The Importance of Having a Designated Writing Space

I love to read about how other writers work.

And it’s not only how they write that I like to know, but where they write.

This includes what country they live in, the climate, who they live with and where they go to write.

And a common thing amongst successful writers is that they all have a designated space where they do most of their writing.

For many it’s actually a physically, detached space like a shed or a summer house. For others it’s a room in their house or even just a desk in a corner.

Some writers prefer to write away from home.

Jeffrey Archer, the British novelist and politician, wrote all his books while away on holiday for a few weeks at a time.

Maya Angelou rented a hotel room to write in and it was always the same room in the same hotel.

Rachel Aaron found she could increase her writing speed from 2,000 wph to 10,000 wph (words per hour) by going out and writing in a coffee shop and always in the afternoon.

Writing daily is a habit (if you let it become so) and having a designated writing place is like having a trigger to start writing, so that as soon as you get to your writing place, it puts you in the mood to write.

At home I write either at a table on the deck (if it’s nice weather, and it usually is) or at a desk in the annex room at the back of the house.

I also find I can write more when I’m away from home, either at the park or in the library.

Writing at Home

If I stay home to write then my space must be distraction-free. This means no internet. So I write with a pad and pen which also makes my mind feel more creative. I then type up my work on my writing computer which is a Mac Book Air which is easy to carry and I use it only for writing.

Writing Away From Home

This is so easy to do because where I live we typically have good weather all year round so sitting outside to work isn’t a problem. I can also sit in the library if it’s too hot or rainy.

And although there’s a lot of noise around me when I’m out, it’s not distracting because no one is wanting my attention and when I’m busy writing, no one disturbs me.

But no writing can get done until I actually sit down and get to work.

And having a regular place to write makes it easier because I know where I have to go and my mind switches to work mode as soon as I sit down.

Stephen King in his book, On Writing, espouses having your own place to write, preferably and room with a door that you can shut.

But usually, for me anyway, as long as it’s my usual writing space, it works.

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Many Distractions = No Writing

The last 3 weeks has been full of distractions so I’ve haven’t done much writing.

Usually I have no time for weak excuses like this for not writing, but these distractions were huge.

You see, our house is having a new roof put on. And not only is the roof being replaced over the house, but it’s being extended out to cover our huge deck too, because previously only part of it was covered.

But this has meant putting in extra supporting posts in the ground and more roof trusses over the deck, plus installing insulation and an outdoor ceiling.

So much work.

So much noise.

So many builders.

So much filth.

This also meant that me, my husband, and our greyhound, have had to leave the house all day every day.

Last week we even went the whole hog and moved out and stayed at Coroy Country Cottages, which was a superb place to stay on 97 acres with miles of walking tracks. Poor Banjo’s paws have been worn down a lot. :)

Anyway, it didn’t leave me with much time to write.

This week is better because although they’re still here, the builders are outside on the deck and not on the roof so no dirt is raining down inside the house (did I mention how sick & tired I am of cleaning up the mess every night?)

But my time wasn’t completely wasted because I used some of it to make a few writing plans. It’s amazing what you can do with time to think.

At first I kept trying to get some writing done every day, but with two others in tow it wasn’t possible.

Nor was I really in the mood.

So if you find yourself in a non-writing mood, don’t fight it. It’s not worth it.

Instead do what I did.

Get out your journal and start writing about what’s happening, what you wish was happening, and what you’ll do once you’re able to write again.

And hopefully, like me, you’ll be so happy to be back sitting at your writing desk, and that it feels like you’re on holiday because writing is such fun, especially when you haven’t done it for a while.

Now all I need is to get a proper writing desk…

How to Write a Successful How-To Ebook

So often I see writers think that to write a great how-to ebook, all they have to do is write about how to do something.

Wrong.

For a how-to ebook to be successful (and by that I mean it sells well and is popular) it must contain these three essential things.

Topic.         Your ebook topic must have a hungry market. It must be a problem that people are already trying to solve. So first find your market and see what problems they are having. Then let your ebook be the answer.

How-To.    The big mistake that most how-to ebook authors make is that they forget to explain the how-to. It’s no good just talking about how to do something, your ebook must explain the exact steps that the readers need to take.

Pitfalls.     Not only do your readers need to know how to do something but they also need to know what could go wrong and how to fix it when it does. Otherwise they’ll stop at the first pitfall and say that your method doesn’t work.

So before you write one word of your how-to ebook, make sure:

- that there is a market for the information that you’re providing

- that you are providing a step-by-step guide

And

- that you warn them of what could go wrong and how to fix it.

Just by including these 3 things will ensure that your how-to ebook is better than most.