I once read an article about all the gymnastics the author Vivian Gornick did to set herself up to write her book. She needed the perfect desk, the perfect light, the perfect life. While she busied herself with all these preparations, the time for writing never came.
“Relatable, right?” the article went on to say. “The truth is, you can write anywhere, anyhow, on scraps of paper, while you are bored, miserable, or half dead. So sit down and write your book.” (Thanks also to Lorrie for her delightful poem on how she can write anywhere).
My writing spaces (among others)
I begin in the early mornings at my kitchen table for my quiet time with the Lord. In the coziness of a small space, it feels intimate. My mind is clear and not yet filled with the day’s responsibilities. Often I encounter a new gold nugget from deep in the Lord’s treasure house, and an idea sparks for a devotional or article. I write an outline-of-sorts and then dictate the pre-draft or draft into my cellphone to be later transferred and developed into a Word document.
Then I move to my dining room table where I revise or edit. Why the table? My current home has a small office with a north-facing window. When I first moved here, I wrote in that office. One spring morning, I emerged from my writing to sit in the sunshine on my east-facing porch. “I can’t continue to write in there—it’s too closed in!” I told myself. After experimenting with different rooms, I chose the table in my large living room with a window to the east. Occasionally I look up from my work, and my spirit expands to the world around me—snow, sunshine, and at this season, tree leaves budding out.
From spring to autumn, I walk to a nearby park or pond (that’s the photo above). Walking helps me process prayers, life issues, and gives me writing ideas or solutions.
At night ideas can flow in that in-between sleeping and waking state. I turn on the light and scribble a few notes, or even an outline, in a notepad I keep beside my bed. Very often these ideas are significant, and writing solidifies what might dissipate by morning.
I also write notes during church services and while waiting for my doctor’s or dentist’s appointment.
Why do authors choose their writing spaces?
I love reading about how famous writers designate a specific time and place to give focused attention to their work. Check out Nicole Bianche’s article here.
● To ensure they won’t get distracted.
Maya Angelou needed a sterile space away from home. She rented a hotel room, stripped any artwork from the walls, and wrote.
I couldn’t be like Annie Dillard who wrote in a dark room. She even said the children playing a game outside would distract her, so she pulled down the blinds and drew a picture of the children. My question was: Does she have ADHD? Is she easily distracted? (I shiver to even think of writing in this darkness!)
● To establish routines to heighten motivation
Ernest Hemingway said he sharpened 12 pencils first thing in the morning. As a writer before the computer age, he needed to be prepared for his day’s work.
The prolific Isaac Asimov kept five or six typewriters in his writing room, each for a separate book he was working on. When he began for the day, he would choose a topic, go to that specific typewriter, slide in a blank paper, and type his many words. (We can equal that. With our computers, we can click from one project to another in seconds.).
● To focus, despite spatial limitations.
Jane Austen of Pride and Prejudice wrote from the table in their house, a house with parents, five daughters, and servants. When guests arrived, she’d tuck her draft pages under a book and be sociable.
Authors with small children adapt. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a major influence on freeing slaves in the US, often with a child on her lap. Our Canadians Karen Stiller and Patricia Paddy initially had to clear away someone’s artwork or homework before they could begin. When making a business call, they hoped the little ones would be quiet long enough before yelling, “Mom!”
Conclusion
No matter where we write, we write for the Lord. I’m often reminded of Psalm 45:1: “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.” And as Dallas Willard said, “you must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.[i]
[i] Dallas Willard, in Patricia Paddy & Karen Stiller, (Craft, Cost & Call, Victoria, BC: Friesen Press, 2019), 97
What a great and comprehensive post on writing spaces, Sandi. Finding just the right place for dedicated writing takes time. Like you, I have an office, but prefer to write at a table in my dining room. And yes to writing everywhere on scraps of paper or our phones.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading about where other authors write. I wouldn't want to write in darkness like Annie Dillard, and I love the idea of sharpening 12 pencils before writing like Ernest Hemingway did. I often use pencils for drafting or outlining. Lots of meat here, thank you, Sandi!
Thanks for your affirmation, Lorrie. I love how you worded this: "And yes to writing everywhere on scraps of paper or our phones."
DeleteMost often, I sit at my desk to write by a large window that overlooks our backyard. And like you when sitting in your living room near a window, I too "look up from my work, and my spirit expands to the world around me—snow, sunshine, and at this season, tree leaves budding out." I need light as well as a sense of expanse and connection to my outside world--I cannot imagine writing in darkness like Annie Dillard. Each to their own, eh?
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, I came across Alex Johnson's book "Rooms of Their Own, Where Great Writers Write" in which he writes about the writing spaces of fifty authors. Names like Isabel Allende, Ray Bradbury, Emily Dickinson, Hilary Mantel, Mark Twain, and E.B. White, to name a few. Each essay is beautifully illustrated by James Oses, giving readers a glimpse of where those authors penned their works. The book is a true delight to browse and read.
Thank you, Sandi, for sharing your lovely thoughts about writing spaces.
Thanks for sharing, Brenda. It's interesting the types of spaces and light/darkness we need for our writing. Thanks, too, for the idea of Alex Johnson's book. It looks like a "must read".
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