First Choice: Where to Write?

One of the first questions you need to ask yourself as an aspiring comedy writer is: Where do you want to write?

Not “Where do you write?” or “Where can you write?”.

Where do you want to write?”

Caveat Corner

If you get the feeling, that you need to have optimal conditions to be able to write, that is absolutely not true. My aim with this part of the book is to get you to think about your writing environment and make it as good as you can right now.

It’s always better to start with what you have and gradually update than to wait for the right moment with the right equipment. Because you might discover that writing with a pen is simply better for you than having the newest Macbook. Or that you need your family yelling around you for you to get your creative juices flowing.

So start right now with what you have and make it as good as you can. But concentrate on writing, not optimizing your workspace.

That said:

Optimize your workspace

If you already have a place where you feel comfortable: Perfect.

If not: Where do you want to write?

Bahamas. Funny. Never heard that one before.

Also the question isn’t exactly about the right writing conditions. It’s about the place that makes you want to write.

I personally need a place where I get bored. That’s my happy writing place.

Now think about what you might need in order to work in peace and how you can achieve that. Is your ideal writing place at your local library? Do you have a coffeeshop that let’s you sit down and write for a few hours? Could your gym membership finally pay off because you never go there but they have a cozy bar where you can plonk down with your notebook?

Or is there an unused attic space? Can you just sit down at your kitchen table and write in peace?

I can’t give you an answer to these questions but I can offer you some guidelines on what is important to do once you have chosen your writing space.

Don’t muddy the waters (if you can)

When I still worked from home I used to get back from shopping or getting the mail and because my writing table was the first horizontal space in the apartment I would put my stuff on there. Mail, gloves, money, scraps of paper… And stuff would accumulate on my desk.

In the beginning it was easy to just write around it. It was just one corner of my desk. What harm could it do?

Well… My writing desk simply wasn’t inviting anymore. Too many distractions on it. My desk became a place like any other in my life. Not the place where I would write and get stuff done.

So defend your writing space.

Keep it inviting.

And what inviting means for me is a clean desk with my writing utensils ready to go. If for you that means having plants on your desk and a teddy bear and a huge cup with “Best dad! Just kidding!” on it… Perfect!

Just don’t muddy the waters when it comes to your writing space.

Again: In my mind that’s the ideal setup. A designated writing space. But work with what you have. YOU are important. Not your tools. The tools are there to help you get more work done.

Advantages

Pre-Loading the choice of your writing space offers a lot of advantages. Like falling asleep should be anchored to your bed, you should come to associate writing and being creative with this place.

You won’t have to think about where to write when it comes to write. Your Tiny Habit anchors will all be there.

Your friends and family will come to respect that place as your place and your time to yourself.

Your writing tools are already there waiting for you to be picked up. It’s just makes sitting down so much easier. And sitting down is half the battle.