I’m Getting My Very Own Writing Cabin!

Like Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw, Roald Dahl and numerous other famous writers (and probably plenty who are not so famous), I’m getting my own writing cabin. Or shack. Or shed. Or whatever you want to call it.

Actually, it’s more like a writing tower or small fort. It sits back in the woods behind where my wife and I live.

This has been a lesser dream of mine at least the last few years since I started writing full time, and now it’s finally coming true.

Actually, the tower has been back there for some time, but we’ve been using it for other things. For a while we had two pet house rabbits living there, but then one of them passed away and we moved the other into the house because we didn’t want him to be alone so much. When we had the rabbits we would venture out there several times a day to spend time with them, check on them, feed them, etc.

I had planned on making use of the tower at the end of last year, but then I had a health scare that made me want to stay nearer to the house and in constant contact with someone (usually the wife). But my health has gotten better and I feel a need for more seclusion while writing since my wife also works from home. Basically, we both have been needing our own personal work spaces.

My writing place has electricity, air conditioning, heat and a phone line, but it’s just far enough outside our wifi zone that I will not have access to the Internet. I consider this a good thing. Less distractions. Of course I won’t have the Internet available for research and for making using of dictionary.com, but I figure I can take a print dictionary and thesaurus with me, perhaps a few other books as well.

There’s actually a sleeping bunk, so I can take a nap if I want, though I doubt I’ll be doing much of that. There’s already a chair, but it’s not very comfortable. A new chair and desk will be going in there this weekend.

So, starting Monday, I’m going to treat my writing like a regular, full-time job. I’ll go out there in the morning, probably with a bottle or two of water and maybe a cup of coffee. I might take a snack, but probably not. If I’m feeling particularly hungry at some point I can always pop down to the house, about seventy-five yards away, for a quick lunch. But the plan is to keep writing throughout the day. I picture my schedule to start about eight or nine in the morning and to run until about three or four or five.

While I’ve been writing professionally and steadily for a few years now, I’ve felt my work habits need to improve. I write regularly, pretty much every day, but there are just too many distraction in the house. It seems I’m always answering the phone, running to the store, taking the dog out, whatever. Now, no more distractions.

Wish me luck.