Writer Habits: Writing Studio Shed

I may not have the space for it yet, but ever since I started writing books and publishing them, I’ve dreamed of having my own writing studio on my property. What is it about the tiny secluded space that send writers over the moon? They’re just so completely perfect in their “away from them”-ness. (Yes, that’s a Gilmore Girls quote!)

The one major problem I’ve found with setting up an office inside my house is there are endless distractions. Even if the husband is gone, the kids are gone, the parents are gone, even the cat or dog is nowhere to be found, there are still so many things that can distract you from your work. The biggest thing is household chores. I used to tell myself “thirty minutes of writing and then I’ll get one quick task done around the house to get up and move around. Yeah, I need to stretch! Why not get the blood flowing and be productive?” Sounds good in my head. But in reality, I would think about the task I was planning to do while I was writing, making it impossible to concentrate, then I would start on the simple task of doing the dishes…but as I’m putting the dishes away I’d realize the cabinets need to be reorganized in order to fit everything properly…then I might as well clean out the fridge so I can get the dishwasher loaded completely and run it again…then I should take out the garbage because it stinks of old food…speaking of stink, I should probably scoop the litterbox, give them new food, new water, brush the shedding fur off them, open the windows to air the place out…AHH! By then it’s time to make dinner and I’ve wasted my whole writing day getting distracted by things around the house!

The solution? A fabulous tiny writing studio!

Tell me that little cottage-style shed doesn’t look like heaven to write in!

So what makes up the perfect writing studio?

#1- SMALL SPACE: you don’t want too much space to roam around or fill with things that might distract you.

#2 A GREAT VIEW: What better way to zone out and let the story take over your mind that staring out the window at a familiar, spectacular view?

(If it’s in your yard and there is no amazing view to speak of, try with the best view in the yard at least.)

#3 SIMPLE DECOR: The idea is to not overstimulate the mind with your surroundings so it can concentrate on the story, but that doesn’t mean it has to be white walls, white desk, white chair, white laptop like an insane asylum! Make it cute, pleasant, relaxing, but nothing entertaining! No books, no matter how chic they would look in your writing studio!

#4- A CHARGED LAPTOP: Unless you want to go all out and run electrical to your shed, it will most likely be without a charging station for your laptop. This is a good and a bad thing. Of course, if you’re in the zone and want to write for 12 hours then that might not be the option for you. But I’ve found huge writing periods actually don’t benefit as much as short writing spurts. Your laptop, if fully charged, will for sure last the 1, 2, 4, or even 6 hours you want to write that day!

#5 SOLAR LAMPS AND LOTS OF WINDOWS: Again with no electricity, you will have to compromise on the lighting somewhat. Beautiful sunny days can light the studio if you have plenty of windows. You can even open them and let the warm summer breeze blow through. Heavenly! But on those awesome rainy writing days, a solar lamp or battery powered lamp will most likely be needed. Dress it up and make it as cute as you can to fit in with your relaxing, simple decor.

That’s all I have for dream writing studio sheds today. If you want more inspiration you can check out my writing studio board on Pinterest!

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE WRITING STUDIOS!

 

I will leave you with some of my favorite writing sheds to drool over.

  

 

If you have your own writing studio shed, I would love to see some pictures and hear your story of how you came to have one! Add it to the comments section and share your little slice of writing heaven!