“My post is less about what I need in my physical space, but more about where I need that physical space to be.

Four years ago, my husband made me this gorgeous spacious desk in my office. I absolutely loved it, and after this picture was taken, it has never looked quite this…organised. I thought it was everything I’d ever wanted…needed.

But… there’s always a but. Through the years little annoyances started to build up. Not about the desk, I adore that desk, but my office shares a floor with my boys’ bedrooms and doesn’t have an actual door. Do any of you know how loud boys (all 20+ now) can be when they’re playing games while I’m trying to work? Next to that, I found myself spending more and more time upstairs. I worked there, had skype chats with friends, and played games (which I got into via abovementioned friends).

Meanwhile, my husband would be on his own (not counting the dog, who also spent most of her time downstairs) in the living room, while I spent more and more time upstairs, especially in the evenings. Having my office, as lovely as it was, just didn’t seem all that important anymore. So, one night, I came downstairs for a drink and mentioned to my husband that I didn’t enjoy how we spent all that time in different rooms, and that I’d been mulling over moving my computer back into the living room. Guess what? He looked up and said, “I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

Within two weeks, we had rearranged the living room, and I had a new desk (we so didn’t want to wreck his lovely desk), a new workspace downstairs.

Now… this desk may not be as large—it doesn’t matter to me how large my desk it, I’ll manage to clutter it up in no time, and I’ll always feel I don’t have enough space. My wall may not be bedecked with inspirational posters, but… I love it here. Even though both my husband and I love spending our evenings doing our own things, we’re in the same room, can talk to each other, show each other things we’re working on, or funny things we see on the net without having to mail each other.

We basically turned our living room into a space we feel at home in, together, whether we’re plugging away at our computers, or watching a film. I’d still love more desk space, but I value the companionship and warmth I feel in this room more.

And it has the added bonus that I’m not in hearing distance of the boys’ loud gaming habits anymore (well… with some exceptions).

— the sofa is where I sometimes sit to do my ‘hard copy’ edits (on my e-reader), and the chair next to the bookcase is my husband’s ‘office’.”

(If you’d like to know what led to Workspace Wednesdays, or how you can be a part of it, read this post.)

“This is my work space. Our house is pretty small and I dream of one day having a dedicated office, but for now I’ve taken over a corner of the bedroom I share with my husband. My desk is in this corner and then over on the wall to my left is my dry-erase board, which I’m thinking of upgrading to a bigger size. I love using it for checklists or reminders or even for plotting out stories, but it’s not large enough to be very useful when it comes to that.

One drawback of having my work space in my bedroom is that when my husband goes to bed, I feel guilty about staying on the desktop and potentially keeping him awake. I often go to my laptop in a different section of the house – the den or the kitchen – to write in those cases, which isn’t very convenient because no other space is as comfortable for me to write in. But, when push comes to shove, I can write wherever I have to. Sometimes I write in silence, but usually I make a playlist for whatever book I’m working on and I have that going on in the background. :)”

(If you’d like to know what led to Workspace Wednesdays, or how you can be a part of it, read this post.)

“Although I can work pretty much anywhere my desk is where I spent most of my time these days.
I’ve been told that these photograms are classic pictures of my work space. When I’m writing or researching my desk, along with most of my space actually, tends to get very cluttered. The stacks of paper, books, and notes pile higher and higher the longer I’m working on something.
Despite the fact I tend to have a lot of paper cluttering my office space and there is a notepad on the desk I usually do all of my note taking, outlining and writing on the computer. I have a gorgeous new Mac Book Air that my sister gave me for Christmas. I take notes and outline on TextEdit and then work on Word for my actual manuscripts. I can and do enjoy typing but I also use voice-to-text programs sometimes especially when I’m tired and then text-to-voice when I edit.
My desk is in front of a window that shows me a small shrub birds like to sit on, and part of the road in front of my house, I like the natural light. Usually when I write, I have music playing or a reality tv show on in the background. One of the things I’ve found is a work best with some kind of background noise going on.
I have my Kindle on my desk too because so many of the books I now own are digital and the little yellow bookcase next to the desk is filled with mostly research books and paper copies of my own books.
I also have a print on my desk of an illustration by Wylie Beckert called the Deadline God. I also have a watercolor still-life of pomegranates an artist housemate of mine gave me for Christmas a couple years ago, and a photogram of my nephew. Plus the huge succulent my mother gave me.
The mug has an amazing, steampunk kraken illustration by Catherine Dair and is now my go-to coffee cup and I also have a glass of seltzer water, which is my usual non-coffee drink.”

