7 Tips for Making Your Writing Space More Comfortable
Whether you’re a freelance writer, a novelist or a screenwriter, chances are you will have a designated writing space that is set out to suit your needs and give you the best opportunity to get into the creative headspace required to put in a good few hours of writing.
Pets, children, smartphones and life all get in the way sometimes, which is to be expected, but if you want to be productive as a writer, you should definitely consider having your own area. You’ll write a lot more than you will sat with a laptop on your knee in front of the TV.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can make your writing space more comfortable and inviting:
Use The Room with a View
If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful garden, or you overlook something calming and pleasing to the eye like a canal, river or woodland area, you could find that this helps you get into the right headspace. Even if you don’t have a room with a view, you should at least consider moving your writing desk to a room that catches the sun. Sitting in a room filled with natural light can have a positive effect on your productivity, whereas sitting in a darkened room can often make you miserable and prone to distractions.
Great Lighting Equals Great Writing
The ambiance of your writing room is an important part of getting your writing space comfortable and the kind of place you want to spend time in. If you’re a night owl, natural light has (literally) gone out of the window, so shop for some lamps and lights that you can adjust the brightness of or create just enough light to make for an inviting area to sit and write.
Good lighting is known to keep energy levels up, and is a lot healthier than drinking 900 cups of coffee to fuel your writing.
Get a Comfortable Chair
Many writers don’t consider their posture and the long-term effects of not having good posture, and when you are sat in a chair at a desk for a number of hours per day, this is a recipe for back and spine injuries, and poor circulation of the legs. Fortunately, you can counter this by getting a comfortable chair, but one that doesn’t promote slouching or hunching over your computer.
Stools are great for helping to keep your back straight while you write, engaging your core at the same time. It may take a short while to get used to, but you will quickly see the health benefits, and you won’t have any pains in your back, shoulders and neck.
Take Away Your Distractions
Your writing space is set out for exactly that - writing. This means that there shouldn’t be any distractions in there, with the exception of the books that could inspire you to get back to writing. Your smartphone, TV, DVDs, video games and anything else that is not related to writing and is likely to distract you need to be moved to a location out of reach.
The internet is a good source for research, especially when you hit a wall with your writing because you can’t remember of name of somebody or something, but it’s also the greatest procrastination tool on earth. Try and wean yourself off the natural way, or simply don’t have an internet connection in that room at all.
Write By Hand First
Quentin Tarantino and many other screenwriters and authors swear by writing longhand before typing up their notes and using it as an opportunity to weed out the bad writing that doesn’t deserve to go into the main draft. Writing longhand frees you up to make mistakes and stay in the moment, going off on writing tangents that the computer screen doesn’t allow you to do as easily.
Also, it is common knowledge that there is nothing more stressful and terrifying than a blank page on a computer. The blinking cursor seems to be mocking you, and that’s when writer’s block and the urge to procrastinate kicks in. Writing longhand allows you to doodle and scribble as you get into the zone, and will save your eyes from the strain of staring at the computer screen for too long.
Try a Standing Desk
A number of writers are turning to standing desks for a multitude of reasons - including the aforementioned health benefits and the evidence that shows that standing up improves productivity. A standing desk isn’t going to be suitable for everyone, but younger writers who are prone to sitting on the sofa in their bathrobe and slippers with their laptop on their knees should definitely consider it. This is because they will soon begin to feel the strain of being in unnatural positions to the leg and back, something you definitely don’t want to experience in the early days of your career. Make sure you research the best stand up desk mat for the job.
Keep it Clean and Tidy
Writers like to have their workspace set out a certain way that suits their writing schedule and their comfort needs, but one thing that can put paid to productivity is clutter and uncleanliness. If you don’t keep your writing space clean and tidy, you can find that the area becomes unwelcoming and cramped, and you’ll start to spend less time in there. It won’t be long until you’re back in bad habits and your writing space could end up as the room where you stash all your boxes and unwanted stuff, which would be a great shame.
