Contact

Podcast

Blog

Portfolio

Speaking

Services

Write Your Book

About

Home

a number-one best-selling author, success and book coach, and speaker on a mission to help leaders use the power of writing to uncover their unique stories so they can scale their impact.

I'm Stacy Ennis,

Hello there!

5 Tips for Setting Up a Writing Space

follow @stacyennis

I'm a number-one best-selling author, success and book coach, and speaker on a mission to help leaders use the power of writing to uncover their unique stories so they can scale their impact.

Hi, I'm Stacy

WritingRoom

My writing space has shifted a lot over the years. It’s grown and changed right along with my life and business.

In the Dominican Republic, I wrote on my bed, mostly because the bedroom was the only room with air conditioning. I could hear the street sounds of Santo Domingo rise up to our fifth-story dwelling each evening as I worked: the call of the fruit vendor, the horns honking. I also brought my work to the jungle, the forest, the beach—basically any and everywhere we traveled.

In Vietnam, I worked at the long table in our living area, with a sweeping view of Ho Chi Minh City visible through a window to my left. I ventured to coffee shops at times, but it usually wasn’t worth the hassle and expense of taking a cab.

In Ohio, I worked in a tiny one-bedroom apartment. There were no doors inside, except to the bathroom and laundry. My $20 IKEA desk was set up in a corner of the living room, and I designated that space as my “office.” I used an uncomfortable wooden chair that had been given to me when I was a baby. My business was growing quickly and I was in graduate school, so I spent a lot of time there.

Now that I live in Idaho, I have the immense fortune of an office with a door that closes. I can still hear the bustle of the house—my daughter laughing (or screaming), my husband on the phone, the blender, the UPS delivery person ringing the doorbell—but it’s a big step up from my bed in Santo Domingo.

This is all to say that I’ve gone through a lot of situations that have forced me to work with what I had. Granted, I don’t have the challenges many others do (multiple children, a deployed or traveling spouse, or a difficult home environment), but I do have some solutions that you might be able to modify to fit your life. Here are five tips for setting up a home writing space. I’ve peppered in some great advice from Twitter and Facebook comrades, too.

#1 Claim your space

If you’re lucky enough to have a room available—or mostly unused—claim it. If you have a spare room, why not convert it to an office? Your once-a-year guests won’t care that your desk is in there when they stay at your house (for free, I might add).

If you don’t have a room open in the house, claim a spot. Set up writing hours so your family knows that the dining area is off limits every weekday from 2:00 to 3:00 while you write. I used to have a “desk in a box” and a mobile filing system, so all of my essentials could be packed away and then taken out when I needed them.

If neither of these options will work, get out of the house. Coffee shops are usually good places to work. Keep trying new spaces until you find the one that is just right for you.

Here’s what @Kirsten828 says about picking the right space:

Screen Shot 2014-04-18 at 9.20.31 AM

#2 Switch it up

I get bored working in the same space day in and day out, so I regularly move to work in new spaces. Coffee shops, the backyard, and the living room couch are all places I work relatively frequently. If you’re finding your writing space isn’t quite right, maybe you just need to switch up your surroundings for a bit.

You might also find that certain environments are better for different types of writing. I enjoy being in a busy place while I write magazine articles but prefer quiet and the outdoors while I blog.

#3 Invest in yourself

Ask yourself what you need to be a productive writer. Headphones can be a good start, but what about a nice note pad, good pens, or even a few desk organizers? When I set up my Idaho home office, I splurged on some nicer office essentials—like metal pen, paper and mail holders rather than the cheap plastic ones—because aesthetics are important to me, and a beautiful space helps me feel at ease.

An office chair can carry a bigger price tag, but it can be well worth it. Even a new desk can make a big difference. I found a great L-shaped desk at Office Depot for just $270, and my chair was only $99 at IKEA. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a nice setup. (And don’t forget you can write all of these off come tax time, so save your receipts!)

I love this idea by @aj_irving:

Screen Shot 2014-04-18 at 9.43.47 AM

#4 Get support and establish boundaries

When I started my business several years ago, my husband and I sat down and talked.

“I am going to give this a good try,” I said. “I’d like to give writing everything I have for six months, and then we can reassess and see if I need to make adjustments. I’m going to need your support as I do this. But this is important to me.”

He agreed, and he’s been a phenomenal support to me since that time. As I wrote in my “office” in Ohio, he respected my boundaries by keeping quiet, usually wearing headphones around the house so he could listen to music without disturbing me. He took on extra housework so I could get projects done and even read and critiqued the vast majority of my early paid work. Now that we have a sweet, opinionated toddler, he takes on much of the parenting load so I can pursue exciting business opportunities.

Who can you ask for support? If you have a spouse, that’s a great place to start. But don’t discount parents or close friends. They all want to see you succeed, too.

#5 Don’t get carried away and forget to write

Yes, a writing space is important. But don’t become so obsessed with setting it up that you put off writing. Get something that works, and start writing. You can improve your space later.

Here’s one way @Amber_Daley sets her writing space up to keep from losing focus:

Screen Shot 2014-04-18 at 10.10.37 AM

 

What can you add? I’d love to learn from you, and I know other readers would, too.

 

Comments +

  1. Donna Cook says:

    Great tips Stacy! I think the biggest thing is protecting your space so it doesn’t get invaded (or maybe I only think that because I live with so many people!). I also decorate my office with things that inspire me: favorite books, photos of my family and beautiful places I’ve been, a framed print of my book cover, and (oddly) a stone tribal head I bought at a garage sale for two bucks.

    • Stacy Ennis says:

      Thank you! And yes, I completely agree about avoiding invasion. I feel like I’m always trying to protect my office from becoming the catch-all for miscellaneous items in our house. The decorations you mentioned sound lovely.

  2. Teresa Walker says:

    Thanks for the tips Stacy! I’m in the process of setting up a spot to write and have claimed my space! Even though my kitchen has a built-in desk and bookcase, the area just doesn’t seem conducive to writing. We have an unused sun room, so I have rearranged the furniture and measured out an area for a desk. I plan to to go the DIY route and use a flat door panel attached to the wall.

    • Stacy Ennis says:

      A sunroom would be the perfect place to write! I wish I were handy enough to DIY a desk. I’d love to see pictures or get an update on how the space works out for you. Good luck!

  3. Thanks for sharing this, Stacy! I loved reading about your experience in Santo Domingo. I’m not a serious writer, but I enjoy it and for the first time in a long time, we have some extra room in our basement to set up a makeshift office. We’ll have to do a little demolition requiring a dumpster first, but once that’s done, I’m ready to claim my very own writing room and make it my own.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

In this exclusive guide, I share industry secrets you need to know before writing your book, including some of my top industry tools and resources.

Don’t make rookie new author mistakes.

DOWNLOAD