Using Writing Spaces and Rituals to Your Advantage

One of the things I love about reading other writers’ blogs and websites is seeing pictures of their writing space – be that a room, a corner or just a chair – and reading about their daily writing routines.  For me at least, there’s something very intimate about that aspect of the writing process, and perhaps it’s slightly voyeuristic of me but getting that little peek into a writer’s working life is rather special.

But it seems that there are mixed views on whether or not it’s actually a good idea to have a designated writing space.  I can see both sides of it.  One one hand, having somewhere to go when you need to get ‘in the zone’ – somewhere that’s designed solely for you to use when you need to write – has to be useful.  There seems to be a psychological aspect to this; I suppose it’s much the same as the concept that if you’re having problems sleeping, you should make sure that you only use your bedroom when you need to actually go to sleep.  I think it’s probably not a very practical solution for many people,  but the idea is that your mind and your body are supposed to then realise it’s time for sleep whenever you get into bed.  Having the same thing for writing seems like a great concept.

But the other side of the argument is this. If you have a writing space and rituals that you follow every time you need to write, then what happens when for some reason you don’t have access to those things?  If for example you light a scented candle every time you write, then I imagine you start to connect that particular smell with the process.  When you run out of candles, it can become rather difficult to write.  If you only ever write in your private corner of the library, what happens when you go there to work and find somebody’s already in your seat and the only free place is at a table full of other people?  If you’re on any kind of a deadline, you still have to be able to tap into that writing frame of mind – and even if you’re not on a deadline, it’s a good idea to act as if you were.

You want to avoid getting to the point where if you miss out any aspect of your writing process then you simply can’t write.  I’ve heard tales of this happening to many writers – if they haven’t started writing by 9am, they won’t get anything done.  If they can’t get to the library, the day’s a lost cause.  If they haven’t got their favourite pen, not one word will be written.  Here’s four quick ideas for ways to avoid these things happening to you.

1 – Try to write at different times of the day. 
I always work best if I can get up in a quiet house, get dressed, have breakfast, then sit down to write.  But it’s so easy for this routine to be disturbed.  For example, my husband tends to sleep late, so I do usually get this quiet time.  But sometimes he wakes up when I do, and if I get engaged in a conversation with him it becomes far more difficult to then carry on as I normally would.  I also travel quite a lot, and if I’m staying with other people and I can’t get in the bathroom first thing in the morning then that can really mess up my process.  And when my normal morning routine is disturbed, however that may be, I find it difficult to make myself sit down to write.  If I do manage that part, I won’t usually be very happy with it when I’m done.  None of this is a good thing.  If you’re like me and always write in the morning, maybe put aside one night a week where you’ll try and do a bit of writing.  Routines are good, but if they become a crutch then as soon as they’re gone you won’t know what to do.  If you’re an evening writer, try an early morning every so often – or if you really hate mornings, make an effort to write a few lines at lunchtime.

2 – Make sure that you try and write in other places from time to time. 
Luckily, because we do travel so much, I haven’t yet become too fixated on my writing space.  But then, until very recently, I haven’t really had one.  We’ve just moved house, and I now have a whole room to myself. I have two big bookshelves full of my favourite books, I have all my little ornaments and mementoes dotted about, and I have a big pine desk where I can sit looking out of the window onto a lovely green park.  It would be very, very easy to become reliant on this room as a writing crutch.  I love it too much to force myself to take the laptop downstairs and work somewhere else for a while when it’s here and available for me, but I know that I’ll be travelling again very soon – I won’t be staying in one place for more than two weeks at a time over the next few months.  If you don’t travel, it’s even more important that you do make an effort to go and write somewhere else.  If you’re lucky enough to be able to write every day, maybe try to mix it up once a week by heading to a different room in the house, or maybe to a new coffee shop.  If you’re stuck in your ways, it will probably be difficult at first.  But keep at it – it will get easier.

3 – Try a different writing format from time to time. 
Since we got our laptop last year, it’s become my very favourite way to write.  Some people don’t like laptop keyboards, but I find them quite nice to use.  It also means that it’s much easier to carry my work around with me.  If I open up my work in progress on the laptop, it’s relatively easy to get on with the writing.  The thought of doing so on my desktop PC is rather less inviting. (I have my folders synchronised so that I can access the files from either computer – and it means they’re backed up as well.)  This is something I need to deal with soon.  At the moment, I would be rather lost if the laptop suddenly became unavailable, and that’s not a good place to be in, so my aim for this week is to try writing on the desktop PC at least once.  But what I really need to do is put in some pen-to-paper time, so that if somehow all five of the computers in my house suddenly die I can still get some writing time in.  So mix it up a little, and play with your writing format.  If you’ve always done things by hand, you might even find that writing on the computer works surprisingly well for you, and if you’re addicted to your computer, you may discover that switching to pen and paper is rather inspirational.

4 – If you must have writing rituals, make them things that you can do anywhere. 
I’ve done quite well at avoiding too many rituals, but the one thing I do feel makes a big difference is having a cup of tea sat next to me (even if I do occasionally forget to actually drink it).  If I’m at home, that’s easy, provided I haven’t run out of tea bags or milk.  And frankly, no matter how urgent the deadline, if I’ve run out of those then that becomes the priority, regardless of whether or not I need to write.  If I’m at someone else’s house, the same applies.  And if I’m in a hotel or out somewhere, then I can always buy a cup if I’m really desperate.  Whatever your ritual, find a way to make it portable.  If it’s about having something particular with you, try and replace it with a similar item that you can fit on a keyring, so that you’ll always have it with you.  If it’s something you say or do, then you’re probably all set. Unless of course it involves a crazy dance which you’re too embarrassed to do in front of anyone.  But if you can avoid these things altogether, then you’re way ahead of me.

There are many people who use writing spaces, rituals and routines to their advantage.  All of these things can be helpful for getting you into the right mindset for writing, and I’m certainly not suggesting that they’re a bad thing.  But it is important that you don’t become too reliant on any of them.  I know that I’m going to keep writing first thing in the morning, using the laptop and sitting in my little room with a cup of tea next to me, as much as possible.  When all of those things are in place, I do my best work.  I know that and I’m very glad that I do.  But I also know that sometimes these things go wrong, so I need to make sure that I’m still capable of producing decent work when I can’t have the ideal.  And that is the important point here.  You need to know what helps you with your work, and you should use those things to get the best results.  But you also need to add a little variety from time to time, so that they don’t become a necessity.  Mix it up, play around, and have fun with it – and you may even find new things to help you along the way.