A room of one's own

“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” 

So said author Virginia Woolf in her book A Room of One's Own.

These days, most of us will probably have a room ... but the money can be a problem for any writer, let alone just women fiction writers.

Where do you write?

Jane Austen wrote at a spindly little table whose top was the size of a dinner plate. Virginia wrote at a simple desk in a  converted tool shed in the garden that was so cold in winter she could barely hold her pen, and JK Rowling scribbled out the ideas for Harry Potter while delayed on a train.

The places where we write are as individual as we are. Above is a photo of my writing space with a desk we made out of an old door, tacked into a corner of my living room. I face the wall when working so as not to be tempted by the view of the Hauraki Gulf which is to my right. Betsy the cat likes to sit up on the top of my printer and watch me while I tap away. It suits me. Under the desk are files in red plastic storage things and behind me is a set of shelves with all manner of books. I like this space because it gets plenty of natural light and I can spread out. The only thing I don't like so much is it's in the middle of my living room. It would be better, I think, if I worked in a room I could walk out of and close the door on at the end of the day.

But that's a minor problem indeed. 

Finding a comfortable working space is important for your writing. Not only is it a practical necessity (i.e. you really do need a table and a chair, bare minimum) but it's a place you can call your own, for your writing life. Feeling secure in your writing environment will in turn lead to good productivity, which will then turn into money. 

Of course it will.  Having a room of one's own is a good place to start.

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