You have a deadline looming and a blank computer screen staring you down. You’ve already written five other articles on the same topic–this week–and you have nothing fresh to say. With the clock ticking, your eyes dart around the room, looking for any spark of creativity. There’s a dirty smudge on the white wall, but there’s nothing inspiring about that. The abandoned cup of yesterday’s coffee is more skeevy than motivating and that mess of paperwork isn’t exactly making your skirt fly up.
What if you could create an inspiring writing space to keep your creativity flowing? Of course no amount of décor is going to put words on the paper. But there are ways to carve out a nook that will help you stay motivated, focused, and imaginative.
Dedicate a Writing Spot
As article writers for hire, we pride ourselves on being able to work from anywhere. You can find us tapping out words at the local coffee shop, the front seats of our vehicles, crammed into corners of our guest rooms, and amid the clutter at the kitchen table. A change of scenery can be nice once in awhile, but a dedicated writing area is a must for a professional writer. Whether it’s an entire office or a desk in the family room, claim your space and adopt a Sheldon Cooper level of possessiveness for your spot. By setting up a space for the sole purpose of writing, you’ll not only have everything you need at hand, you can also trick your brain into productivity. Pretty soon, every time you enter that space your brain will know it’s time to get the words flowing.
Display Your Motivation
We all write for different reasons. Some of us do it to pay the rent, to send babies to college, to afford the next vacation, or out of passion for the art. Whatever your reason, put your motivation on display in your writing area. I’m not saying to frame your electric bill, but a photo of your family, that house you are saving for, or the beach you are hoping to relax on next summer might do the trick to get you moving when writer’s block pops up.
Banish Clutter
Disorderly spaces lead to chaotic thoughts. Since we want our thoughts to arrange themselves into complete sentences and orderly paragraphs, your writing space needs to be tidy as well. If the creative area does double duty as an office, use an inbox and a filing cabinet to keep papers corralled. Ban bills and other stressful things, like letters from the DMV and those massive envelopes that insurance companies send, from the creative space.
Bring in Energy
To encourage thoughts to flow, we need to bring energy and life into the writing space through color and art. Start with an inspirational color palette. Orange and yellow are both happy, lively colors, while blue represents creativity and green promotes growth. Then, add in art and fill the space with thought-provoking images. Display paintings you love, family portraits, and photos from your travels. Visual imagery is an excellent way to conjure memories and feed the imagination.
Surround Yourself with Words
Since words are the heart of everything we do, they deserve a place of recognition in the creative space. Display your well-loved books as well as some of your favorite quotes. A dry erase board is perfect for jotting down newly-discovered vocabulary, phrases you are suddenly obsessed with and ideals that pop while you’re working on something else.
Michelle S prides herself on being a nomadic writer that can work on the go. However, most days you will find her curled in a squishy chair, balancing a cup of chi tea, a laptop and a puppy.
