board where I have posted emails from people who have encouraged me in my writing, as well as a few other inspirational things to keep my motivation up.

    The printer is close-at-hand, the lighting is perfect, and the feng-shui of it all is divine. Too bad I have hardly written a word since I moved in here! LOL

    — Bonz

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  70. Anonymous11:27 AM

    *sigh* I'm sorry, I forgot to sign my post. I posted yesterday about the spiders in the window-wells and cold temperature.

    JulieB

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  71. I have a home office, but I like to write in different places -- my bedroom, my back deck, the coffee shop, the park (thank God for the very reliable battery in my lap top).

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  72. Anonymous2:52 PM

    I telecommute for my day job, so I associate my home office almost entirely with work. I have a great deal of difficulty writing my novel in this space. So, 6 days a week, I haul my notebooks, laptop, papers and iPod to my favorite coffeeshop, where I can be found writing from 6:00 - 8:00 a.m. The coffeeshop has great light, great feng shui. It's full of plants, greenery, has a wonderful fireplace and leather couches. And the best thing is that I can focus. There's nothing for me to do there but WRITE. No interruptions. No distractions. And all the caffeine I want or need. ;-)

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  73. I don;t have a favorite space really. I have a desktop computer I love, and I feng-shuied (sp?) my office a while ago. (Feels pretty good) but I have a very hard time actually writing at my desk. I can blog, and work on my website, and do edits, but the actual writing,... I can only do so much. Then it's off to my laptop and the kitchen table, then the sofa, then the bed...then the next day..I start over. LOL

    I'd like to break that habit though because it sometimes gets a bit ridiculous.

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  74. I can write just about anywhere as long as I don't have distractions like television (!!!) or loud music with words (instrumental is OK). One of my favorite places, now that we have nice weather in my part of the country, is sitting at my dining room table looking out at our lush backyard. That's where I am right now.

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  75. I just need a laptop. Other than that, no preferences.

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  76. I think I may be too late on the contest, but this book really does sound good. Thanks for telling us about it!

    Currently I do most of my writing in our shared computer room while everyone else is at work. The desk is a bit cluttered but otherwise I am surrounded by shelves of books which makes for good ambiance.

    I was struggling to write a synopsis a few weeks ago. Finally I took a notebook and pen with me when I went to the pool to swim - that did the trick. I wouldn't want to write everything long hand but I may just leave the laptop at home during my summer travel and bring a notebook instead.

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