Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Space - The New "Writing" Frontier

I read a great blog post today on The Writerly Life called Finding Your Writer's Space. Check it out. Go on...

Blair's post made me think about several things:

The space I devote to writing
The time I devote to writing
The distractions that keep me from writing

I visited a new church this past Sunday (shhhh...don't tell Alex!) and the pastor discussed 1 Corinthians 7:25-39. Something Paul said really hit home...and has been haunting me ever since Pastor Mark said it out loud: "I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible." 1 Corinthians 7:35 NLT

As few distractions as possible? Did Paul have any idea what it would be like to live in a world of cell phones, TV, the Internet, blogging, Facebook, 60-hour work weeks, traffic, etc... Everything is a distraction to me these days. My laundry. Dishes in the sink. A new book. An old friend. Squeaks.

After the sermon, I was in a daze. Have been since then. What are my distractions? Are they keeping me from serving the Lord to the best of my ability? Try answering those for yourself. Not easy.

Most of you know I have been working on a Young Adult novel. The tides have changed and now I have to write it. God is urging me to share my main character's story. So writing her story is a way for me to serve. But that means I actually have to sit down. Write. Not fuss. Not dilly dally.

My writing space at home is a combination home office and library. It is not ideal. PLUS, I have another furry distraction.

Wish I could be that happy about MY belly...
But I'm done making excuses. It's time to write. I'm not going to think about the mess in the closet or the pile of laundry. Those things can wait.

If I had magic lamp with a genie, this would be the best writing space on the planet - It's Laurie Halse Anderson's Writing Cottage. Me = jealous.

So...ask yourself:
What are my distractions?
What is my ideal writing space?
What am I going to do to eliminate the distractions and write?

4 comments:

Tanya Cunningham said...

I wish I had a little hideaway to write in as
beautiful as that little cottage. My distractions
are really too many to count. Mother of three
year old and 19 month old, need I say more??
I am resolute to continue with my current
WIP this week. I don't like to leave a story
on the back burner too long. Thanks for the
great post and reminder. :)

Flea said...

I sometimes wonder if my ADD self will ever find a place free of distractions. My own mind distracts me. *sigh*

Heather said...

Tanya - wouldn't it be lovely to have a cabin in the woods like L.H.A.'s? Ahh...the beauty. The peace.

I totally understand about the distractions. I don't have kids and I have too many distractions to count. If I added kids to the mix I would probably mumble catatonically like Goldie Hawn in "Overboard". You can do this, though. ALL things through Christ.

Heather said...

Flea, Flea, Flea... You have a book to write. Look at it like a project. You love projects. You are smocking a story - weaving together words so the world can delight in them.

Now scoot. Write. Quit looking at the chickens!!