Blogger: Rachel Kent
I was recently looking through some of my old journals and I found an entry from third grade where I wrote about my dream writing place. I have a feeling that this was a teacher inspired prompt and we had these journals at school at the time. My dream writing place was “under a weeping willow tree with nothing more than a pencil, notebook, and my imaginashun.” I spelled imagination wrong at the time. 🙂
I’m sure each one of you has a place in mind that would be the perfect place to write. Dream a little and share with us where that might be. Would you choose to write at an island resort? Or are you a cabin in the mountains writer? What location would inspire you and make writing a story even more enjoyable? Is there a reason you would pick this spot?
Okay, now back to reality. When I actually do write something–like a blog or a poem–I am usually at a desk either at the Books & Such office or at home in my office. I do think I’d be able to stretch my imagination better in some exotic location, but I don’t have that opportunity every day. Where do you write on a normal day? Are you satisfied with that location?
If your dream spot and your everyday spot are totally different, I suggest you try to bring a bit of that dream spot into your writing area in some way. If you aren’t like me and can keep a plant alive perhaps adding a plant could add happiness to your everyday location. If you are like me–with a black thumb–a framed picture of your dream might work well to inspire and relax you while you write.
I’m excited to read about your dream and everyday writing places! 🙂
Photo from ourlittleacre.blogspot.com.
Fun post, Rachel!
My dream writing spot is on the beach, under the shade of an umbrella. Unfortunately, I never bring my laptop to the beach (too much of that salty sea and sand grit flying around) but I do bring a good old notebook once in awhile. 😉
In reality, I write at my desk–no ocean in site. Love the idea of adding a picture though!
Technology and sand don’t mix too well but it sounds like an amazing place to write–especially if you have a nice warm day at the beach.
My round, antique, 60 inch sapele (ribbon mahogany)dining room table looks out into our lush green back yard. Blackberry canes are loaded down with thousands of blossoms, announcing the impending arrival of… purple fingers and lips. An aging willow tree dips down to shade the old sand box, long since abandoned for bikes and soccer fields. A forest guards the rhubarb and raspberries and makes room for a tiny stream to meander down through the neighbour’s yard.
My dream spot? I don’t know, but my real spot is just fine for now.
Sounds beautiful! You are lucky to have a gorgeous spot right at home!
Beautiful description, Jennifer. It sounds like a great place to contemplate.
you’ll see it when you come visit!!
We ususally eat lobster in the dining room, more space for elboes and flying shells.
I totally still have some of my writing stuff from elementary school too. Even came across a few stories I had “published” (you know, with a colored piece of construction paper as the cover and bound with one of those black spiral things). Ha.
My ideal spot…I think a cabin in the woods. The temperature would be cool but not too cold. I can’t write well when I am cold (I’m a Phoenix girl, what can I say?). And I’d sit out on the back porch in a comfy chair, with the trees surrounding me and nothing but the sound of birds chirping and water rolling (yes, there would be a stream nearby).
At home, I have an office but rarely use it. I’m not sure why. Maybe I prefer to have my computer on my lap when I type? (I usually write on the couch.)
I like your idea to try to incorporate some of those things into my actual writing space. Hmmm…
I have some of those “published” books too! I think they’re at my parents’ house still.
A cabin with a stream sounds very nice and maybe a lack of internet access would help all of us to get more writing done. 😉 Just kidding. I think I’d want my cabin to still have internet access so I wouldn’t feel completely alone out there.
A friend of mine actually has some sort of service where she can turn her Internet on and off (I’m sure I could do this by just unplugging the router…hmmm). But she says she leaves her phone in the other room and turns off the Internet when she writes. I think she’s onto something…because too often, Facebook and Twitter prove way too tempting.
