Do you have a specific place where you like to write? Maybe a corner of your apartment, a writing shed in the backyard, a favourite local coffee shop? Somewhere that you can get away to and really focus on your work?
I…don’t. Not really. I wish I did. In an ideal world I’d have my own little writing nook, with a desk and chair and bookshelves full of picture books, and a window looking out onto a garden or forest. I’d make a pot of tea (strong and black), nibble on cookies, and wrap myself in a warm, cozy throw while typing on my laptop or scribbling brilliant ideas in my beautiful notebook. Oh, as a fire crackled in the background. Might as well really complete the scene.
My reality…is a bit different. My toddler has stopped napping, which has stripped me of my daily writing time, much to my lasting sadness. And by the time evening rolls around, I’m typically too exhausted by the day’s antics to even think coherently, let alone write anything meaningful. My dining room table is often littered with my son’s various arts and crafts projects, and in our small city condo, there isn’t much space for anything. It’s…a bit of a challenge, to say the least.
Sometimes I write on my phone while commuting to work (on the bus, of course). Sometimes I scribble a few words in my notebook before bed. Other times I write on my lunch break (again on my phone), or, if I’m feeling really naughty, during quiet spells at work (you never know when inspiration will strike).
I do usually write with a cup of tea at hand, because I pretty much live the entirety of my life with a cup of tea at hand. And if I have the time/energy, a nice “coffee shop jazz” playlist on Spotify really helps set the mood. Other than that, it’s all up to the whim of the day!
One day I dream of having a little writing shed in the backyard, a well-insulated, cozy little home where I can surround myself with beautiful, inspiring things and create beautiful, inspiring things. But if anyone is familiar with the housing market in most Canadian urban centres, I’ll need to win the lottery to make that dream a reality!
What about you? Do you tend to write in the same place or at the same time? Or are you like me, fitting in a few words here and there and anywhere?