Flint & Steel Prompt / Where Do You Write?

Rituals in Place

Welcoming spaces

I used to write at work. Stolen moments once called coffee breaks. Ten minutes of fast typing surrounded by the sounds of business and gossip, tinged with curse words and complaints. Doesn’t sound like fertile ground for creativity, does it? Well, it was. Perhaps because I couldn’t escape physically, escaping creatively was enough. I wrote a lot during those mini-breaks.

These days I’m semi-retired. Home during the day, working evenings and weekends to avoid those who don’t take Covid seriously. Now that my work time is quiet (Just me!), I can’t write in those offices. I feel no desire or need to create in those places. I go in, work, and get the hell out. Now, I have better options.

Now, I write at home. The only accompanying sounds are Captain Argentina commenting on what he reads in the paper or the background noise of the TV as he watches.

And, of course, the squealing Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks by the lake and the occasional mew of a cat.

My morning routine after breakfast is to sit in my swivel-rocker in the living room and catch up on Medium editing, publishing, reading, commenting, and clapping. Then, if inspired, I may write. Or not.

My coffee was earlier so I drink water or maybe, an Honest Green Tea with Honey. The patio doors to our back porch are usually open: wide in the cooler months of fall and spring and slightly ajar in summer and winter — possibly because I live in Florida.

I like fresh air and outdoor sounds. But, my rituals are few. I am lucky to be able to write almost anywhere under any circumstances.

By noonish, it’s dog-walking time. That’s when I gather most of the photos I use in my pieces.

Late afternoon, another Medium session. Maybe in the living room. Maybe sitting in the rocker on the back porch watching the ducks, birds, and squirrels, interrupted again and again to feed one or the other. I can’t bear to see their hungry eyes watching me!

I also have a home office. Well, a wall in our guest room.

Until I got my very portable Acer Spin laptop earlier this year, my home writing was done here. Now, I rarely use this desk for creativity. It was my home office during our lockdown. Not that I was really locked up or down anywhere. My clients were all considered essential, so I was too. Each office remained open despite the threat of Covid. But, my biggest client cycled its contractors and employees in shifts, keeping in-office attendance below 50% for the one month that the Stupid State of Florida took the virus seriously.

Now, my little home office has the stench of real work. And, it’s overcrowded with my electronic equipment and my client’s, even though I rarely work from home anymore. I avoid this place unless I need something my Acer Spin can’t provide.

And, finally, I have a space that I use for creativity by hand. Some creative journaling. Attempts at drawing. For these activities, I need to be alone and quiet, so I use this desk in our bedroom. No planned times, though. Moments at this desk are few and far between.

Here, the laptop is only for reference purposes, mostly about drawing. I call this my analog space.

Our home is not large. Only 1,300 sq ft. But, every foot is welcoming to creativity. I’m fortunate to have actualized spaces that inspire me.

But, if I had to, I could go back to those 10-minute writing sessions in busy offices. I’m just soooo glad I don’t have to.

© Dennett 2021

In response to these two prompts by Ellie Jacobson: