Creating my writing space

I started writing my first draft in February and actually finished it a few weeks ago. A range of circumstances meant that I had more time to write, however I also felt no barrier to my previous excuse of “not feeling inspired,” or “not having the right space to feel comfortable writing.” I made myself write, whether I felt like it or not, even when I felt as though my ideas were not very good at all. If I felt like my first few pages were really jumbled and nonsensical, I would still persevere, keep on writing, thinking that I will just worry about the editing part later. I tried not to worry about the space I was writing in. I would write in my notebook no matter where I was (often in the sitting room) and once I got started, it didn’t seem to matter too much if the space didn’t have the right “atmosphere” or “vibe” or whatever to inspire me.

For some reason, this all changed when it came to typing up my draft. I have been putting it off for weeks, falling back on those same excuses from before. In my mind, I needed to be typing up my ideas in exactly the right space- preferably a coffee shop or a picnic table in a country park opposite a lake, or some other sort of cliched and pretentious place. And I was all set to do that, told myself that I would as soon as everything slowed down again, as soon as work wasn’t so crazy.

All of those ideals have vanished with the recent closures and the message we were given last night to stay at home, and ultimately ‘where to write’ has been taken entirely out of my hands. Although everything is really uncertain and scary across the world at the moment, if I try and think on the positive side, things have really slowed down and now is the time (as I am sure many of us have realised) to “write that book I have always wanted to write.” No excuses. So, I may as well make the most out of a strange and horrible situation, ignore the nagging doubts and type up this first draft. And the writing space issue- well, I will just have to fix that myself with what I can.

I spent last night tidying up our study. It has recently been a dumping ground for everything from the spare bedroom. We have been decorating the spare room and the study is really cluttered and claustrophobic, with a jumbled assortment of stuff. I sorted through everything, set up my desk with some plants and a candle, and tried to make it as comfortable and “inspiring” as I possibly could. This is going to be my little space for a while. Let’s see what I am able to create here…