We freelance writers can write in a variety of locations. However, we must pay attention to which locations give us the greatest productivity.
I find that I’m happiest, and I get the most done on my freelance writing projects, when I vary my location.
My Freelance Writing Locations
Home Office
I often spend the mornings in my home office, but eventually I need a different writing locale.
Home Outside
In nice weather I go on the back deck with my laptop and plug into an outside wall socket. I still have Internet access through my wireless router, but I find I really stick to my project with minimal distractions.
Coffee Shops
I can also work very well in a coffee shop, provided the music is pleasant and it’s not too crowded. Beware, though, going to a local coffee shop when you live in a small-town area like I do. You’ll see a lot of people you know, and many will want to shoot the breeze, even though you’re obviously busy.
Libraries
Another option I like: libraries. I go to both the local town library here in Ashland, Oregon, and I spend time at the library at Southern Oregon University. Almost all libraries have free wireless access and you can usually find a big table to spread out work materials.
Parks
And sometimes I’ll go to a park and set up the laptop on a picnic table. This works really well for projects that don’t require Internet research.
The Woods
Finally, in the warmer months I take a freelance writer’s retreat out in the woods: just me in a remote dispersed campsite with my computer and my work. As with the park, there’s no distracting Internet, and very few other distractions either.
Your Take
What are the ideal locations for you to write? What makes them ideal for you?
My favorite place to work is at home using a big Sauder desk I inherited from my dad. I need a clean house to keep my productivity up. So weekend cleaning is a high priority for me. If things do get chaotic around here, as can often happen after a weekend visit with houseguests, I trek to a library about fifteen minutes away. There, I can set up in a little “office” for ultimate seclusion. If I want an endless supply of green tea, then I head to a little coffee shop up the road. Great post!
Mandy, you reminded me of the family desk my father got in the early 1960s and is now at my sister’s house. Good memories!
I find that I need to get away from the house several times a week. If I spend too much time trying to write at home I start getting distracted by various things: chores that need doing, books I want to read, my bed beckoning me for a nap.
I always work at home — practically chained to my desk. But your post has inspired me to branch out a bit. After all, what is the point of being a freelancer … if you are not “free” to work where your heart desires? Thanks for the inspiring post!
Marcia, I think you’ll find a change of venue can really benefit your writing and your motivation.
Assuming you have a laptop, of course.
I’d like to know how you keep the glare off your laptop screen when outdoors. ???
I always sit in the shade.
Let’s see if anybody else has any good tips. I think that some newer/higher-end laptops may deal with direct-sun glare better than older/less-expensive laptops.
My home office is a great place to write. I have all my books for research, entertainment, and encouragement around me. When my husband goes off to work, I grab my cup of tea or coffee, turn off the phone (cell phone is left on for emergencies), give the dogs a little loving, and then settle in.
When I find I have that pesky writer’s block, I head out to various locations. Once I had a brainstorm while in the waiting room of our local car dealership (the car was getting a much needed oil change). The personalities that came in and out of such a location was mind boggling and inspirational.
Other times I have ventured out with pen and paper to a secluded place in the high desert of Arizona. This turned out to be an amazing adventure as I watched (and wrote about) the interesting life forms that were crawling, hopping, and lurking all around me. How could I not write?
What a wonderful post and question John.
Rebecca, I’ve also written in some unusual locations, including my local Les Schwab tire dealer while getting a brake job.
My main creative outlet is writing haiku, and that’s when I definitely want to be out of the house.
I write and edit in my home office. I’m comfortable there, and all of my tech, style guides, foreign language dictionaries…and my huge pitcher of iced tea are readily available!
That said, I always have a notebook in my purse (or if camping, my backpack) for ideas, freewriting, brainstorming, writing down quotes, etc. (I would say I always have a pen, too, but that wasn’t always the case . . . nowI always carefully carry multiple pens, because of the Really Great Idea I once had to write down RIGHT NOW in my notebook…with my eyeliner.
It really is about where you need to be to get the most done, and for you it’s your home office. I can see why that’s important for people who frequently use reference books.
And I’m in the middle of a switch to tea from coffee. I now only have a cup of half-caf coffee in the morning, but all the iced tea I want in the afternoon (usually about 16 ounces).
I go to an amazing co-working space sometimes, when I need to get out and be social (and remember I look pretty nice when I’m not wearing yoga pants!) but I cannot edit or do creative writing there.
