I love watching people. I’m fascinated by them.
That’s why I can’t write in public. I’ve tried. I love coffee shops and college libraries, but I get distracted and don’t reach my word count. If I’m collecting characteristics for personality types, fine. If I’m writing a rough draft, nope.
I like to write in my office, a corner of our bonus room. I have a desk and a double window to see what’s happening in our yard. I can begin in my pajamas after throwing a load of laundry in, multi-tasking.
Sometimes, however, I have to write somewhere else. A few years ago while I wrote my third novel, we went on our annual vacation. I released myself from my usual word count. I decided to accept whatever I could write before breakfast as the day’s count. As long as I wrote something, I still moved toward my goal.
A funny thing happened. I wrote a ton before breakfast. Maybe I knew I had only an hour or so to work. Maybe it was the beautiful setting. Whatever it was, my creativity was stirred, and I produced work.
Who wouldn’t be inspired by this scene in the middle of Pennsylvania?
I’ve also noticed when I go away for a few days to write, I can produce a lot of words, too. I’ve attended writing retreats at the beach. With no family or household duties, I could focus only my writing.
North Carolina beaches are the best!
One of my favorite NC places!
I’ve spent time in the mountains with a writer friend.
We wrote in the morning, broke for lunch together, wrote in the afternoon, and then went out to dinner. I wrote a lot then, too. There’s something to be said for being in beautiful places and not having the normal pressures of keeping a house going.
My view out of my bedroom in the NC mountains!
Of course, I can’t go on vacations or retreats all the time, so I’ve learned sometimes I need a new view. I write in my office, yes. But I also move to my back porch and am stirred by the nature I see. I’ve also written in my front porch swing with my laptop.
I captured this rainbow last summer from my front porch.
A change of scenery is good for me, energizing me and fueling my imagination.
Where do you like to write?
About Hope
Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her publications include three novels as well as nonfiction articles. A member of ACFW, RWA, and SinC, she writes for SeriousWriter.com. She and her husband live in North Carolina and enjoy visits with their two daughters and twin sons.
Email:
Address: 15 Lucky Lane
Phone : 501-289-9319
It’s my dream to one day rent a cabin in the mountains near Gatlinburg for a month and simply write. I think nothing would be more inspiring than that!
That sounds fabulous!
Those are beautiful scenes! I think they might distract me more than help. Ha!
I write in my comfy chair in the living room during kids’ naptime.
Ha ha. A comfy chair? I might be napping!
I write best inside but with a view of nature. But we live in the suburbs. So at the moment not much of a view from our bedroom window. But I loved when I went to school in middle of nowhere Virginia and had nature right outside my dorm. I could sit in any building and write with a view.
Yes! Write with a view. Kindred spirits!
Stephen King said writers need a room with a door. My office is right smack dab in the middle of our living room. (We have a den, but that’s where the TV is.) One day, when it was pretty hectic in the house, I had this brilliant idea to set up my laptop in our camper. My husband set it up with full hook-ups (it’s our “guest house,” lol), which makes it a great place to write in peace and quiet if needed. I do prefer working at my desk with my big screen iMac, but the camper works. 🙂
Oh, and North Carolina is one of the most beautiful states I’ve been to, Hope, and I’ve been to 47 of them. Simply gorgeous!
Our tagline used to be (or maybe it still is) “variety vacation-land.” We have mountains and beaches. Hope to see you back here in August!
You could pretend to be anywhere in your camper. I think that’d be a great place!
Since I don’t have an office, I write sitting in my chair in the living room. I would love to rent a cabin in the mountains sometime and just write!
Write wherever you can. Just write! Choose a few close writer friends and make the mountain-cabin writing week happen!
Wow! Simply WOW! Great post.
For me, I have found I write best when I’m in my office surrounded by snoring critters (my furry version of a playlist), Sonic sweet tea, and my laptop. E v e r y time we travel I try HARD to write. And every time I lug home a neglected laptop that hasn’t had even one glimpse of our vacation spot. But, I will persevere! 😉
Thank you, Candace! Persevere, a perfect word for writers! Sometimes if I don’t take my laptop, I write in longhand. Just get the words down!