Let's back up to one of the first questions people ask immediately after divulging they'd like to learn how to write a book: "Where is the ideal space to write?"

An excellent and fundamental question. Their second question is: "Where do you write?"

My answer is that I don't write in a specific place, but in order to write, my environment must be free of distractions and limit people's ability to interrupt me. I write my books on a laptop and can park myself on a sofa, propped up on a bed, in a coffee house, airport, on a plane or train, even in a parked car while my family is on a hike. The only critical aspect is that I must have an expectation of privacy to enter my character's world and let their experience flow through my fingers and onto the proverbial page.

"How do you write productively in an airport or on a train?" they often ask as if I've scandalized them.

"Noise-canceling headphones," is my reply.

It's true, some people prefer to have a particular space--perhaps dedicated exclusively for writing--and that can be important if you've got reference materials in folders or even up on the wall like maps, timelines, family trees, etc. You would have a heck of a time shuffling all that in a train seat! But most of my research is for flavor and I internalize it and then write from memory. I keep a list of specific items in my Notes App which I keep open next to the book document in progress.

A dedicated writing space can be helpful if you are hampered by Writer's Block. If your story isn't flowing, making a set time and place for writing can be wonderfully beneficial for getting into the rhythm of story immersion. If you struggle with Writer's Block, by all means, schedule time when you're at your most creative--for me it's first thing in the morning while my energy is high--and set up a quiet space with little to no distractions. It should be a place free of To Do Lists, windows looking out on high traffic, other paperwork such as bills, and if possible, silence your social media alerts and mail notifications.

You can take yourself deeper into an ideal space by lighting a candle, putting on a specific sweater or slippers. The act of purposefully entering your writing space/persona can do wonders to step out of your otherwise busy world and set a stage where you can unleash your creative process.

Ultimately, where WILL you write your book? Go there. Go there often.


-- Anna Erikssön Bendewald 





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