I can do internet-based research and work on website copy and white papers, etc., for clients, or tweak my site or work on the minutiae of my financials there, but…gimme sweet, sweet silence for the rest!
I have clinical insomnia, so I have two cups of coffee before noon, and then no caffeine after that.
Anne, I envy your canyon; I have to admit to reading ARCs/MSS of books I intend to review or to interview the author of said book by the neighborhood pool this summer!
Erin, I’ve heard people say good things about co-working spaces. I house-sit every winter in Santa Cruz, and there’s a co-working space downtown that looks really cool.
Like you, and probably many other writers, I find that I need quiet surroundings for some types of writing. For other types, though, I like the noise and feel of a coffee shop.
John, I get far and away more done in my home office… overlooks a canyon and sometimes I get to see hawks… when I need a break is when I go elsewhere.
I do do hand editing on my deck sometimes and that’s great.
And I too have written on boats, sales rooms, restaurants, coffee shops, etc.
But this home office is the best yet.
Anne, I also have a very nice home office that looks out over trees, and I really like working there. I just crave more variety in my location.
Right now I’m at the public library in Ashland at a private table beside a window with a full view of the mountains on the other side of the valley.
I find that I’m most productive at home, but like to get out once in a while and work at the local library. I try to make it a goal to get out and work somewhere else once every other week. I’ve tried to work at coffee shops and they are just too difficult for me. If I go to one, I try to be there only an hour and work on smaller things that don’t require much concentration and aren’t deadline intensive.
I spend a lot of time at the library doing my work. In fact, I finished this post at the library.
Coffee shops only work for me for certain types of writing, including blog posts. And sometimes there’s just too much noise or too much distraction. That’s when I head for the library.
I’m with Anne in that my home office offers a beautiful view. Because of my personal situation, I cannot pick up and go offsite for my writing, but I get my best ideas (that I often record on my smartphone) while I’m taking my daily (weather-permitting) 6-mile walk.
I also have to replace my laptop. When I have that, I sometimes get comfy in bed and write. I typically reserve it for personal writing.
Cathy, I also dictate ideas when I walk.
A suggestion: consider an ultrabook for your next laptop. I bought a Samsung about three months ago and I absolutely love it.
Thanks, John. I’ve been looking at ultrabooks, but hadn’t heard much feedback yet. I appreciate the tip.
They’ve come down in price substantially, and the low weight (less than three pounds) and the blazing fast solid-state hard drives make them very attractive.
I may write a post about them in the near future.
I live in the Pacific Northwest so there’s a lot of beautiful scenery. Once in a while, I’ll take the laptop out to try to get work done but I find it very difficult to sit and write when I’d rather be exercising.
I found that, like a lot of writers, I do my best work early in the morning. A hot cup of Puer, my Pelikan fountain pen and my Rhodia journal all get me in the mood to write.
Michael, I actually do best outdoors when I go camping by myself. I get plenty of writing done, and then I reward myself by doing tai chi and then taking a long hike in the afternoon.
And I’ll look into pu’er tea. I recently switched to drinking tea in the afternoons instead of coffee.
John, thanks for sharing your most productive freelance locations. To me, I’m always stuck to my working table most of the time. Occasionally I go to my bedroom, shut the door and if I have to do some serious writing that is time sensitive.
I always have internet connection though, I have never tried working without the internet coz I find it handy to do my research or reference while my writing is half way. However I use Focus Writer app to stay focused!
I`m a home bird, so write best when I’m at home but your post has inspired me to branch out a bit. I like the idea of going to a park and setting up the laptop on a picnic table…How do you stop the glare on the screen though?
you mentioned going on your deck with your laptop. I love to work outside more often (especially by the water since I live in the keys) but the glare on my computer is too much. How do you deal with glare?
I deal with it by only writing in the shade.
even when I’m in the shade, there still a good amount of glare. Perhaps is the type of screen I have, I don’t know.I’m researching glare guards so if anybody has any ideas, I’m all ears. Thanks for your response.
Probably has to do with your screen. Let us know if you find a good screen glare guard!
I love working from home! And I know this goes against all the rules, but I work at my kitchen table. I don’t have very much natural light in my office, so it feels dreary in there. I much prefer the bright sunlight and proximity to my coffee maker in the kitchen — and I’m all alone during the day, so there aren’t any distractions.