Lindsay,thanks for the comment. My home office is a place I rarely write,too. I feel isolated there. Fav spot is a cabin on a cliff a couple of miles from the location in northern CA where “Same Time Next Year” was filmed. Right now that cool ocean breeze would feel mighty fine.
signed,
Landlocked in Texas (for now)
What a fun post, Rachel. 🙂 My dream spot would include the sound of water–either a nearby river running down a mountain or waves rolling on the shore, but I like to be in the shade and out of the way of bugs. So, either a cabin in the mountains or a balcony at/near the beach are ideal.
Reality usually finds me writing at my kitchen table, in my “project” room or at a coffee shop.
I’m surprised at how many people write at coffee shops. I would get so distracted! It works for a lot of authors though.
Rivers, waves and waterfalls are all beautiful backdrops for writing. 🙂
Fun! My dream writing spot would be a dream office in my own home. It would have a huge fireplace and french doors leading to a patio. I would also have a cappuccino machine in my office.
Nice! I could use a cappuccino machine too. 🙂 I love the idea of a fireplace in the office to write by in the winter with a cup of coffee or tea in hand. Ah! Lovely.
Can I come to your dream office. Mine is so boring compared to that. 🙂
My real life office is pretty boring too. You can borrow my imaginary office any time 🙂
It’s so much fun to find original writings, isn’t it? A few months ago, my mom sent me handwritten copies of my first manuscript from seventh grade, complete with teacher critiques. I had the same strengths and weaknesses then that I have now 🙂
My ideal writing spot is a coffee shop. I love the hustle and bustle of a public place. I have one I write at on the weekends. They have an endless supply of coffee and lattes to help keep me focused 🙂
I love that your mom kept and sent your very first manuscript to you and that you wrote it in 7th grade. 🙂 Moms are the best! They keep all of our “treasures” for us and know just when to remind us of them.
It’s nice that your ideal writing place is a place you can go to every day if you want to.
I would love to have an office surrounded by windows that looked out at the forest. My backyard is very forest-like, and I’m always asking my husband to build me this room. But I admit, I’d be afraid there were people watching me (with all the windows, you know), so maybe I wouldn’t get much writing done after all!.
Lol! I guess you’d need a more remote location to ensure that you weren’t being spied on.
I love this post!
My fantasy spot is a screened porch. It may be a attached to a mountain cabin in the summer, or to a beach bungalow in the winter. I like the screened-in deal because I can be close to nature without fighting with bugs while I write.
If I’m inside because the weather is too cold or hot, I’d like big windows looking out, lots of plants inside, and a fire or a fan, depending on the season.
In reality…I sit in my mom’s double-wide trailer, in an easy chair in her living room, because she’s afraid to be alone now. The TV news, endlessly looping stories about who has killed and dismembered whom, saps my creativity, I admit. But I’m grateful for iTunes and ear buds and for the way God cares for us. Because Mom pays me to stay with her, I have lots of time to write (or comment on blogs, as the case may be) and I am happy to be able to spend these last days with her.
A couple of months ago I bought a zero-gravity deck chair and I put it on the porch. Our trailer is surrounded by huge, glorious trees. Every chance I get I’m out on the porch listening to the birds and writing, longhand in a notebook with a bold black pen.
Sally,
I took care of my mom, too, during her last days. She had cancer and got to a point where she couldn’t move on her own. I’m thankful to God to have been able to take care of her. At the same time, it can get rough emotionally, especially towards the end, so you and your mom are in my prayers.
Thanks, Christine. I appreciate prayers! My mom is still doing quite well. She is not sick with any terminal disease. But she’s ninety and she’s frail and she’s confused and she can’t be left alone.
Your dream spots sound cozy!
I’m so glad your mom has you. You are blessing her with so much by making sure she can stay in her home for as long as possible. And it’s nice that you have time to write and you even get paid for it. 🙂
You’re welcome. Remember to take care of yourself as well as taking care of your mom. 🙂
What a neat post, Rachel. I’ve dreamed of retiring to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and living in a house that provides a view of the ocean thanks to enormous windows. I’m lucky at home too, though, since my office looks out over the backyard. We have woods behind us and I set up my bird feeders there, so it’s a scenic view. On a wall of the home office is a picture painted by one of my clients that reminds me of the Outer Banks, so I’m content–though that dream office of Julie’s sounds nice.
