If I have to pick an undesirable part of being a writer, it is the fact that you need to have serenity to focus on what you do. Like other creatives, I can’t produce the best work if there is noise (read: my screaming toddler) or when I am tired from all the housework. Sometimes, I have to wait for that writing spirit to come to me. So there you go, freelance writing it not just about having the time to write.
Instead of complaining, I dreamt of having my own space. Hence, I converted my son’s room into a mini-home office. The smallest that you can imagine. Think Japanese. I needed a space where my kids know they can’t disturb Momma once she shuts the door. And then, I wanted more. ..
I no longer want a home office but a whole mini-house! Okay, it started with a plan for a rest house and I demanded to the husband to include a gazebo where I can write there. Writers have been having their own huts or sheds from Mark Twain to Virginia Woolf. You see, we writers transport ourselves to a different place when we write..just like meditating. And when we get disrupted, it can be a start of a crisis. When I’m in the middle of writing and then my son knocks, I ask for forgiveness but I really lose my temper. Good thing, he knows the drill now, even my terrible two-year old.
My writing shed doesn’t have to be plush like those modular garden offices designed by the Dutch but I wouldn’t mind having them. I can settle with this..
A little far from the typical hut but I just need a place where no one will disturb me except for the breeze and the crashing waves. It doesn’t have to be in front of a beach but I want to be with nature because it’s great for the eyes.
For my writing shed, all I ask is a sturdy table and an obstructed view for me to “write” my mental notes. I don’t like those closed sheds. Some writers like it but I think I am claustrophobic. So maybe a large glass windows?
And oh, silence..yes, that’s what I need now.
Curious about the writing sheds of famous writers? Here is a nice blog to read.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/famous-small-offthegrid-worksp-140587