Day: December 13, 2014

For creative types having just the right space is crucial for their success. Others can work no matter where they are; be it on a train commuting to work, on the bus, in a noisy spot, or in the great outdoors. Others require a tremendous amount of quiet and calm in order to concentrate.

I fall into the category of needing just the right environment. Things have to be in just a certain way or else I can’t be comfortable and relaxed enough. I’ve touched upon my writing routine (which has changed a bit)  as well as experimenting with the kind of music I listen to while writing. Today’s post, however, will be about what my ideal writing space would look and feel like if I had an unlimited amount of funds and space.

First, what my old set up had. In my old house, we had a spare bedroom that I eventually commandeered and claimed as my writing room. It had a neat view of the park behind our house so I could stare, not in a creepy way, at the soccer or football practice of the local kids, people flying kites, and just general playfulness. I had my tall, heavy duty plastic table that acted as my desk, a couple of little book shelves, my office chair I got for dirt cheap thanks to a garage sale the company I worked for had, and a white board. It was a serviceable set up for me at the time. Not ideal and not my dream but it worked.

Fast forward to my current set up. Thanks to moving to a new house with a completely different configuration from my old house, I have a bit more room and have put it to good use. I have the entire second story, which consists of a loft with a full bathroom, all to myself. Plenty of wall and floor space for an additional desk, a bit old fashion with cubby holes, which I use to actually write on while the plastic table houses my laptop and acts as a multi-purpose collection of stuff I’ll eventually get to. I’ve got more book cases which scream to be filled up and I have two white boards. Its two downsides are there is no view and no door so if the animals are annoying me I have to put up a baby gate to keep them out. Overall it’s a great set up and really helps compartmentalize how I work.

Oh but if I had the funds and space, what would my dream space look like? I am seriously jealous of Neil Gaiman’s writing space. Yes, it’s out in the woods and appears quite isolated from the world. Talk about distraction free unless he’s getting great internet service out there then maybe not so much.

Yet as much as I drool over that space, it might be a bit too far away from the house for my tastes. Perhaps something more like a large shed located in the back yard (I need plenty of space to work out ideas and store research) complete with its own heating and air conditioning. The view would have to be of a wooded area because I prefer that to the beach. Plus the animals I could watch would be more interesting. Perhaps have it wired for sound so I could have music piped in and control it via remote when my mood changes. Maybe throw in a nice little fridge, my own coffee maker, and a small pantry and I wouldn’t have to run to the kitchen nearly as often. Hmmm, on second thought, that might not be a good idea. Family might start to wonder what I look like if I had all that. Wait, no, they’d see me at dinner time, the evenings, and some of the weekend. That should be sufficient enough.

All I can do is dream about that and make do with what I have now. I’m very fortunate to have a room to call my own, one that does allow me to concentrate and be productive. It’s a space that is usually respected as being sacred. Perhaps in a way I already have my ideal space.