Bird feeders are a great idea!
I’ve never been to the Outer Banks but it sounds beautiful.
Heiterwang, Austria. Nothing to stare at but the mountains but peace and quiet everywhere.
Wonderful!
My dream writing spot would be in a cabin, condo or house overlooking the beach in Rockaway Beach, OR. This has become a favorite family vacation spot. There’s nothing like hearing the sound of the crashing waves and peace it exudes. My second choice would be sitting on the deck of my childhood home in Camino, CA in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Unfortunately, reality is neither exotic or very peaceful. I generally find writing time in coffee shops, restaurants, the library or my kitchen table. I’m not satisfied with any of these locations but they are what work right now and some days I can’t argue with the production.
Oregon beaches are so incredible! I love the dunes and the morning fog.
My family is going camping up near Camino this next week. I’m not able to join them but I wish I could! They’re going gold panning.
That’s awesome, Rachel. Camino will always hold a dear place in my heart. Besides being where I spent most of my childhood years, the area is just so beautiful. I’d trade a lot to live in the house we had built.
Too bad you can’t go. Good thing you have a good imaginashun. You can pretend you’re there, plucking big old nuggets from the stream. 🙂
I love seeing other writers’ writing places. Wish more writers shared their spaces.
My dream writing spot has always been on a green hillside in Italy overlooking the Mediterranean. Lots of olive trees and beautiful flowers. Pure peace. I’m either writing or reading, maybe even painting.
My second best is on the beach writing as my husband and son play in the sand. That would just be plain awesome! 🙂
Italy! What a wonderful, inspiring place.
I love the beach idea too! Sounds sweet, romantic and inspiring all in one.
My dream location…since it would be a fantasy and therefore not include ADD issues…would be at a lake or beach, out on a deck. A deck with electrical outlets for music and a coffee pot within reach. And a mini fridge. And the perfect chair and table that would never hurt my back. LOL. And no internet connections.
In reality, I write on the couch in my living room, cramming in words in the evening before my family decides it’s TV time, after the day job and dinner. I’ve tried to write outside to avoid the tempting call of Twitter, but then I start noticing the length of the grass, the weeds in the flower bed, the birds hanging out on the fence, the squirrels that chase them… I am a walking “shiny object” magnet.
Probably my dream spot SHOULD be one of those PODS you can rent. Just a box with a door…punch some airholes. I’d be much more productive. LOL!
I’m so glad your dream spot isn’t one of those rental PODS. That doesn’t sound dreamy at all!
I like your fantasy location and I’ll take one of those chairs too.
There’s a distinct difference for me and it’s relative to what I’m writing. If I’m simply blogging, I’m just fine at the kitchen table or in my office. If it’s more serious work (as in a book) I write only in “binges” – i.e. several consecutive days, and tens of thousands of words at a time, and I go away to be alone. It requires total, uninterrupted privacy, and I prefer the weather to be cold and rainy. How wierd is that?
No, that’s not weird. Binges and rain are both good, I think.
I know of a few “binge” writers. It works well for some people. And I guess rain forces you to stay inside so it might be helpful in that way. I personally love the sunshine and rain just makes me want to sleep so it doesn’t help my productivity.
It’s not weird to prefer rain when you write though!
I enjoy writing in my backyard. I’m blessed with a beautiful yard thanks to the efforts of a former owner-landscaper. But, I need to clean out the pond and get the waterfall going again.
In April I combined a speaking engagement with a mini-writers retreat. I stayed at a cabin B & B on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. The cabin is located on a working farm, just blocks from the beach. I wrote to the sounds of sheep, goats, hens, etc. The setting was gorgeous.
Sure hope I’ll be invited back to speak in the area again. 🙂
A waterfall in the backyard sounds heavenly! I hope you are able to get it up and running soon.
