A Room, A Door, A Lock

I have this wonderful, little book titled Rooms of their Own: Where Writers Write, by Alex Johnson (illustrated by James Oses), and decided to make that the theme for this meeting. Then synchronicity kicked in and I happened to click on a video in which Stephen King spoke of that very topic: "Like your bedroom, your writing room should be private, a place where you go to dream." It seems like he also once said a writing room needs to have one thing more than anything else, and that is a door you can lock.

A WRITING ROOM! Yes! And why shouldn't a serious writer have a special space dedicated only to his or her craft? It seems that having a consistent time and location for writing helps condition the writer to be productive. Going to this certain place, at a set time, signals the brain that it is now time to write.

Writers are, by nature, wildly creative beings on the one hand, but this wildness, this creative fire, must also be grounded. Reading over this book about where writers write, I find that many wordsmiths are creatures of habit and routine. Does the word "routine" conjure images of boredom? Does it somehow imply a lack of spontaneity? Au contraire! It instead opens the door to freedom. It gives the creative person a safe space in which to spread their wings.

Another wonderful book, and one I've found immensely helpful on a practical level, is Atomic Habits, by James Clear. This book points out that systems and habits are the friends of productivity. They eliminate the dreaded "decision fatigue" that plagues busy people. That is to say, without systems and habits, we must each day rework our schedule. We must spend time and energy deciding when to do everything: when to write, when to exercise, etc. It's exhausting, and can be eliminated by adopting a more consistent schedule.

I can hear detractors objecting, proclaiming, in very righteous tones, oh, but that just isn't how life works! Things come up, you know! Shit happens! And yes, this is true, but do you really want to be primarily controlled by things coming up and shit happening, or do you want to be in the driver's seat? I know this is an oversimplification and a general principle, but it's worth considering.

I started off writing about rooms in which to create but got off topic because I'm just sort of winging it here. A room in which you will not be disturbed is vital to the writer's craft. And yes, I know it's important that the serious wordsmith be able to produce work anywhere, under whatever grueling circumstances he finds himself in, but the room and the schedule conditions the writer's mind. Then when the writer finds herself in some odd circumstance, she is still able to produce because she has spent so many hours in that room training herself. Does this make sense? Let me know. Please feel free to comment. Please join the conversation so I'm not just talking to myself in a closed room like a lunatic. Which reminds me of a favorite quote:

"Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing." -- Margarette Chittenden.

Some writers prefer to work not in a room at home but in a cafe or coffee shop. I often do this myself for a couple reasons. There is something about the open space and the ambient noise that helps me to focus. Also, I feel less "on call" when in a coffee shop than at home. At home, I'm constantly available. Anytime my puppy dog wants to play, she comes into my office and lets me know and really, how can I say no?

Okay, now I'm not just off topic but downright rambling. Bottom line: writing is serious f'ing business, so let's treat it as such. Carve out time and space for it in our busy lives. Make it a priority. That said, I'm going to go off and stare at the walls for a while.