One of the perks of being a writer is that you can write from anywhere.
Also, there are no hours to clock in, so you can write anytime.
But when you can write anywhere and anytime, where and when do writers actually write??
There are plenty of picturesque ideas. Readers like to imagine writers cozied up next to a fire, or sitting in a back booth at a quaint coffee shop. I’ll admit, I like the sound of those! As a matter of fact, I’ve written from both a coffee shop (usually my local Panera Bread) and next to a fire (on a lovely writing retreat with some of my best friends).
But if I’m being honest, that’s not what ninety-nine percent of my writing looks like.
I’m a mom of four kids. We homeschool so my kids are with me all day every day. Oh, and did I mention our latest adventure?? We’re currently building a house on land, and living in an RV on our property.
So coffee shops and fireplace sessions are few and far between.
Where do I write?
At the kitchen table. Outside while watching my kids play. At the park. In the car while waiting on a kid to get out of an extracurricular class. Sitting on my bed.
When do I write?
Whenever I can find a few minutes. I spent a number of years waiting to have time to write. But the truth is, time was never going to present itself. So I find ten or fifteen minutes here or there. Maybe my kids are watching a show, or they happen to be playing well together for a little while. I write when they’ve gone to bed, or if I’m able to get up before them. Sometimes I write on the weekend when my husband is home with them. Occasionally (very occasionally) I have a babysitter so I can get some work done.
It’s not glamorous, but it’s real life. And it’s much better than waiting until it’s the perfect time to start. There’s no perfect time. And there’s no perfect place. The when and the where aren’t as important as the what.
And what do I write?
The stories that keep me awake at night. The characters that fill my thoughts while I’m going about my day. The books that God has laid on my heart to write.
That’s why I find the time and the place to write the words.
Have you wondered where and when writers write? Where did you expect that to be?
Hannah Jo Abbott is a wife, a mom of four, a homeschool teacher, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. She loves writing stories about life, love, and the grace of God. She finds inspiration and encouragement from reading the stories others share. Hannah lives with her husband and children in Sweet Home Alabama.
I expected writers to write wherever they can really.
I never thought about it but probably at a desk in their home.
I use to write a lot growing up. I also did a creative writing badge I Hired outs one year. I had so much fun with it too.
Then I made up stories about things I went through. Now I journal to God everyday.along with answering Bible study questions and so on. Talking to God is like talking to a friend.
I found this motivational as I am struggling to prioritize my writing. It took me 20 years to complete my first book because of fear and thinking that I had to have the perfect writing schedule. Now, I find myself getting mired down in the same mindset as I start on the second book. You definitely gave me something to think about and aspire toward.
To be honest, I never really gave much thought to WHERE y’all would actually write! I guess when I did, I imagined it at a desk somewhere, maybe an actual office, or maybe just the kitchen table. I grew up using manual typewriters, that quickly went to electric, then to computers, so I pictured authors using typewriters, and some using paper and pen, just because they’d be more comfortable and portable, in the days before home computers and laptops! I know of a few authors that only write in their offices, but I know of more that are like you, and writing from wherever they can!!
I haven’t really thought about it but maybe at a desk at the library where it’s quite
Places I’ve written: in bed, standing at my dresser (conveniently just the right height!), in my recliner, at the kitchen counter, at a picnic table beside a quiet lake or bubbly stream, and (most often) on a TV tray in front of the window in my grandgirls’ bedroom. Also, I love laptops, but that might be obvious… ;)
Hi, I imagined writers writing at their desks at home. But you know I used to write poems and when a line would come to me which was just whenever and wherever , I stopped doing what I was doing and wrote the line before I forgot it. A couple of times I would be just laying down at night and a line came up and so I would get up and write it. You sound like a very busy lady and you still make the time to write , God Bless you and your family may friend. Have a great week and stay safe.
Its interesting I guess I hadn’t thought about it a lot but probably thought it would be at a desk like when you watch tv (Jessica Fletcher in Murder She wrote) it was on a type writer at a desk. and others its with a pen and paper at a desk. So I guess I would think at a desk or even on a chair with a laptop.
I always picture authors writing in nice, organized quiet rooms with lots of light which only used for their work. A fantasy, I know but…
I used to handwrite scenes during lunch and break time back when I had a normal job. After our son was born, and I became a stay-at-home mom, I wrote while he was at preschool and then school in a corner of our living room. I took my laptop to basketball and baseball practice. And the pickup line at school since I usually got there early, so I could get near the front of the line and sat there 20 minutes before it moved 5 days a week.
Now, our son is grown and working. I have an actual office. I write at my desk, or on the wicker couch in my sunroom. The setting is more relaxed now. But I think I was more productive back when I had to snatch time.
I’ve seen a lot of authors posts about where they write. Some do go to a coffee shop or Panera type place to get away from home, but most of the time it’s at home in an office or dining room table/living room, etc….either surrounded by family members or alone. Some also write while at their kids sporting events or in the car waiting for their kids to get out of school or done with a game or some such. Or any number of places too. Writing isn’t always a glamorous job, but as long as the writer can find their own “groove” and set aside time to do so, then it’s productive. :-)
If I were a writer, I’d want my own office/ room space with no distractions. That way I could get into the “zone” & really focus on the story.
I have heard from many writers as to their writing as well as their schedules. They are as varied as the stars in the sky. I am sure that it is a bit challenging being in the trailer with the kids, homeschooling as well as trying to write. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
Some stories I expect to be at a desk or a comfy chair & there writing different things to make the story interesting. I sit on my couch & am relaxed when I write. I get ideas from camping & being outside then write it later. I think all authors do it different but it can be ideas that they get going out & write it later.
I think a lot are from ideas they see or even get from people who send in ideas for books. All authors write in different places but it really depends on where they feel comfy.
Not really lol as long as they keep writing <3