Find a Nook to Write a Book
A Whole Office or a Mobile File – Be Creative About Writing Space
Oct 11, 2009
Some authors can write a book anywhere: at the kitchen table, propped up in bed, or curled up on a sofa with one eye on the kids. (Or in a busy cafe, as JK Rowling did while penning the first Harry Potter book.) Others can write only in an organized space, and preferably in near-silence – which can be an impossible dream in a busy family home.
The good news is that it's possible to carve out a writing space from just about anywhere. The amount a writer can afford to spend will have some bearing on the result, but it's surprising how much can be achieved just by thinking creatively. And after all, that's something that writers do all the time!
Before looking at various options for the 'writer's office' (no matter how small) it's a good idea to look at what has to fit into the space available. There are plenty of space-saving storage solutions around to store a writer's bits and pieces, but if the computer itself is bulky that's going to affect the layout considerably. If it's time to update hardware, then a laptop computer is the way to go. This can be attached to a full-size monitor and keyboard if desired, but is compact enough to fit into the smallest writing space. A desperate writer can snatch it up and escape to a friend's house or the library.
Once the hardware is organized, start looking at places to write.
1. Be Creative With Available Writing Space
if peace and quiet is important, then the main bedroom could be a good place to establish a writing nook. A laptop computer can be set up on a narrow table against a wall, but that's not the only option. Sometimes a section of a built-in wardrobe can be re-purposed as a writing space. A home handyperson can fit a set of concertina doors that fold back to reveal a writing desk and shelves.
Other compact writing spaces can be squeezed in under stairs or in a corner of a dining room.
2. A Place to Write Outside the House
If the hunt for space inside the house proves to be unproductive – either because there's no space, or it's too noisy – then take a walk outside. What are the possibilities there? You could try:
- Sectioning off part of the garage – or even taking over the garage completely and banishing the car to the driveway!
- Requisitioning all or part of the toolshed. (Roald Dahl is famous for writing in a drafty old shed with a rug over his knees to keep him warm. Granted, that doesn't sound too inviting, but with some basic renovation even an old shed has possibilities.)
- Buy a second-hand caravan and fit it out for writing. A caravan can make an ideal writing space. It's self-contained; it can easily be connected to household power, and it even has a bed for catching a few zzzzs!
3. Create a Mobile Office
Even if there's no room for a permanent desk and chair, a creative thinker can adapt. The main requirement for any writer is reference material (thesaurus, dictionary, writing magazines, reference books) and much of this can be kept on a computer anyway. Put any necessary folders and books into a mobile file (such as a set of plastic drawers on wheels); add a folding table and chair, and a writer can set up anywhere in the house or garden at a moment's notice. When writing is over for the day, it's easy to pack up. Now you see it – now you don't!
4. Browse Catalogues and the Internet for Office Storage Ideas
There are plenty of creative storage solutions available for any small space. Do a search online for office storage ideas, and look at kitchen storage solutions, too – most things can be adapted for more than one use. Then take a look around the house to see where they might be set up. Compact storage units can be tucked away in surprising places.
Sometimes it's not easy to work around family and space limitations, but it's certainly not impossible. Anyone creative enough to write for a living is certainly creative enough to find a place to write!
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