Where Do I Write

Where Do I Write?

In my last post I wrote about why I write. Today I want to write about where I write. That may seem a mundane subject but to a writer it’s not. If you are a writer you have probably read many articles that describe the places, conditions and circumstances of where different writers write.

Some writers like to write in the privacy of a small room whether it’s a messy room or a neat room. They sit at a desk with either a typewriter (yes, some still use them), or a desktop PC surrounded by books and photos and who knows what else gives them pleasure in their own little space ignoring whatever is outside of their own private space.

Some writers prefer to go to a quaint coffee shop visited by a variety of people, drinking specialty drinks and eating treats that range from donuts filled with rich cream and topped with sugary icing all the way to the other end of the spectrum to “health food” treats that are low sugar, low sodium, low-fat, high fiber and “all natural”. They sit at a small table with their laptops, sometimes wearing ear buds playing their own specialized musical play list that shuts out everything and everyone around them.

Some writers like to go where the people are, malls or parks, so they can be surrounded by life. They are people watchers. They love to watch the men, women and children walk, run, dance, play, laugh, cry, argue and whatever other emotions people exhibit. They write about what they see, what they hear, what they feel and what they smell, developing new realities from life around them. The world around them is their encyclopedia, only it’s a living, breathing encyclopedia, not just books on a shelf.

I use to write at my desk in my office, an extra bedroom in my little apartment. I still keep that office to store my office supplies, my books, my computer equipment and anything else I need for my writing. I looked at several desks before I chose mine, and even tried a couple out before I found what I thought would be the perfect desk to sit and write. But, I found that I felt closed in and closed off from life shut behind four walls with only one window or maybe two depending on the layout of my apartment.

Even though there are times when I feel the need to be alone to think, meditate and even write, isolation does not inspire me to write. Sometimes it can actually clog up my creativity. But, I still use the desk in my writing business for a variety of purposes, just not to sit and type away at a computer for long hours.

So, where do I write? Well, usually I sit in my favorite chair, a tilt back, swivel rocker. It’s an oversized man’s chair and I guess it reminds me of my dad’s chair which has very fond memories for me. I sit in my chair holding my laptop, sometimes watching television or a movie while I consider and wonder and muse about what to write. If I’m writing something for someone else I usually have to turn off the television and have quiet so I can concentrate and get inside someone else’s head and heart to write their speeches. It’s easier to multitask when I’m writing for myself rather than someone else.

As I sit in my favorite chair I just let my thoughts wander and see where they take me. I find release in my writing after sitting at my regular job which is in a call center where I take inbound and make outbound calls for eight hours a day, doing the same tasks and answering the same questions call after call. Then, when I come home, I get comfortable, have a light snack, and settle in with my laptop to write. I just think about possible subjects, pick one and just start writing. It’s absolutely freeing to just let my thoughts flow, no required statements, no script to follow, just let the words flow out of me.

So, where do you write? Tell me about your favorite writing place.