I’ve always had this strange fascination with other writers’ workspaces. What do they look like? Where are they? How do they contribute to creating magic on the page? If I try to copy the life of author so and so, perhaps I will be successful too? 

Or maybe it’s basic voyeurism: how does the other half live? The other half, in this case, are successful authors. 

The Designated Chair

Fellow writers, let’s be honest: at one point or another, we’ve all thought that having a special place to write, a particular spot we go to, will make it easier for us to write. Once we enter that enchanted space and get comfortable in our designated chair behind our designated desk, surrounded by our carefully selected reference books and writing gear, the muse will strike and the words will flow. 

Yeah…no. 

Is it wonderful to have your own space? Yes! It’s awesome: I had a small writing cave on the second floor of our house. It was cozy and crammed with books and writing stuff. Best of all: it had a door and I could close it whenever I wanted. Bye, outside world, see ya later!

I loved it, but was it necessary for me to have this special writing space? 

Day-Job Contamination

Since COVID-19, my writing cave has transformed into my day-job office. As a result, after almost two years of day-job contamination, my cave kind of lost its magic. I associate my cave with my day job now. It’s no longer my happy place. My enchanted fortress of writing is no more. 

I thought I was doomed. I thought I could no longer write because I didn’t have my cave. 

Yeah…no. 

Battle Station 

Enter: my trusted yellow backpack. It fits all my writing necessities: my laptop and charger, my Paperblanks notebook and a pen, and my noise-canceling headphones (by the way: Best. Invention. Ever). That’s it. That’s all I need to write – that’s my battle station. 

I’ve written at our kitchen counter, in the living room, on the couch and the floor, in our garden, at the airport, and even at the pool while on vacation in Italy. With my headphones on and my words in front of me, I am in my enchanted writing cave.

But does the muse strike? Do the words flow? Yeah…sometimes. It depends entirely on me.