Authors can be very particular in the way they go about approaching their craft, and the environment(s) they choose to occupy while they write are no exception.

We’re here today to give you some (hopefully) digestible advice on how to fine tune your surroundings to craft a suitable study for yourself that goes beyond the generic suggestion of “Find a quiet office space, write 1,000 words and call it a day”.

1). Try Out Different Kinds of Music

We’ve heard it all; authors who like total silence, authors who like calming ambient music, authors who like classical music, and authors who can somehow find it in themselves to write with searing-hot classic rock riffs blasting from thoroughly abused speakers.

Music can be an inspiration point for artists of all persuasions; visual artists, actors, other musicians, and of course, writers. We encourage writers to try out different kinds of music whilst they write to see what gets them in the zone; in particular we suggest soundscape-y, unmelodic music such as Brian Eno to start with. You may even find, if your writing adopts a particular tone or inhabits a particular genre, that selecting genre-fitting music can help you form visuals in your head of exactly what you want to write.

Alternatively, trying out music while you write is a quick and easy way to figure out that you cannot deal with any noise while you create, and that you require complete silence.

2). Minimise Distractions

In the age of information and waning attention spans, it is critical that you quarantine the temptation to reach for your phone, open up a browser window to “have a quick look” at a YouTube video, or delve into your Steam library that lingers seductively behind your Microsoft Word window.

So, what to do exactly? Set time limits on app usage, close out browser windows, silence your phone, heck, maybe even turn the internet off for a brief period of time. The more distracted you are, the less of your mind is going to be inhabiting that creative space that calls for your undivided attention.

3). Light & Heat

Adjusting the light in your writing space is as critical to getting you in the zone as adjusting or minimising noise levels. On a bleak Winter’s Day, you likely won’t find too much inspiration in a cold grey room, so throwing on an ambient salt lamp or cosy reading light may help you get comfortable. Similarly, on a Summer’s Day you may wish to draw the blinds to shoo away the harshness of the sun. Furthermore, trying to create while you feel too hot for your own skin or so cold that you need to cocoon yourself in blankets makes for quite the obstacle, so cranking the heat a little in winter or getting yourself situated near a fan in summer time is optimal.