Monday 8 August 2016

Newbie's Corner: A Room of One's Own Part One, A Writing Space of Your Own



with Sharon Burke

Image courtesy of Giphy
During May, I attended the Sydney Writers' Festival and went to a session called “A Room of One's Own”. Three fiction writers and members of the audience discussed this quote from an essay by Virginia Woolf: “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”.

The words “a room of her own” were thought to have three meanings: the need for authors to have their own writing spaces, the imaginary world an author enters when he or she creates fiction and the world readers inhabit when they read fiction.

These interpretations of Virginia Woolf's words will be the subject of my next three blogs.

Cassandra recently wrote about the writing spaces of BITB members. Her article started me thinking more about writing spaces. Why are they so important to authors? Do they help us in our creative work? What can we learn from this?

I've written fiction and non-fiction for many years using a shared family computer at a shared desk. Some of my writing has been published so I know I can write effectively without having a private writing space but, despite this, for many years I've craved a writing space of my own. The writers I know treasure their writing spaces or really wish they had one. Having your own dedicated writing space seems to be a goal many writers share.

Maybe having our own writing spaces helps to foster our creativity. The shared space I used for over twenty years never meant as much to me as having my own laptop and roll-top desk. I could never make it my own.
                                                                             

Perhaps this relates to research findings from the world of office work. Efficiency experts promoted open plan offices in the 1990s and hot-desking in the early 2000s. Such arrangements improved communication to some extent, but to the disappointment of many employers they inhibited creativity. Studies such as those of Craig Knight (2010) have found that personalising your workspace fosters creativity. Having your own writing space allows this personalisation to happen to a degree than is possible with a shared space.
                                                                           


Think of the great writers who have had their own writing work spaces:
Jane Austen had her own writing table.

Laura Ingalls Wilder (of Little House on the Prairie fame) wrote on an esquiterie (writing desk) her husband had made as she travelled by wagon across the USA.

One of the writers at the Sydney Festival referred to a famous portrait of Charlotte and Emily Bronte – one is sitting on a chair, the other on her bed – both are working at their writing desks.

Do you have a dedicated writing space? Is it important for you to have one? What have you done to personalise it? Do you think your creativity improves when you use this space?
I love to love: My husband's great grandfather owned an esquiterie. It has recently come into our possession. Its beauty fires my imagination – what was written at it so long ago?
                                                                             


I love to laugh: I watched the Chaser's Election Desk on ABC iview the other night. It was hilarious.



I love to learn: I recently watched the 1970s TV series “Against The Wind” for the first time in 40 years. I'd love to learn more about life in Ireland during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
                                                                              

12 comments:

  1. Sharon, I came across that hot-desk in a Sarah Morgan romance recently. Until then it was a new concept to me. I guess having a room or desk of one's own is a bit like nesting: as you sit down and turn the computer on, you're 'coming home', creating your creativity, so to speak, putting yourself into writing mode, ready for action, surrounded by your own visual and tactile writing prompts, notes, inspirational what-evers.... I love the idea!

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    1. That's fascinating, Malvina. I've never read a romance novel involving hot-desks before. I agree with you about nesting. When I feel relaxed and "at home" my creativity can flow.

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  2. Hi Sharon. I love my writing room! Surrounded by books and files and whiteboards and a heap of interesting 'stuff' I've collected over the years, I feel like a real writer when I'm in there. I think you need to 'own' a space to do your best work there.
    After seeing your photo, I now have esquiterie envy!

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    1. Thanks Marilyn. Your writing room sounds awesome. We feel so lucky to have the esquiterie. We are planning to get the felt lining replaced and to have the outside polished. The concept of it being used so long ago fascinates me.

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  3. Hi Sharon. I think we are fascinated by other authors work spaces. I look at it as a safe place for writers to work. Having to share a space means others can interrupt an authors thoughts and creativity. Being able to close a door and immerse in your writing would be more productive to my mind. My writing desk has for many years been in a corner of my bedroom and although there is enough space for me to work I can't always have it at my disposal as my husband is a shift worker and is often asleep in there. As my children have started to leave home and go off on their own, space in the house is becoming available and the dream of having my own writing space is closer to becoming a reality. I can't wait to see if it helps in my creativity. I am certainly looking forward to furnishing it.

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    1. Hi Cassandra, that sounds exciting! I hope you post the photos of your new writing space to this site so we can all share your joy in your new writing space.

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  4. Great post Sharon. I think it's important to have your own space to write. I am lucky enough to have a study in my house where I have my own computer and work area with all my "stuff." Only down side is there is a spare computer my kids and husband use so there is often interruptions. But, I've worked out that if I put ear plugs in and pretend not to hear them when they talk to me, they leave me alone... That sounds terrible I know and I don't have to do that often. They usually respect that I need to write... ususally.

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    1. Hi Karen, I know exactly where you are coming from. I wrote my chemistry books when my children were young - not easy in a shared space.

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  5. You know, I think I may be the opposite of conventional here...
    I have an absolutely lovely writing space...a beautiful American oak writing desk with dark chocolate chestnut bookshelves surrounding me, a sliding glass door looking out into my amazing gardens and the playful birds, but I've found myself getting more done sitting on the back deck with my back to the garden than I do in my own special space. Maybe, just maybe my writing space is too lovely. ;-}

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    1. It sounds absolutely beautiful, Dee. It's fascinating how beauty can help foster our creativity, but can also act as a distraction from the writing task at hand.

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  6. Hi Sharon. I have a writing desk in a separate room lined with bookcases filled with lots of books. I have inspirational pictures on the walls too. It is great and I am lucky to have it but, like Dee, I find my creativity needs isolation without the distraction of beautiful surroundings in order to get the stories out. I think it's a matter of focus for me. Also, unlike many people who find music inspiring, I need silence in order to think. Everyone has their own unique writing ways, I think.

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  7. Thanks for sharing this, Enisa. It's interesting how different all of our responses are. Your writing room sounds beautiful.

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