I have just come back from a three-months trip away from home. The reason is simple. We live in a very isolated place, and we decided we needed to spend time with people–not chipmunks. I took along my lap-top of course, and worked at a steady rate. It was a very good trip. Had a good time. But we are home, and we are very happy.
One of the happiest aspects is that I am at my own desk, with my own keyboard, chair, screen. When I slipped back into all of this, it was with a sense of great comfort, a comfort so natural, a general relief, that I was able to focus exclusively on my writing, not the chair, screen … etc.
I can and do work anywhere. On planes. In hotels. But I think it is hard to put aside the physical comfort that comes from working at home. It is because I do not think about those that allows me concentrate so well on the writing.
I know folks who work on kitchen tables. In cafes. In libraries. Their own office space. It would be fun to tabulate where we all work. I am not sure it matters where you work, as long as you are supremely comfortable about that space, so that it allows you to do what you do best.
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4 thoughts on “Where we work”
Home is where the heart (of a writer) is. My writing home is in my home, away from new sounds and sights that distract me from letting my mind run free. In my familiar setting I’m not busy looking around, watching someone buy that latte or open their library books and kick back. I’m not busy wondering what they are thinking about, why they came to this busy place to do quiet work.
Maybe it’s my curiosity about the world that distracts me in those busy places. All I know, is that I’m more productive at home, in the quiet, in the familiar. Like you, I find comfort at my desk, surrounded by the cozy workspace I’ve created.
I write best at home, in my office, but I’ve always admired your ability to write on planes and trains and in hotels …
I have tried different places throughout my home but, I always end up on my bed, where I do everything it seems. My dog curled up next to me and a gorgeous arched window to look up at during my “spacey” times.
I write best in my studio (a lovely room in my home) but during the summer months I write in my outdoor studio (a screened in gazebo). I am looking forward to my retirement (from teaching) so I can write full time!