“As every writer — and every reader — knows, writing well is the best trip of them all.”
Gore Vidal

One of the wonderful things about writing is that you can do it not just at any time of the day or night, but anywhere. Just think about J.K. Rowling writing big chunks of Harry Potter in cafes or Alex Haley, who wrote much of Roots on steamers because he found being on the water soothing. And Henry David Thoreau surely wrote many passages of Walden in the woods with acorns plopping all around him.

Whether you like to write while firmly planted in place or find that being in motion helps to get your creative juices flowing, it’s great to know that you can write anywhere. It’s very freeing to realize that the work we do can be done wherever we happen to be, isn’t it? This is especially good news because often a change of scene is just what we need to shake out the cobwebs from our brain and get our creative juices flowing.

Since I work at home, I often find that shifting locations and getting out of my house really helps me focus. At home, I’m surrounded by all my stuff and all kinds of unfinished business — all of which can burden and distract me. So I often find myself decamping to a university library just about 15 minutes away. It has wonderful big tables, big picture windows, lots of life and light, and even a café, where I can grab a sandwich of cup of chai.

Just being in this inviting space alone with my writing helps me focus on the task at hand. I even have a special pouch with all my writing implements set to go that I can throw into a bag along with notes, pads, drafts of chapters I’m working on, and whatever else I need. This portable “office” approach really works for me at certain stages in a project. A change of scene can work wonders. How about you? Do you also find that a shift in place can give you a shift in perspective?