What does your writing space look like?

That was me until a year ago. My two oldest sons moved out and I took over their bedroom. It's tiny, but heavenly!

Well, to call it a room of my own would be a stretch. It's also the guest room, the library, the storage room, the exercise room, the craft room, and music room. But normally, I can carve time out for myself in there.

Recipe box for ideas! How clever! Maybe I'll snag your idea and try it out myself.:)

Did you find the recipe box worked? I keep a file on my computer and also a hard copy file that houses my fragments. Then there's notebooks filled with scraps of ideas. Why is inspiration such a fickle mistress?

"Vision wall," I like that. Organized chaos, I think that describes most writers. We spend our time with the insanity of our ideas and then that bleeds out into our environment. But then chaos is change and change is life.

Writing is such a personal thing. I knew a guy once who could only write outside. It was great in the Spring and Summer, but when the weather turned nippy, he got a major case of writer's block.

I completely understand about it feeling staged. Sometimes, if you make it too much like work, it comes out dull and uninspired.

Do you find the t.v. is a distraction at all?

What do you think it is about the kitchen/family room that really promotes your creativity? Do you have a favorite book that really fires you up to write?

Music is key for me too. I find it really influences my writing. I don't want to be listening to some pop princess when I'm writing some dark, soul-wrenching scene. Not that I ever listen to pop princesses, no, not me. Those c.d.s were gifts, yeah, that's it.

I find walking is good for creativity as well. Do you have a specific place you like to walk for inspiration, or is up and down the block good enough?

I'm not much into pop either, heh...and dark stuff's pretty much all I write, so I guess it's not much of a surprise that I listen to rock, metal, gothic, and some eclectic songs.

Well, the city's very...stifling for me. I find that walking in places where there's alot of people scatters whatever inspirations are there because I get so focused on the other people -- having to be wary in case one of them should decide to jump me, or to prepare in case one decided, spontaneously, to talk to me.
I prefer to walk where it's wooded, so country roads are good.

I think music can really set the scene for what you're writing. It's amazing how a particular piece of music can really make your writing shift. It's the same if you have a bad day at work or a good day.
Country roads are great. Those large expanses of wilderness and no cars or other things to get in the way. Luckily, I don't live in an overly urban area. Sometimes, I need to go walk in the city just to get the pulse of the place. I don't know why, but I'm very affected by where I am when I write. If I want to write about the city I need to go hang out there for a while before putting pen to paper. If I were an actor, I'd be a method actor, probably. Oh, the trials of writing, all that travel I "have" to do just to get it right. Man, what bad luck.;)