Perhaps one of the most important things for me is having my own personal space in which I can write. Now, by space, I mean both time and space (aka nice alone time in my own zone). Without having my own area and little slice of peace, I find that my writing starts to suffer the consequences of becoming distracted. To sum this up, I need my peace in order to write at my best. To insure this, I have set times in which I write that my phone remains off for, and I have a few different areas of my house that are all tailored to my comfort. Depending on my mood, I can sit and watch the birds out the window while clacking away on the keys of my mini HP, or I can tuck myself away in the confines of my adapted closet in my ‘blue room’ when I am feeling more reclusive. In addition to all of this, I have a loving partner who understands that, sometimes, I need to be left alone (less he have to suffer the consequences of my raging ‘annoyed writer’ syndrome). All of these things combined allow me to be at my best when the mood strikes, or when I have to force ‘the squirms’ out of my way to get to writing.
The reason for sharing that little look into my life is so that I can explain to you the importance of creating our own space. I think that this is perhaps the most important thing that can help or hinder a mood when your muse come calling. Now, I understand that not everybody is the same. Some people enjoy their own seat in a coffee shop as their own space. Also, everyone defines their own space and what they fill it with. If you are a minimalist who enjoys blank walls, then you need blank walls. If you enjoy being surrounded by your collection of plates that feature cute kittens, then you need those kittens just as much as the other guy needs his blank walls.
I understand that this sounds like a simple concept, but I have talked to countless people who have never taken the time to evaluate or even create their own space. What I have gathered from talks with other connoisseurs of creativity is that you need to both define and accept your space, almost more so than others need to. With that being said, find where you are most comfortable in your house; it can range from your porch to a basement or even from a kitchen corner to a closet. Wherever you are most comfortable, find it and claim it! Yes, that is right. Stick a gigantic ol’ flag there and defend it with your honor and even your life. You need to consciously and physically make that your very own space.
Next, make it more conducive to writing as you pimp your new place. Add things that you like, such as your favorite piece of art, or your collection of crazy eyed pens while being sure to have a comfortable place to put your notepad or laptop. Ensure that you get yourself a good comfortable chair or padded corner when you can spend long spells typing or writing away. This may all take some trying out coupled with stealing chairs and pillows from various parts of the house, but this is a battle that you must win! Also, don’t be afraid to change it around every now and then if you need to. Keeping a fresh environment often helps the mind.
Now, once you have all of your Elvis and Backstreet Boys memorabilia placed correctly about your new room or space, the hardest part is to come: you need to get everyone else to accept that space as your own. Setting your limits is going to be key if you want to remain interrupted through your moments of literary genius. Now, this might be harder if you have small children, but it is not impossible. Explaining to your loved ones how important this is to you is something that can be done if it is presented in a logical manner. My tactic? Tell them to shove off or you will cease buying food, forcing them to forage for their own. Strong threats always seem to work better than positive reinforcement; just check history for the validity of this statement.
By setting aside general times for your writing, you should be able to foster a zone of calm and peace that will allow your creative juices to flow. Now, I understand completely that setting certain times does not always work. This is why I said GENERAL times, aka early morning, late evening, lunch, etc. For those of you not blessed with time completely alone in the house, I think this will benefit you greatly as it is not saying “leave me alone 24/7”, but rather ‘just give me my little, much need space’. This, along with keeping your phone and email closed while connecting with your muse, should give you a little more leeway to breathe freely as you draft away the day.
(Killing Trees and Wasting Ink takes no responsibility from fist fights, duels, and divorices that come as a consequence of fervent writers laying claim to random plots of land and space.)
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