SPACE

One of the most important things you can do is set up a space devoted to writing. Ideally, it would be a room with a door but this is not always feasible. At any rate, find a spot as out-of-the-way spot as you can manage. Get yourself a big table. This is important whether you use a computer, a typewriter or a legal pad. It does not have to be a proper desk. My workspace is an old kitchen table I bought at a thrift store. You can make a serviceable table with two sawhorses and a big piece of plywood; this is collapsible if space is an issue. What is important is that the space is there and you occupy it when you write.

Things to keep in your space:

• Pens, pencils, markers, and scraps of paper. Random ideas will strike and you will want to note them quickly.
• Disks, if you use them.
• Your notes, binder or notecards (see below).
• Music CDs (if you indulge)

Keep things in your space that you use regularly. This will curtail unnecessary departure from the space when you are working. I can’t count the number of times I’ve “just gone to get a pen” then done a load of laundry, brushed the cat and cleaned the bathroom mirror, only to return and find my train of thought utterly derailed.

Things to keep OUT of your space (if remotely possible):

• Your bills
• Game CDs (if you indulge)
• An internet connection. I’ve gotten a lot of flak for including this here, but I remain convinced that if there is a distraction available, a stuck writer will use it. While that is not always bad, it is easy to get caught up answering email and surfing for cheap books and completely blow off working.

Furniture to consider:

Map Table
Again, it does not have to be elaborate. My map table for many years was made from an old closet door. Writers of historical fiction often find themselves in possession of large maps and charts which are at their most useful when laid out flat for reference.

Process Table
By “process”, I refer to the mountain of notes, references and other generated research that needs attention but is not yet in storable form. I am not fortunate enough to have room but I do have a “process clipboard” on which I store all the pages of handwritten notes I make before transcribing them into my binder. When you have a process table, you increase your organization and reduce the risk of losing precious research.

Bulletin Board
Some writers find it useful to have a place to tack up important notes, outlines, plot summaries, drawings and other miscellanea. The most useful (in my opinion) are the half-bulletin-half-whiteboard boards which give you the option of tacking up or scrawling in brightly colored dry-erase marker.

Dedicated Bookshelf
Small two-shelfers are available for about $20 new these days, and even less at the thrift store. You can even make one if you have access to nails, a hammer and a saw. Store your library here. You can even make the top serve double-duty as a process table.

If you use a space which others must use too, or find yourself stuck beyond measure when you sit down to write, try this trick:

Go to the hardware store and buy a piece of inexpensive plywood about the size of an elementary school desk. It should not cost more than a few dollars. If you have access to paint, paint it your favorite color. Alternately, buy a roll of contact paper in a color or pattern you like. Cover the plywood. Now place your plywood under your keyboard, laptop or legal pad when you write.

It seems silly but if you do this religiously - that is, every time you sit down to write, you use the plywood - your subconscious will begin to associate that color or pattern with writing and your writing juices will flow easier. It is particularly useful if you must use a computer lab or switch locations often.