I wanted to start my writing blog off with a post about writing spaces. I just revamped my desk and bought some new organizers for it, so it’s a fitting post for what I’ve been trying do with my life and with my writing at this time.

Currently, I’m working on editing a WIP I wrote for NaNoWriMo in 2016. Draft three is in progress for July Camp NaNoWriMo, and it had me feeling messy, unorganized, and unprepared. How could there be so much left to do? I’ve already written the whole book for goodness sake!

I realized that part of my feeling of general chaos was stemming from my writing space. I’ve saved you the horror of a before picture, but imagine for a moment: piles of unopened mail, dusty knick-knacks, stacks of binders and notebooks, cups and cups of pens and pins and paperclips. My bulletin board was a haphazard collection of printed writing prompts I never used faded to illegibility by the sun. Wires and chargers for electronics were running everywhere. I couldn’t sit down without feeling stressed, so I took to writing in bed.

The problem with writing in bed, my friends, is that you get too comfortable, and eventually stop wanting to write. (At least, I do.) So, this week I buckled down and tackled the Herculean task that was cleaning my desk.

Some goals I had:

• Clear the clutter
• Keep frequently used items within reach
• Keep the space flexible for multiple projects
• Keep some items for inspiration

I think the main thing to keep in mind when remaking your writing space is that you want to keep the things you use, and get rid of most of the things you don’t. I went through my pens and threw away the dried ones. I got rid of most of my random notepads and post-its in favor of one dispenser that has only a few colors. I got a letter tray and a small bookshelf and rearranged the knick-knacks I couldn’t bear to part with. My bulletin board was stripped bare and then re-tacked with the papers relevant to my current work, and my electronics cords were trimmed down to only the ones I need every day. The rest of the clutter either got trashed or sorted (neatly!) into drawers.

In the end, I spent the most on the little bookshelf ($25 on Amazon). The rest of the organizers I bought came from the Dollar Tree (I am a HUGE fan of the Dollar Tree, guys). And now, I have a space that is comfortable to work in–even enjoyable to be in. And, my two cats were terribly pleased with the newly unearthed territory to explore.

Maybe for you, the perfect writing space is a lot more minimalist than mine, or a lot more cluttered and surrounded by books and inspiration. Hell, maybe your perfect writing space isn’t even at home–plenty of people write best at the cafe or library. Find what works for you and do what you need to do to make yourself want to be there, because ideally, you’ll be spending a lot of your time in that seat.

– Ember