5 Places to Concentrate on Writing

At the end of this you’re going to think I’m insane. I’m not: weird, maybe a bit desperate, but not insane.

As I mentioned in a previous post, ideas come at me fairly quickly. When well rested, the stream is almost constant and provides a lot of strange bumper stickers, plus a few story ideas such as what Tinkerbell does to unwind.

The downside to this flow of ideas is that I am easily distracted and for me, writing requires almost total silence. Music, voices, even movement are impediments I seek to eliminate whenever possible so I can be at my most productive. Thus, finding spaces to write has been essential to me over the years.

Home, although a wonderful respite, is not always the ideal environment. Family, roommates, singing orphans can make your personal space rather unwelcoming to concentration. So, like anyone, I’ve tried to some writing environments that other people seem to find productive. This resulted in less than stellar ...results (which is the quality of my sentences generated while distracted).

The Twilight Zone: "Time Enough at Last"
(adapted from short story by Lynn Venable)

Still, I have also found some excellent places to write over the years. This includes my all-time favorite place to concentrate – one so wonderful I will discuss it but not reveal its actual location.

Again, the criteria. For me, a good place to write needs to have near silence. No talking, no white-noise, nothing more than the soft hum of a lamp. There cannot be visual distractions, nor physical motion around me. There cannot be attractive people, or even potentially attractive people. Attractive lamps are also out. Smells are less of a concern, but airflow and temperature should also be constant.

This makes for a difficult search, however, here are 5 places that do help me write: 
 

1. Small government buildings – If I could bottle the glare given by people who work at government buildings, finding solitude would be easy. Their visible distaste for other humans is as effective as mind-control. When you see these guardians of the local comptroller, you want nothing more to get away as soon as possible. 
For the courageous, however, these spaces can make a lot of sense for those seeking concentration. Local government buildings are typically public, spacious, somewhat isolated, and the last place most sensible people want to linger. If you can find a desk they'll let you use, most of the employees will appreciate another human being who doesn't talk, move, or ask them to do anything. Just be respectful and smile and consider explaining what you, a aspiring taxpayer, are trying to do. Tell them you are writing a mystery novel featuring a boy and a girl that is like Nancy Drew meets the Hardy Boys. Smile again. 

2. Basements – So for some of you, this is already into the insane zone. You’re wondering if I’m serious, but in many cases the less willing others are to go to a place, the better a place it is for me. A basement, can be an excellent place to write. The surrounding dirt insulates you from outside noise, and if you position yourself under a seldom used room, the majority of sounds will be drastically reduced.

There are few concerns to address with basements: 

• First, if you are afraid of spiders, just move on. I think arachniphobia is a bit silly, but I'm not going to argue. 
• Second, grab a space heater. Unfinished basements tend to stay a consistently cool temperature.
• Third, if you have boxes in storage, it’s fort time! These not only keep out the noise, they keep in the awesome. 
• Fourth, add some extra lights. The dark doesn’t scare me, but can be a distraction. 
• Fifth, grab some materials to make a proper workspace out of some boxes or blocks or your lazy spouse's unused workbench. 

All of this may seem unnecessarily rustic at first, especially considering you have a $530 oxford-inspired rolltop in the second nursery. But soon you’ll be thinking about cool it will sound when you tell the Today Show you started writing using an old door for a desk. 

 

Ergh: the Today Show. That scares me.

3. Storage Closet – Storage closets are not just for getting high and hiding pornography anymore. Many are temperature controlled, completely finished and even include grounded outlets. These can be found in office buildings, apartment complexes, and on bleak little lots in virtually every city in America thanks to Storage Wars. 
Although actually renting a space is quite a commitment for quiet, don’t expect to be bothered much if you do. There are rules, but 24-hour access means the only people who are likely to enforce this notice are probably going to be fairly understanding about privacy. 
Even better are storage closets in apartment buildings and offices. Before you think I’m kidding again, yes: I actually did this for over a year. It was highly productive and helped me cope with a difficult job, too. This particular closet was seldom used and therefore remarkably clean. It also had a rather thick door so the only noise was that of a nearby elevator. The only concern to be mindful of is ventilation and claustrophobia. Newer buildings seem to require vents in all spaces, which is nice because, breathing. As for enclosed spaces, a lot of that may be perspective. This closet was actually three times as large as the open-topped cell in which I spent ten hours a day. Plus the fact it had a door made me the Senior Vice President of questioning my life choices.

4. Office – If all of the above seem too crazy for you, let me make a tamer suggestion. Many writers have jobs. And those who work full-time usually have access to spaces either before opening or after closing. An office during off hours can be ideal quiet time.

You may be thinking “why would I want to go there? I’m working on this so I don’t have to go there! I'd rather deal with spiders” This is part of what makes it so great. Most people want to be elsewhere after hours or on weekends. You should have the building to yourself, besides a few others who probably are trying to concentrate as much as you are.
As an extra bonus for the thematically minded, how great is it to utilize the life-sucking space to try and set yourself free? Surreptitiously change your name plaque to 'Andy Dufresne' and enjoy the company’s free air conditioning and Lipton herbal tea while you plan your literary escape. You can use Mr. Simmons’ office without him knowing. Your significant other or family will think you are a particularly hard worker …or that you are having an affair with Mr. Simmons. Regardless, the quiet of a place that people walk away from as fast as socially acceptable at the the end of the day is a great location to stay and concentrate.

5. So what is my all time favorite place? No, it isn't prison, or the asylum. When I was younger, I had access to the marvelous space kept for a Library Reserve Collection.  
Libraries themselves are actually kind of bothersome. The quiet there is artificial and seems to amplify every little noise: a shuffle of feet; a tap of a pencil; the slam of a closing book; a moth with the sniffles. 

The only places you won’t be distracted by other patrons was in distant stacks, in sections no one visited like Botany or American History. There are no seats among the books, though, and working was even more difficult since everyone knows that’s where the ghosts of former librarians go to smoke. No, libraries were never conducive to work unless I went late at night or broke in. And the judge told me if I did that again, I would be sent back to prison.
What I didn’t realize was that there was another level of quiet – literally. I can still clearly recall the first time the staff at this facility let me come along on one of the rarer searches, looking for back issues of a magazine I had never heard of. Rather than to the basement, they took me down further in the elevator using a special key, the kind that make custodian’s key chains a tangle of rings and metal. There was a click and down we went, ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet ...the building was only three stories including the basement so how we continued made it feel like like some sort of Wonkavator. 
When we finally stopped just short of Tartarus, I was in heaven. The doors opened on a floor full of mechanical shelves, florescent lights, thick walls, and a single desk, left at the far end of the room. There were no people and no windows and the ceiling was poured concrete. Immediately, I made plans to knock this employee unconscious and steal the key. This later proved unnecessary since I was given access to this floor and other less appealing areas, like the employee bathroom, and the employee liquor closet.

It is in this space I studied and wrote and pondered. I would even turn out all the lights until only the single, incandescent exit sign remained illuminated. I was productive and happy and I doubt I will ever find as secure a space for my thoughts again.

While the lengths above may be funny and probably nuts to many people, these are the lengths to which I have sought some serene contemplation. I sincerely hope finding your own is not as difficult for anyone reading this, but if so, go and seek your quiet confidently. And be sure not to tell anyone where you are going.