In the context of a post-2020 world, every single event of the past seems to be millions of years ago in my mind. With that detail in mind, a million years ago, Virginia Woolf wrote that writers needed a room of their own for their creative process to be allowed to thrive. This was one of the key details of her feminist essay “A Room of One’s Own,” published in 1929.

The idea made a lot of sense: especially in the context of women’s rights. When women were only newly allowed the right to vote, it seems logical to consider that having a space to focus upon her own voice was a radical idea.

I can’t say that I have a dedicated space solely used for writing. When I was writing “Blessings,” I was recovering from breast cancer. I wrote on my laptop, in my bed.

Sometimes, I write while tucked into the corner of my couch. Sometimes I am actually at my desk, tucked away in the corner of my room.

For me, the “room” I need is a dedicated time for writing. Sure, I have my morning routine: the writing I do before I teach every day. This writing includes my “morning pages,” an idea I picked up from reading Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way.” But my novel writing time is something that has taken me years to carve out in the mayhem of every day living. The routine is simple, really. Even though it took me ages (a million years, anyone?!) to figure it out, I have arrived at my space, my room, for writing.

I choose music, without lyrics, for my hour. I silence my phone or move it away from where I am writing. Depending on my mood, I choose my space: maybe the kitchen table, maybe the coffee table, the couch, maybe my desk, maybe my outdoor space, maybe my bed if I’m not feeling well. I set a timer for my one hour. During that time, my world revolves around writing.

No news, no television, no social media. Just my own little world on the page.

Carving out that time, even better letting go of the idea that I could only have that time after I had done everything else first, has made all of the difference.

My writing life is something I have once more. I missed it.

What is your writing process? What is your “writing room?” Please share in the comments. I would love to hear from you!

Blessings to you all.