Every writer has a desired environment in which they like to write. Here’s a glimpse at mine.
I am fortunate to have a private office in my home where I do most of my writing. It’s an upstairs room, a large room with good natural light. I have a bookcase spanning one wall and a large, flat desk which I try to keep as empty as possible. While it is true that one can write anywhere, and I can as well, I enjoy working here in my office. And I find that I do my best work in the early morning when I have the house to myself. I typically make my way to my desk just after 7 A.M. with a mug of coffee and a refill in my thermos. I take a glance at my email to make sure there’s nothing urgent that demands my attention, then as quickly as I can manage I launch my copy of Jer’s Novel Writer and go to work on my current personal project. At this point I’m nicely into chapter 3 of a planned 10-chapter novel.
My animal companions settle in as well. Xerox, our graying but still active 12 year old dog doesn’t take long to find a spot under my desk, usually right at my feet. Sandusky and Delaware (Sandy and Del), brother tomcats just over a year old, take a bit longer, usually demanding a little attention before one of them claims the maroon leather chair, the other the padded seat of the wooden chair across the desk from where I work. By the time I turn my attention to other writing, like this post or my for-hire work, they’re all well into their morning naps.
Typically while I’m doing purely creative work, I don’t play music, unless the mood calls for it. And if the mood does call for it, it’s usually instrumental and classical. Voices and lyrics can distract me and lead me in directions that aren’t useful. Usually the quiet gurgling of the fish tank is enough to keep the room from being distractingly silent. Right now I’m listening to Symphony No. 3 by Brahms, the second movement.
As I said, I can work anywhere. In airports, restaurants, and even, if pressed, in a business office. Back in grad school I did some of my best work writing on yellow legal pads, sitting on a lawn chair outside the house trailer where we lived. But I like the office I have now and, other than a more comfortable desk chair (this one gets to my back after a couple of hours), I wouldn’t change a thing.
