I’m actually sitting in my favorite writing spot at home as I write this blog. Granted, my apartment is pretty small so I don’t have a lot of spots to choose from, but I like the little area I’ve carved out to be my writing.  It’s a small desk next to a tall bookcase housing my writing craft books, binders full of old drafts of my manuscripts, and a random purple hourglass. The wall in front of me is a kaleidoscope of colorful post-its and index cards along with a hand-drawn map of the world from my first novel.

But what I love most are the personal touches.  Hanging on the wall directly above my desk is a sign my mom made for me that says “Create.” It’s made out of cut pieces of a yard stick my grandpa used in the JCPenny store he used to manage. I also have a picture my first ever writing friend drew of me on my first book tour (hopefully a premonition of future events).  But perhaps most precious to me are the letters my mom and dad wrote to me telling me how proud they are of my writing and how inspired they are by my passion for it.  Those letters keep me going when it feel hard to continue or that the story just isn’t there anymore.  I’m incredibly blessed to have so many people who are supportive of this dream I’m pursuing to be a published author. I want to constantly be reminded of that as I write.

Do you have your own special writing spot in your home? If you don’t, here are a few tips to creating your own inspiring corner of the world:

  1. Find a quiet space. My desk in is a corner of my guest room, where there is no TV. And it’s not facing a window. Now, if my window looked out on a beautiful landscape that might be different. But all my windows look out onto a parking lot where lots of distractions lurk, so I make sure my desk is facing away from the window.
  2. Add some color. I find that lots of color gets my creative juices flowing. And there are actually studies that show certain colors lend themselves more to creativity. Yellow, for instance, is a great color to awaken your imagination, so look for some yellow decorations, or get a yellow stapler! Whatever your heart desires. I also have bits of purple mixed in since that’s my favorite color.
  3. Keep it clean. I have found that the more organized I am, the less anxious I am. Protect your writing space from clutter by picking up after yourself each time. Go crazy on buying desktop organizers and keep them within arms reach so you have no excuse to not put things away. In my experience, clutter distracts me. I start thinking about how uncomfortable it makes me to have paper strewn about and a pile of dirty dishes on my desk instead of focusing on my writing projects.
  4. Fill it with inspiration. This can come in many forms. A lot of times I have pictures I’ve taken in parks printed out and hanging on my wall so I can just look up and see the type of world I’m trying to create.  The pictures give me a starting point for imagining new worlds. But maybe you’re not writing fantasy, but contemporary fiction about the owner of an ice cream shop. Print out pictures of ice cream cones and hang them up! Whatever you think will inspire you, plaster it all over.
  5. Be ready when inspiration strikes. Within reach I have pens, pencils, marker, index cards, highlighters, anything I might need while I’m brainstorming, outlining, or writing. I want to be ready to jot something down as soon as the idea strikes! And the less moving I have to do the better I am at staying focused. Also, I recommend having a dry erase board, bulletin board, any type of board you can put index cards on and easily move them around. I also have moving tape I used to tape index cards to the wall.
  6. Remind yourself. Put up reminders about why you’re writing. If you don’t have letters from people like I do, that’s okay, you don’t need that. What made you fall in love with writing in the first place? Write that on an index card and tape it at eye level. Or print off some of your favorite quotes from authors that inspire you. Don’t ever let yourself forget about your passion.

I’d love to see what your writing space looks like! Shout at me on Twitter with a picture of your writing haven, @LunasLuckyMoon