Apple. Amazon. My first book. What do they have in common?
They were all started in a garage.
Writer’s block. It had become the bad friend I couldn’t lose. I grew in my desperation. Every room of my house seemed to offer a new toy, a new task that demanded my attention, a new reason not to write.
I live in the Deep South. The temps are finally becoming bearable again. So I disappeared into the only covered space left in our home.
Step 1: Remove the car from the garage.
Step 2: Groan at how much junk I own.
Step 3: Move a bunch of the junk I own.
Step 4: Sweep.
Step 5: Sweep again. Bonus points for big, hairy spiders!
Step 6: Settle in and write.
Last weekend, I followed these steps and blasted early 2000s hits to resurrect the details that will form the first chapters of my book. And, I’m not kidding, it worked like a charm.
So, now, bigger questions loom.
- Did I just get lucky, or has the garage been the key to focus all along?
- Should I commit myself to a new creative space and make room for my desk?
- Will the big, hairy spiders be my demise?
As I type this post, I look around. I see broken paint. Dead lightbulbs. And memories I can’t bring myself to sell.
But the room is my own. I think all writers need that.
And it’s pretty incredible to know that the love that challenges this writer is just beyond the damaged walls.
*For more adventures, follow Lauren on Facebook and Twitter.
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One Year Ago: Go, Sell, and Give*
Two Years Ago: The Other Side
Unlearning 
Wohooo! Way to find some space! Seriously, just a quiet place to think that doesn’t present distractions is golden, with or without hairy spiders and battered walls 🙂
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Yes! Where do you write best? Who knows when the spiders will take a vote and evict me 😉
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Well, BEFORE I shattered my laptop screen, it was on the couch downstairs during naptime or after everyone had gone to bed- mood music was a must. Now that I don’t have that option…I’m figuring it out :p
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Gah, a writer’s life – the conflict never ends 😉 Mood music, I like that idea (though lyrics when I’m actually drafting are far too distracting).
Cheering for you and for things figured out soon!
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I love this! Have you read books about writing by Jeff Goins? Just started one last night…reminds me of your perseverance to just sit down & write 😉
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Thank you! I can’t recall coming across his name before, but I am now following him on Twitter (per your recommendation). Which book of his are you currently reading?
I just finished reading “Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir” by Emily Kephart. It was the encouragement I needed to finally start writing…even on a cold, dirty garage floor 😉
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