I’ve been incredibly blessed in that my husband not only can support both of us but he wants me to stay home to work on my writing. I was able to quit my day job in the spring and focus on writing full time.
But after quitting I still struggled with writing because I didn’t have my own space. My books were spread across every room in our apartment, and my desk was the unused kitchen table. My reading corner was right in the living room, and I was constantly distracted.
Author Virginia Woolf famously wrote that “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” My wonderful husband supports me so I don’t have to worry about working outside of writing, but I still needed my own space so that I could truly have the freedom to create.
If you don’t have a dedicated writing space, it’s just too hard to create.
If you can’t retreat to a quiet corner, away from people and distractions like housework, writing and true creativity will be hard to tap into. You’ll constantly be pulled in different directions away from your work.
If your desk is in the kitchen like mine was, the dishes will be calling your name. If your reading chair is in the living room like mine was, the television will be tempting you behind that book you’re holding up. And if your husband is sitting on the couch, mere feet away from you like mine was, it can be so hard to focus on that story in front of you.
But all of that recently changed. This summer my husband and I bought our first house. It’s a bit bigger than our apartment, and has a fenced backyard where I can sit outside with my dog. Most importantly, it has an extra bedroom that we turned into my library.
My husband built and set up my shelves for me, even getting out an engineering computer program to map out the room and where the shelves should go. From start to finish he has supported me and made my dream come true with this library.
I love the way it turned out. I have room for all of my books, my writing notes, and my craft supplies. I can put all of my mugs and knickknacks and the little things that inspire me among all the books. And just having my books all in the same place is amazing.
In the short time that we’ve lived here, this library has already become my favorite place in the world. I spend almost the entire day in here, reading and writing and hanging out with my books. It’s even become my dog’s favorite room, and I’m constantly catching her sitting in my reading chair even when I’m not in the room.
I plan to use this dedicated writing space as my creative haven. I have all of my books and everything I need to be creative in this lovely room. It is my safe space, a place free from distractions and the outside world. A place where I can connect with God and create for his glory.
I know it’s not realistic for everyone to have a whole library room, and it took us years to be able to do this. But I think that everyone who wants to create should create a room of their own, even if it is at the kitchen table or in the living room.
Do your best to limit distractions. Gather everything you need in order to create into one space. Claim your space.
Write.
Create.
How have you created a room of your own or some kind of dedicated writing space?
