How To Create A Perfect Workspace for Writing

Where do you like to write? Where do you feel the most comfortable, and the least distracted? Do you like it dark and womb-like, or open and bright? Do you decorate your office with family photos or movie posters? Where do you do your best work? 

Clearly, your mood can vary depending on your surroundings. Generally, writers like a fairly quiet space to work where they won’t be too distracted. If you work best in a clean, organized, uncluttered environment, make sure your workspace reflects that. 

I went online to check with members of the many screenwriting groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. They're all free in case you're interested in joining. One is called Zero Draft Thirty, one's called 1 Page a Day Screenwriters, another—Screenwriters Who Can Actually Write. 

Many of the group members told me they try to limit distractions by leaving their cell phones in another room while writing. Some like to work in complete silence. A few have been known to soundproof their workspaces. Others use special software that keeps them from surfing the web when they're supposed to be working. 

Some prefer to work in silence, others want a pot of coffee nearby, some may need to smoke. Some like to write on a laptop in their kitchen. A few said they like to work on their kitchen counters. Other just like the proximity to the refrigerator. Oddly, one mentioned that the gentle hum his refrigerator emitted had a soothing effect. 

While one writer preferred his office uncluttered and quiet, another said he liked loud rock music playing. Many writers told me they liked having the TV on, and some preferred clutter—explaining it made them feel they were getting things done. 

One screenwriter I talked to said she liked plenty of room in her office so she could act out a scene as she was writing it. A writer/director mentioned he occasionally videotaped himself acting out a scene so he could transcribe it later. Another liked to talk the story out with his cat. Similarly, one said he talked to the disembodied computer voice of his Amazon Alexa, asking her to play smooth jazz, or when he needed to work faster—to set a timer. 

While it helps some writers to walk around or talk out their scenes, others find it helps to gaze at a beautiful view. Several writers mentioned that they liked to look out their windows at a body of water. It was a calming influence that helped them center, and focus. One writer liked the view of a lake. Another, the Atlantic Ocean. A man who worked as a swim coach in another incarnation liked to write with a view of his swimming pool. 

Another writer said she had a special setup for writing horror films. She’d sit in the dark, burning graveyard incense, with only Christmas lights on—and dark music playing. Her favorite music for the task—Marilyn Manson or Dead Can Dance. 

She liked to call this space her portable altar of death. She said it also completely freaked her out. It was so intense she’d have to undo the setup after she was done writing. The dark energy that came with it troubled her. She wanted it gone when she was finished writing. After she was done writing she said she burnt sage and prayed. 

Some of the other members liked to brainstorm in one location, for example, in a rocker, a barber chair, a La-Z-Boy, on the floor, or in the car driving up the coast, stopping to admire the view. They’d text or email themselves the work. Then they’d do the actual writing on their computers back at the office. 

I know I like to write in longhand first, generally on the bed in the other room, then type it up back at the desktop. I move around a lot during different stages of the writing process. I always print up the scene and take it somewhere else to pencil in changes—usually in a noisy place—sometimes with the TV on and music blaring. Then it’s back to the keyboard. 

I’m not sure why I like to have that wall of sound while I write. At some level, I’m sure it has to do with the occupational hazard for all writers—not wanting to feel so alone. Come to think of it, the combination of the TV talking heads and the loud music feels like working in a bar. 

Another thing about the office I like to work in—I like it dark and womb-like, with the fan on, and maybe a small window open. I like to be surrounded by cool stuff. I have some artwork, some photos of my family and friends, and of my dog. I have an Egyptian stone cat with marbles in her eyes that light up when the fireplace is crackling. 

In the end, no matter how you’ve set up your workspace, no matter if you have the most beautiful antique desk, or just the right music, or the perfect view of the ocean, you still have to actually sit down and write. The environment you set up is like a stage, a container for creative thought. Hopefully, it will inspire you to do your best work.

David Silverman, LMFT, treats anxiety and depression, especially in highly sensitive individuals in his LA practice. Having experienced the rejection, stress, creative blocks, paralyzing perfectionism, and career reversals over a 25 year career as a Film/TV writer, he’s uniquely suited to work with gifted, creative, and sensitive clients experiencing anxiety, depression, and addiction. David received training at Stanford and Antioch, is fully EMDR certified, and works with programs treating Victims of Crime and Problem Gamblers. Visit www.DavidSilvermanLMFT.com.