Finding a Place to Write
Should writers invest in creating a home “office”? The answer to that question depends on the writer; for most, having an office made specifically for writing usually leads to increased productivity, and fewer distractions.
If you are the kind of writer who likes to create a home office for your writing hobby/job/career, then read on.
Having an entire room to dedicate to an office is usually the most favorable and least available. When going about writing this article, I am going to assume that you are transforming an entire room into an office, but the tips will work when applied to nearly any environment.
First thing on the list is obviously location. Location is a must. Daniel Handler, better know as Lemony Snicket, makes his writing office in a tiny room in the upstairs of his house. It’s hardly large enough for his desk, the entire back wall is a window, it suffers from heat fluctuations, and he loves it.
Your ideal writing location might be somewhere as equally as cramped. Or on the flip side, perhaps you prefer to write in a large room, with a high vaulted ceiling, a fireplace, full of antique books and vintage desks. You need to determine what kind of location your creative juices flow best. Do you currently write at home, at a café, or the library?
Here are some possible locations to make an office:
A closet. If you have a large, or largish, closet, and it is under/never used, than it could realistically make a nice, cozy writing space. Be mindful of heat, however. If the closet doesn’t have an air vent, than the odds are it will be hot/cold.
Spare bedroom. If you have a guestroom, especially one rarely ever used, can make a wonderful office. Large, with windows and heat/AC, it can make a nice space.
Basement. If your basement permits, use it.
Garage. Again, depends on your garage and season temperatures.
Store sheds. This seems to be a favorite of many writers. If you have an outdoor storage shed, it can be easily transformed into a writing space. Depending on climate, a window air conditioner or floor heater may be necessary.
Finally, if you wish to leave your home, you can rent a storage shed/office space/cheap studio apartment to place your office. Okay, now that you have a location, its time to look into furniture. This is dependant on office size, but one thing you will need is a desk. Depending on the amount of money you wish to spend, this can be simple or more complex. If finances permit, then simply purchase a desk of appropriate size.
However, if you wish for something cheaper/original/custom, then you can look into some DIY desks. Daniel Handler, the aforementioned author, purchased an old examination room table, plopped it on top of two filing cabinets, and uses that as his desk.
You can also make a simple desk out of wood. Purchasing particle board and setting above two filing cabinets works well. I’ve also seen many desks made from old doors.
For an idea visit http://www.simplebits.com/notebook/2004/03/25/particle_board_desk.html
And for a full view of his writing area:
http://www.simplebits.com/cgi-bin/viewer.pl?img=office_5.jpg
Finally, to view other writers offices/workspace visit:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nanowrimo/discuss/72157594328316750/
This is really all it takes to make an effective writing environment. You may wish to purchase additional furniture items such as bookcase[s] and maybe a comfy chair or two.
Finally, add some decorations to make the place your own, then sit back and enjoy (but not for too long, you have writing to do.)
