Writing spaces for form and function
I can write anywhere. On a picnic bench while my children play at the park and ants crawl around my ankles. In bed late at night with a cat in my lap. I am even blessed in that I do not get car sick and can write on long trips with my family.
That being said, I thrive in a setting that is beautiful, serene, and ergonomically and creatively friendly.
Yes, dear reader, I have been taken down by sore wrists, aching hips, and hunched back when my writing environment is less than ideal. So while I can do it, I prefer not to.
Here are some things that are important to me in a writing space!
A Designated Space
I don’t mean to suggest you need a whole room with a door you can close. Not every living space has that option! Before moving to my current house, I set up a space in the corner of the living area. I added plants and a message board, a comfortable chair and a (very small) desk that was mine. Just mine. No one else could put their things there or do their work there. And I fought to keep that space for myself! With a family where all other members beside myself have ADHD, any open flat space (like, for example, a nice clean writing surface) instantly attracts other stuff.
But that was My Designated Writing Space, and I made sure the rest of my family knew it.
It was probably less than ten square feet of floor space, but it was mine. Mine!
I told myself that I was worth it. My work was worth that space. And having that designated space, even in a too-small house, reminded me that my work was important.
Takeaway message: carve out a specific area that you can make your own for your writing. It will remind yourself of the value of your work.
Beautiful Decoration
When we moved to a new house, I chose a room for my office before any other space. It’s a weird little bedroom on the main floor, and when we arrived it was dark and foreboding as a torture chamber. It had heavy shelves closed in with dark-stained doors with menacing iron hardware, and the whole thing was grey and sad with icky textured walls. I stepped inside and felt two things: one, how badly it was going to sap my creative juices to spend any time in there, and two, the potential that the space had to offer with a little interior design work.
Okay, okay. A lot of interior design work.
After ripping down the “zombie invasion bunker grade” shelves and “medieval chamber” doors, I proceeded to mud over the texture to give myself a fresh palette to work from. It was a ton of dusty, disgusting work with hours spent scraping wet mud over the most miniscule bumps and dents.
And then I painted the whole thing pink.
Because while I might write books that are dark, I always end on a message of hope, and my pink and gold décor shines like the hope of a sunrise over a new day.
Takeaway message: give yourself a space that makes your brain happy to look at each day (or at least each day you write).
Make it Physically Good
I’m really tall. Five feet ten inches! And this means that without help, there’s no way a laptop can be ergonomic for me.
The problem is that specialized writing desks or adding a separate computer are really cost prohibitive.
My favorite hack so that my body doesn’t ache from hours spent creating new worlds is a wireless keyboard and the humble shoe rack.
A shoe rack?
Yes! It’s the best thing I’ve found that lifts my screen to a height that’s agreeable for my neck, back, and wrists. And the best part is, between the keyboard and the shoe rack, saving my back cost about $35.
I’m not saying you should go out and buy a shoe rack. But what I am saying is that you should assess your work space and make sure that it fits your body. Do you need a stool for your feet under your desk? Do you need a different, more ergonomically friendly chair? Do you need to change some of your technology like a keyboard? Or do you simply need to stack a shoe rack on top of your desk?
Your brain works hard on your writing craft, your meat suit deserves to not hurt because of it.
Takeaway message: writing well shouldn’t hurt your body. Make small changes in your space to make sure your body feels good.
The bottom line is that your work is valuable, no matter where you’re at in the process, and your body and mind will both benefit from assessing your spaces for beauty, creativity, and ergonomics.
Now go forth and comfortably make new words!
BONUS TIP: Put some plants in your writing space. Nothing will remind you about how small your writing woes really are like literally being in charge of keeping something alive.
Chandra Fisher is a writer of short stories and novels that veer toward the dark, but she loves to end on a note of hope. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at her own website, www.chandrafisherwrites.com.