(If you’d like to know what led to Workspace Wednesdays, or how you can be a part of it, read this post.)

“Basically, I work in a shed in the garden. The gate goes to the park behind our house which is why I complain a lot about squirrels: they take flying leaps off the tree and use my roof as a trampoline. The view isn’t much, basically of another shed at the, uh, utility end of the garden, but at least I see daylight all day, plus there are birds: robins, wrens, bluetits, coaltits, jays, blackbirds, the occasional parakeet, and lots of magpies.
Inside, we have…a blackboard wall, from the shed’s stint as the children’s playroom; a good chair (vital). My separate monitor is broken but I use a wireless keyboard because laptops are evil for your back. And a metric ton of books, which are primarily Regency and Victorian history, London history, queer history, folklore, Gothic and magic. I suspect you could play ‘guess the author from the bookshelf’ fairly easily.
And that’s the Shed.”

KJ can be found at  https://kjcharleswriter.wordpress.com and on twitter @kj_charles

(If you’d like to know what led to Workspace Wednesdays, or how you can be a part of it, read this post.)

“This is my “workspace,” as it were. ^-^ I think the couch is the only piece of furniture I own that was purchased new, and I’m inordinately fond of it. In order to get in the mood to write, I need to have my butt on said couch, with a blanket, a cup of tea and the internet OFF. Usually there’s also a fair bit of procrastination involved. (Please ignore the glaringly white walls. Can’t paint in a rental, alas.)”

J.K.Pendragon can be found at: www.jkpendragon.com or on twitter @JKPendragon

(If you want to know what led to Workspace Wednesdays, or how you can be a part of it, read this.)

“View of the sunset past the forest, incense burning (usually lavender or patchouli) on the windowsill. I have the angel statue on my desk not for religious purposes but as a reminder of when I made it, when I was younger and more carefree and inspiration came to me as easy as breathing. I have Spotify or Amazon Prime radio playing my 200+song tracks, each playlist arranged by emotions I need for whatever scene I’m working on.

And the coffee, ye gods the coffee. I can’t function without it. At least the mug is clean.”

Allan Jay writes M/M romance. He’s had a couple of short stories published and is currently working on his first novel. You can follow him on Twitter – he’s always got it switched on – @allanjaywrites for the writerly things or @allanj69 for the everyday things. He’s also, reluctantly, on Facebook. He needs a kick up the backside to get writing from time to time, so go prompt him.

So, consider this your official invite. Let me know where you write. Send me a picture or two of your writing spot with a few lines (be it three or thirty–your call), explaining what  you need in your physical space to create space in your mind:
gordon(at)kontext(dot)ca
Anything you can think of. Here are some questions to get you started, if you’re stuck:

• How do you organize your space?
• What tools do you use: books, software, hardware … coffeeware?
• Do you need a great view in front of you? A blank wall?
• Do you need silence, background chatter, music?
• Do you need a specific spot, a desk, a table in the house? Or do you write anywhere? As long as you have your trusted …?
• Do you need different spaces for writing, editing, plotting, …?
• What realities do you have to contend with that limit your space, and how do you work around them?

If there’s other stuff that’s important to you, or that you’d like to include, bring it. This is not a test. There are no right or wrong answers. Let’s get Workspace Wednesdays rolling. And check back here on Wednesdays for your fellow authors’ spaces. Comment, get ideas, share solutions. Help me make this ‘a thing’.

First Workspace Wednesday coming up on January 28th. See you then.