I have never had one writing space. For me, writing is fluid and I move around a lot in the spaces I choose in which to write. I really like going to interesting local coffee shops and have often thought about finding a new place each day to write. But that doesn’t really work in the grand scheme of things.
Right now, I move around in my house a lot. I used to work all the time in my office, but then my husband started working from home and I kind of got kicked out! Now, I roam the house and it annoys my family because I’ll leave behind artifacts of my work — loose papers, books, pens, manuscripts… it’s almost as if I’m marking my territory (Don’t get in my SPACE!).
I work in the living room a lot — it gives me inspiration to be surrounded by my book collection. My daughter color-coded the hardbacks and behind them are ALL my paperbacks, alphabetized by author!
Sometimes I will work outside but not often, even though the weather in Arizona is so beautiful.
As far as a routine goes, I don’t have one. I go in fits and spurts with writing fiction. I also work as an editor and most days that work takes precedence over the work I really want to do, which is writing books. But, I figure when the time is right, another book will come. I just said this the other day about my writing process: “Writing is like an old friend who doesn’t visit often, but when she arrives I welcome her with open arms, ready to listen!”
Stephanie Elliot is the author of the young adult novel, Sad Perfect, which was inspired by her own daughter’s journey with ARFID, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. She writes for a variety of websites and magazines on topics such as parenting, eating disorders, mental health issues and epilepsy. She is also a book reviewer and editor. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband and their three children. For more info, visit stephanieelliot.com.
