Writing

How to create the perfect writing spot

September 24, 2019 By Administrator

By Lucy Wyndham

Ever wondered where writers actually do their writing? For a lot of writers, writing happens in a number of different locations such as coffee shops, parks, libraries or group writing spaces. Writing in new and different places can help to mix things up for extra inspiration and to help generate new ideas. However, setting up a writing space in the home where the majority of writing will occur is essential. This is where most writers will produce the greater part of their work, free from distraction and in the midst of home comforts and conveniences. Setting up an inspiring and relaxed home writing space is an important part of the process, and this article will look at how you can create the perfect writing spot in your home.

Choosing your writing space

If you don’t have a spare room in your home such as a study, then you will need to get creative by turning a little nook or a corner of one of the main rooms into a writing space. The key consideration when deciding on which space to use is finding somewhere that will be peaceful and quiet the majority of the time. With this in mind, converting the corner of your bedroom into a writing space could be a good idea as you are less likely to get disturbed. However, some people don’t like writing in the same place that they sleep, preferring to separate the two. In this case, you could consider another main room such as the kitchen, living or dining room, or a conservatory if you are lucky enough to have one!

Choose a bright spot

Ideally you should choose a space with ample light. Choosing a space by a window or in a south facing room in the house is preferable. This will help to keep you alert, refreshed and awake, or even get part of your vitamin D fix while writing! Dotting plants around your writing space will also help to boost mood and improve the air quality in the room, helping to keep things fresh and salubrious. Writing in a room that is affected by damp or mould is not a good idea, research shows that this can adversely affect both health and well-being.

Flash, fold out desks

There are also a range of lovely small, wall attached, fold out desks that you can buy which are compact and help to save space, perfect for an impromptu writing space in a small corner. They also allow plenty of room for your legs as there are no table legs to get in your way, thereby increasing levels of comfort and flexibility. Prioritising comfort in your space is important as you will be sitting there for long periods.

Decrease clutter

True to the saying ‘tidy house, tidy mind’, excessive clutter can be stifling. having too many objects and ornaments around that are lacking in order or organisation can burden the mind and make it more difficult to think clearly and process our thoughts. This is why it is recommended to create a more minimalistic writing space, perhaps adorned with some inspiring works of arts on the wall or a selection of your favourite ornaments.

Hyphens and Dashes

January 9, 2015 By Administrator

Judy Vorfeld

DID YOU KNOW THAT when using the minus sign, you use a hyphen, not a dash. Word has all kinds of dashes that can pop up when you least expect them: em and em dashes, “named for the length of a typeface’s lower-case n and upper-case M respectively,” says Wikipedia.

Confused? Use the word “minus.” To indicate temperatures below zero, write “minus 10” or “5 below zero.”

Five Popular Content Writing Tips That Are Dead Wrong

May 17, 2014 By Administrator

Judy Vorfeld

“The written word,” says Rich Becker, “is one of the most accurate and flexible means of communication ever conceived and we’re living in an era where we can access more of it than ever before in human history.”

This colorful writer, businessman, and educator just posted an article, “Five Popular Content Writing Tips That Are Dead Wrong.” He explains the following items in full in his blog post:

1. Everything is trending toward less words so write less.
2. Adding exciting words to marketing copy will jazz it up.
3. Writing catchy copy takes almost no time at all.
4. Persuasion and believability comes from good writing alone.
5. One medium will rule them all and in the darkness bind them.

Take a few moments to hear Becker out. Writing proficiency is vital, and it is diminishing in the U.S. Not good.

Rich Becker is an accomplished businessman who has also taught writing, editing, and social media classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for more than ten years. Subscribing to his blog is one of the smartest moves I’ve made in my business.

Discreet or discrete?

May 4, 2014 By Administrator

Judy Vorfeld

Sometimes life gets complicated. Especially if you’re writing something and you choose the wrong spelling and the book isn’t edited and it is published for millions of people to see.

On the other hand, it proves you are human. But there is so much help available that you can find answers to almost anything regarding writing or spelling. I recently read a good novel that used “discrete” instead of “discreet,” and promised myself I’d blog about it to help others.

Discreet

You are discreet when you show self-control in your behavior. You don’t call attention to the situation. If you need to leave the room to visit the bathroom, you make a discreet exit. At least I hope so, because probably no one is interested in where you’re going.

If you watch Downton Abbey, you’ll understand what it’s like to be discreet. Almost all the gossip is done discreetly, except when the screenwriter wants to create tension.

Discrete

When you think “discrete,” try to think “separate,” “distinct.” If you think of society, you think of it as a discrete “whole” or “entity” created of individual agents. You could think of a birthday cake created with discrete items: M&Ms, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, candied fruit, etc. On the other hand, you might say the cake had lots of goodies in it.

There’s also something mathematical about “discrete,” but I either got low grades or flunked mathematics, so I’ll just say that in math, discrete has to do with finite or countable sets of value. Or something.