You don’t need to spring clean every day or design a cleaning rota. Just keep on top of the dusting and general cleanliness of the area, and take away any plates and mugs that you may take in with you. Your writing area should be airy and clear, so it’s easy for you to get into the zone and make you feel at ease, with plenty of space to think and breathe.
If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful garden, or you overlook something calming and pleasing to the eye like a canal, river or woodland area, you could find that this helps you get into the right headspace. Even if you don’t have a room with a view, you should at least consider moving your writing desk to a room that catches the sun. Sitting in a room filled with natural light can have a positive effect on your productivity, whereas sitting in a darkened room can often make you miserable and prone to distractions.
Great Lighting Equals Great Writing
The ambiance of your writing room is an important part of getting your writing space comfortable and the kind of place you want to spend time in. If you’re a night owl, natural light has (literally) gone out of the window, so shop for some lamps and lights that you can adjust the brightness of or create just enough light to make for an inviting area to sit and write.
Good lighting is known to keep energy levels up, and is a lot healthier than drinking 900 cups of coffee to fuel your writing.
Get a Comfortable Chair
Many writers don’t consider their posture and the long-term effects of not having good posture, and when you are sat in a chair at a desk for a number of hours per day, this is a recipe for back and spine injuries, and poor circulation of the legs. Fortunately, you can counter this by getting a comfortable chair, but one that doesn’t promote slouching or hunching over your computer.
Stools are great for helping to keep your back straight while you write, engaging your core at the same time. It may take a short while to get used to, but you will quickly see the health benefits, and you won’t have any pains in your back, shoulders and neck.
Take Away Your Distractions
Your writing space is set out for exactly that - writing. This means that there shouldn’t be any distractions in there, with the exception of the books that could inspire you to get back to writing. Your smartphone, TV, DVDs, video games and anything else that is not related to writing and is likely to distract you need to be moved to a location out of reach.
The internet is a good source for research, especially when you hit a wall with your writing because you can’t remember of name of somebody or something, but it’s also the greatest procrastination tool on earth. Try and wean yourself off the natural way, or simply don’t have an internet connection in that room at all.
Write By Hand First
Quentin Tarantino and many other screenwriters and authors swear by writing longhand before typing up their notes and using it as an opportunity to weed out the bad writing that doesn’t deserve to go into the main draft. Writing longhand frees you up to make mistakes and stay in the moment, going off on writing tangents that the computer screen doesn’t allow you to do as easily.
Also, it is common knowledge that there is nothing more stressful and terrifying than a blank page on a computer. The blinking cursor seems to be mocking you, and that’s when writer’s block and the urge to procrastinate kicks in. Writing longhand allows you to doodle and scribble as you get into the zone, and will save your eyes from the strain of staring at the computer screen for too long.
Try a Standing Desk
A number of writers are turning to standing desks for a multitude of reasons - including the aforementioned health benefits and the evidence that shows that standing up improves productivity. A standing desk isn’t going to be suitable for everyone, but younger writers who are prone to sitting on the sofa in their bathrobe and slippers with their laptop on their knees should definitely consider it. This is because they will soon begin to feel the strain of being in unnatural positions to the leg and back, something you definitely don’t want to experience in the early days of your career. Make sure you research the best stand up desk mat for the job.
Keep it Clean and Tidy
Writers like to have their workspace set out a certain way that suits their writing schedule and their comfort needs, but one thing that can put paid to productivity is clutter and uncleanliness. If you don’t keep your writing space clean and tidy, you can find that the area becomes unwelcoming and cramped, and you’ll start to spend less time in there. It won’t be long until you’re back in bad habits and your writing space could end up as the room where you stash all your boxes and unwanted stuff, which would be a great shame.
You don’t need to spring clean every day or design a cleaning rota. Just keep on top of the dusting and general cleanliness of the area, and take away any plates and mugs that you may take in with you. Your writing area should be airy and clear, so it’s easy for you to get into the zone and make you feel at ease, with plenty of space to think and breathe.
