Thursday, July 24, 2014

My Writing Space—Rebecca Taylor



For some writers, the place they go to in order to create is sacred to them. Maybe it’s a private office, maybe it’s a favorite coffee shop, or even propped up in bed. Wherever their space, it NEEDS to be that space, the same space—ALWAYS.

I get that.  Working in psychology, I know how powerful setting events can be with regards to prompting behaviors.

For me, I have always been able to read pretty much anywhere and under almost any conditions. Growing up in a chaotic household and now having one of my own, I have become something of a master at ‘tuning-out’ the external world.

Fortunately, I can usually do the same thing with my writing.

I do have a loft-space office in our home, but I will tell you that there is no door and it is used for pretty much everything except writing. I do revise there because the monitor screen is bigger and it’s easier to work on multiple documents at once.

But as far as the initial writing, I do it everywhere:

My backyard
In the car (when husband is driving)
Various coffee shops and restaurants
In my family room (sometimes during commercials when I’m watching a show)
In bed
In the bath (paper and pen propped on the side of the tub)
Airplanes and airports
Once, in line at Six Flags (paper and pen during a 60min line!)
On a bench at Six Flags while my kids are riding a rollercoaster I won’t
At the pool
At the beach
On the bus commuting to work
Etc, etc

I have two kids (11 and almost 10), I work full time as a school psychologist, and I am hell bent on creating a successful writing career. (as I personally define it J ) My life is busy, and fast, and highly prone to colossal interruptions.

And I love ALL of it.

I take my laptop (MacBookAir so it’s small) and a pen and notebook with me everywhere so that if and when a ‘writing-time opportunity’ presents itself, I’m prepared to take advantage.

It’s not a method that would work for everyone—but if it didn’t work for me, I probably wouldn’t ever write at all.

8 comments:

  1. I'm pretty much the same way - can write anywhere. I think it's because I'm in the school environment, too. As a teacher you have to be able to tune out background noise or you'd be constantly shushing people. Never wrote at Six Flags in line for a roller coaster though! :)

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    1. Kym, that Six Flags line removed every excuse I'll ever have for not writing. :-)

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  2. Fun Post! I have a MacBookAir too and absolutely love it, mainly because of how easy it is to move around and travel with. Some of my most productive writing experiences have been places I never would've expected like at the airport or poolside :)

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    1. I'm so happy I have this...especially today as I'm packing to leave for the Bahamas!

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  3. I do most my writing in the family while my husband watches TV. I can't see the screen on my laptop if I'm outside, or I'd write outside all the time. I think today's busy schedules forces us to write whenever and wherever we can. =)

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    1. So true! I really feel for writer who have to have that "perfect" environment in order to write. It can be so limiting!

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  4. MacBook Air for me, too. When I started writing, the writing space/situation had to be very precise: no one else in the house, no sound, no interruptions. Basically in solitary confinement. I realized those were just excuses not to write if one or the other weren't the way I thought I "needed" it to be or the stars weren't perfectly aligned. I got over it. Now I write in coffee shops, at write ins with writer buddies where we stop and chat, in bed, outside. Wherever. I don't need any more excuses not to write. :p

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    1. Also, I think under those conditions we can mistakenly sort of blame others or our current circumstances...when really it's just us procrastinating. But worst of all--I hate to hear writers who blame their family for lack of productivity. :-(

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