Newbie Blogger Initiative 2016 - Your Writing Environment
I wrote last September about my work and gaming environment and its role in my day-to-day life. Nine months on I thought it would be pertinent to revisit the topic with regard to the Newbie Blogger Initiative. As writers it is important to have a suitable space for our creative endeavours. Naturally this environment varies from blogger to blogger. Some of us require a place where we can work unhindered and undisturbed, free from distraction. Others can quite happily write in far more active spaces and focus upon their work irrespective of what is happening in their immediate surroundings. To use an old phrase it’s very much a case of “horses for courses”.
Having recently moved I now have access to a spare bedroom that I use as a study. I did initially have plans to create a rather opulent and spacious work place. I considered a large desk with plenty of room for notepads, digital recorders and other writing paraphernalia. I’m also partial to large executive chairs where I can relax and cogitate. However, my grandchildren have put paid to such ideas and I now find myself sharing my office with the twins. The inclusion of two travel cots has made me reconsider my plans and as a result I have built a far more economical workstation.
As a writer, I require a degree of solitude away from noise and people. My new work space provides that. I tend to pull the curtains when working so I’m not tempted to gaze out the window at the rich pageant of life, particularly the wide variety of avian wildlife that alights on Mrs Coltart’s property. My current desk is large enough to accommodate a keyboard, mouse and monitor and not much more. This ensures that I keep things tidy and focus on my work. I still keep a notebook or writing pad close at hand so that any ideas or specific train of thought can be immediately noted down. I tend to plan my blog post in advance and have several in development at one time.
Like most people my productivity waxes and wanes according to the hour of the day. I tend do my writing early in the morning and can sometime find reserves of creativity late at night. I primarily use Microsoft Word to write my blog posts and have a custom template set up for my specific style. Posts are often between 500 and 1000 words and tend to follow a traditional structure of premise, data and conclusion. I tend not to write streams of consciousness and favour a more formal ordering of my thoughts. Again I find that a distraction free environment greatly helps me do this, plan my work and undertake my writing.
Another aspect that is important to my content creation is my chair. Until I recently retired, I worked from home and spent a considerable part of the day working at a desk. Now that I’ve moved, although I will be spending less time desk bound, I will still be writing most days and have therefore purchased a quality office chair. It is one that can be adjusted to provide adequate back support and a suitably healthy posture. Too often this is an aspect of our writing environment that we neglect. Usually our default seat is just whatever is available or most convenient.
Whatever your personal preferences, it is important to find a viable writing environment. It helps in maintaining a regular schedule, allows for more focused and concise content and hopefully makes writing a far easier and enjoyable. Getting it wrong can in extreme circumstances kill your interest in blogging and have an impact upon your health. As ever feel free to leave a comment and share details of your personal writing habits. Do you like the solitude of a den or are you happy to write anywhere you see fit?