The Writing Environment

It's extremely important to know what kind of writing environment works for you. Whatever other writers might use to get the creative juices flowing might not work for you. If you need the commotion of people, a small coffee shop or café will work. JK Rowling wrote the entire Harry Potter series at the same café in her hometown. For others, reclusiveness is key. Stephen King keeps himself in his office until he gets the amount of words he wants down on his computer screen. Now of course you could think, "These people know what to do! I should follow in their example!" Don't do it! They've realized what it takes to write, and you do, too.

For me, I need to be sitting at a desk (I float between two homes in Columbus and my dorm room in Cincinnati), with a window nearby for the necessary creative daydreams (but not in front of me, that would cause too much distraction), my computer screen, a comfortable chair, and some nice electronic music playing. The noises are just as important as the set-up. If you like working in silence and you have a big family, don't work in the dining room. If you love the sound of music blaring (Stephen King and I both do), make sure you have a radio or use iTunes or Windows Media Player on your computer. Every time you sit to write, the first priority should be to immerse yourself in the writing environment. For me, I love the sounds of electronic music: synth, bass, and natural vocals with computer tampering (it sounds paradoxical, but it isn't). I can't have any of the other genres I like listening to. It just doesn't work for me. Figure out your personal writing environment. It will be very beneficial.