It’s no secret that Virginia Woolf is one of my favorite authors. I use a Virginia Woolf tote bag every day just to prove it! Her fiction works are like poetry on the page and she so richly explores the human consciousness. But I also love her nonfiction. She’s so powerful and poignant in her essays that I hardly find myself disagreeing with her.
One of the first nonfiction essays I read of Woolf’s was A Room of One’s Own where she argues that:
“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
VIrginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
In the book, she paints a narrative picture of why women need to have money and a room of their own to write. Because women can and should write.
Woolf tackles some bitter realities too. No person, but no woman especially, can make art when they are hungry, when they don’t have a place to sleep, when they are in danger. That’s why you need two things: money (to live and be self-sufficient) and space of your own.
In one sense, this argument paints a picture of a high society lady of means, in a great big day room, sipping tea, eating cakes, and writing all day long in pure luxury. On the other hand, I think it can be much simpler than that. It’s much simpler for me! It’s about having a space of your own and enough money to supply your passion, your art. And for a millennial like me, that means a desk of one’s own.
My goal was to make a space at home where I can work. I know writers who love working at coffee shops so they don’t become distracted by their own house and the chores they have to do. For me, it’s just not always practical to leave the house when I want to write. Firstly, I’d have to drive at least ten minutes to get somewhere, and secondly, it seems like a hassle. Not to mention, my laptop needs an outlet to function. So that’s why I felt like I had to make a place for myself at my house b
So in the spirit of A Room of One’s Own, I moved my desk from my bedroom into the middle of the living room. Why? Because I needed a defined workspace. My bedroom is for sleeping and dressing; it’s not the right environment for writing. I designated a small space that is for work. And just that simple act of creating an area for work has transformed my focus.
It may seem trivial and simple but it’s not. You need your own workspace. Wherever you can carve out that space even if it’s a table at a coffee shop, a corner of a library, or a picnic bench in the park. In this modern age where we are constantly moving around, always busy, we sometimes need to tell ourselves, “When I’m at this place, I’m working.”
Depending on your art, you might need more or less money to supply it. As a writer, I’m lucky that I only need a laptop and some paper and pens to write. After reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, I was inspired to not burden my art (my writing) by requiring it to make me money. Both Gilbert and Woolf argue that we need money to live. So as I work my day job to pay the bills, I will continue to live my passion in the hours in between.
It all really came together when I moved my desk into the middle of the living room and I placed my small, white wood desk in front of a window. The combination of natural light, a pleasant view, and a comfortable environment (temperature-wise) was a simple yet transformational act for diminishing distractions. I already had the desk and just placing it in an optimal space gave me inspiration. And I’m happy to report that the inspiration hasn’t stopped yet.
So all you really need is a desk of one’s own.
What about you? Do you have a designated space to work where you live? Can you work from anywhere? I’d love to hear how you focus on writing at home!
Happy Writing-
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