My dream spot would be among the redwoods with a little stream trickling by. In reality, the beauty would distract me!
My real writing spot is much more productive, with a roomy desk in a quiet room (when the kids are at school and the dog is napping), with plenty of cabinet/shelf space for my research materials and notebooks, and a tackboard for inspirational items like maps, photos, and my goal sheet – nothing more inspirational than a deadline 🙂
Your real spot sounds very functional…as long as the dog is sleeping. Silly Daisy!
Your dream spot sounds amazing. I wish that I could take my laptop to the redwoods to do my emails some days. Armstrong Grove is only 20 minutes away. Unfortunately they still haven’t installed WiFi up there. lol.
Fun! My ideal writing spot is any place where there is majestic beauty and not a soul in sight. Just provisions, my journal, iPad, Bible, somewhere to squat. LOVE!
Doesn’t sound like you are too picky! God’s creation is amazing.
My office with the big window next to the desk where I can see lovely trees would be my ideal place if only it would stay neat and those piles of papers would magically file themselves. 😉
Ah! We are allowed to dream today so allow yourself to imagine those papers filing themselves.
You are blessed to have a beautiful view!
I agree with the cabin, but I’d be in the loft, looking out over the woods with cappuccino in hand.
Lovely! And you can avoid bugs by staying indoors. 🙂
I am fortunate to have a dedicated writing room in my house. It has everything I need to be productive and little to distract me.
Ideally it would have plants, but with no direct sunlight and the lights not being on enough hours a day, it’s a luxury I’ll need to live without — at least until I start writing full time, thereby giving my plants enough artificial light to thrive.
You should try one of those little bamboo decorative plants. I have one that I got at the fair four years ago and it’s impossible to kill. They don’t seem to mind dark places or being over-watered all the time.
Love this post!
Normally, I write on my couch when my son is either napping during the day or down for the night. How boring is that?!
However, now that it is summer, I write in the mountains of Truckee. My husband’s family has some land up there so we go camping nearly every weekend during the summer months. Now that my son can walk, my husband takes him to the lake and I sit outside in the crisp mountain air, coffee cup nearby, and write my little heart away.
As we drive around Lake Tahoe (I live about 15 minutes from Tahoe) on our way to Truckee, I always get excited because I know that I am going to have such a peaceful time writing in the quiet (excluding last Sunday when the largest bear I have ever seen in my life decided that he was just going to sit in our camp for a bit)! It is the best.
Wow! You’re so blessed! You get the dream writing location all summer long. 🙂
I’m so glad the bear left you alone. We had one explore around our tent in Yellowstone and it nearly scared me to death!
I was scared to death, believe me! Nothing gets the endorphins pumping than that!
My dream writing spot is on a deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean. My real writing place is my desk in the dining room. My family moved recently and I left behind my little office (aka writing “shed”). I miss it, but am thankful for the space this house provides for my family.
At least you still live close to the ocean! It’s beautiful down where you guys are.
I love weeping willows! They’re usually near water, too, which adds to the beauty of the scene.
My dream spot: sitting in a wooden rocker with a simple, yet comfy cushion on a wooden porch attached to a mountain house with views of pastureland for horses and gardens, edged by trees and more mountains on the horizon. Or sitting on a moss-covered rock by a quiet stream in the mountains. Or writing (dictating?) while hiking through the mountains. Is there a theme here? 🙂
My reality: Usually propped up in my bed, listening to soft breathing from my sleeping baby while my preschool son giggles with my husband in another room (or while my son naps, hah). Sometimes those are only 10-minute writing increments, but I’ll take what I can get! It’s not too bad of a reality spot, really. 🙂
Thanks for the fun opportunity to read everyone’s dream writing spots!
You had me with the weeping willow. How about anywhere I can be alone without interruption??? Love my family, but they love to suck me out of my setting. It’s like going through a time warp when they do. So in the end, my best spot is in bed, with a notebook while everyone else is asleep. Then, I type-edit the next morning in the kitchen. My dream spot would be in a cabin, by myself, with the rain tapping steadily on the roof.
