Where's the Best Place to Write?

When I moved to the city to start a new life after my divorce, I splurged and bought myself a special writing desk. It has the look of an old drafting table with a matching swivel stool. Both the desk and the stool can crank up and down depending on what height I want to position myself at or if I want to sit or stand. The desk reminds me of my dad’s drafting table—the place where he created all kinds of cartoon illustrations and artwork for advertising.

I associate my wooden drafting desk with winsome creativity, the kind I saw in my dad when he worked at his desk, and I use my desk as a tool to spark creativity in me. I keep a box of crayons and a basket of colored pencils on this desk too. They remind me of the giant set of markers my dad always had on this desk, and they tell me that I’m an artist when I write. 

Having the perfect writing desk isn’t required in order to write. I’m just as able to write in a busy coffee shop or outside by a lake in Northern Wisconsin. In fact, mixing up the places where I write can be a great way to inspire fresh creativity.

But having a particular place where you write day after day can serve as a powerful trigger in your brain. When I sit at my drafting table, my brain knows it’s time to write. I feel more creative because of the positive memories and associations my brain instantly makes when I sit there.

I have another desk in my in-home office. This one is utilitarian. I use it every day for my client work. When I sit at this desk, I’m all business—deadlines, Zoom meetings, invoices—all the day-to-day stuff to make a living. When I’m ready to focus on the art and craft of writing, especially memoir, I sit at my drafting table.

My work-week desk could serve double-duty for my personal writing; it’s a luxury to have two desks, for sure. But when I bought the drafting table, it was an act of prioritizing my writing. I wanted a tangible symbol that writing is important to me; that it's a major part of the new life I'm creating for myself.

How about you? What’s your favorite place to write? Do you have a special desk or chair or space where you feel most inspired? 

Want to learn a few more tips for getting started as a writer? Grab a copy of my free, "7 Tips to Get Started Writing Your Life Story."