I’m taking care of my elderly parents right now so my dream place is anywhere quiet because I hear all the game shows (mom) and police dramas (dad) at full volume. My room is upstairs so I hear the TV whether it’s early in the morning or late at night. I have to admit, I’ve written a lot of wonderful, and sometimes sentimental, stories that flow into my keyboard while living with my two hard of hearing parents. I usually write on my laptop in the living room on the couch because my parents like the company. I sit on my bed with lots of pillows behind me in the wee hours during those wild inspirational moments.
My dream space would be anyplace I can sit comfortably with a mild breeze, a great water view (preferably a mountain lake or high on a mountain overlooking the ocean –like Santa Barbara or Monterey, CA?) with a chai misto and a bowl of my favorite fresh fruits to nibble on.
Thank you for asking such a thoughtful question!
Carole Avila
Posse Member
Oh Carole, the TV.
The TV.
It’s the bane of my existence. I sometimes fantasize about taking a sledge hammer to it.
Ear buds. With hymns or classical music. They are lifesavers.
I too have to sit in the living room so my mother doesn’t get lonely. She talks to me sometimes and I can’t hear her, but eventually I see her lips moving and I take the ear buds out and she happily repeats herself. 🙂
I just got back from a few days on the Oregon coast. I tried sitting on the deck and writing, but I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the screen. The waves were just too hypnotizing. I write in a variety of spots–I get bored easily. Coffeeshops (have iPod, will concentrate) or at home in my bedroom, living room, kitchen table…pretty much anywhere but my messy desk.
I had this exercise in middle school also. I remember writing about a room that resembled a tree house only bug-free and impeccably clean.
Later, I coveted a writing space in the attic of an abandoned mill. I was up there once and it has the best views in town. A great space with perfect light.
Now, I just want a little space all to myself. I don’t want to share even a atom of air with anyone else. I crave solitude. Even as I write this little missive, I have my 83 year old mother and my 4 year old great niece within a two foot radius. They both need attention. Yes, I’d take a phone booth as my writing space as long as I would be assured that I’d be alone in there. Actually what happened to all the phone booths? Are they available on the cheap somewhere?
LOL no four-year-old niece for me. I shan’t complain about my mother and her TV again.
Some of the dream writing spots in these comments sound downright incredible. Italy? A beach? I actually spend every day in a dream spot. I’m blessed to live on a working farm with rolling green pastures, horses, and lambs playing in a nearby field. My dream often evokes “oohs and ahhs” from those who visit.
I know that I am very fortunate, and I keep it ever mindful. However, my dream writing spot is one where my teen doesn’t come in to show me her lastest photographic masterpiece. It’s one where my other teen doesn’t come in to stick an iPod earbud in my ear to hear her newest favorite song. I guess the little one wouldn’t exclaim, “Mommy, the cat threw up!” Yet my writing dreams would be worthless to me without my wonderful family.So, my dream writing spot is one that includes all the things I love, even if it means a laptop on a card table.
Actually, I’m going to my dream writing spot in a few hours. 🙂 🙂
A friend of mine has a cabin in the mountains beside a gorgeous river, and she lets me stay there fairly often. (SWEET!) The haven is cute and cozy, the scenes are unbeatable, and it’s as close to heaven as I can get with my feet on the ground. I’ve found so much inspiration there.
When I’m not at the cabin, I write wherever I am–as long as a TV isn’t on. (Otherwise, I end up either writing words I hear or get distracted and start watching the show. lol)
I hate to be cliche, but I love to write anywhere and everywhere! which is what I do actually. I love writing at my home office, after hours at my work office, in a coffee shop, as a car passenger, etc. It doesn’t matter.
But since this is a “dream” writing spot. It would have to be where my current novel is taking place. So since I am currently writing about Germany…it would be overlooking the city of Munich or the gorgeous Alps or sitting in a Christmas market. 😀