No, this post is not going to tell you how you can get trapped by monsters as well – believe me, you don’t want to do that!  This is a top writing tip: find your cave!

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked by other would-be writers is:  ’Do you have a study, and if not, where do you write?’ which is more like two questions really, but you get the idea.  To answer the first part – yes I do have a beautiful big study with wall to wall books, a great desk and a fantastic view out from the window (which is on the top floor of our three story house) overlooking the wonderful Northamptonshire countryside … but I don’t write there.  In fact I write anywhere but there.  Why?  Because there are too many temptations and distractions in that room.  If you want to take writing seriously and be productive you have to find your cave – the place you feel most creative and able to focus.

I had lots of caves before the damp smelly one I find myself in at present.  They were all much nicer than this place.  I spoke about one in another recent post.  It’s called The Bishop’s Tea Room. I wrote quite happily there. It was comfortable, warm, friendly and the tea and cakes were magnificent.

Another cave was this one:

I tended to write in the Bishop’s Tea Room in the morning and move to the Pub in the afternoon. The change of scenery gave me the feel of a fresh start and I found that gave me renewed enthusiasm for my writing in the afternoons. But using these “caves” gave me more than just fresh scenery and great coffee and cakes. Going there meant I was ‘going to work’. I made the mental transition from being a parent/husband/person at home to being a writer at work. Yes, there was noise and people occasionally spoke with me, which might temporarily break my concentration, but that happens in most workplaces and it was often a much needed bit of light relief. More often than not, people saw me working and politely avoided talking to me because I was clearly focused on my work.  My concentration on my job once I left the house made me ten times as productive than I was at home … where the grass needed cutting, or the dishwasher needed loading, or there were another set of flatpack bookshelves that needed building.

As a young writer, finding your cave is important too. If that cave is your bedroom – great! But why not try working in other places? Even moving from the bedroom to the dining room can make a difference. But you could try a local library, or a youth centre if it has a quiet area, or even outside in a park or garden during the summer. My local town has a games shop called The Games Vault which has three rooms above the shop for young people to play the games they buy. I worked there quite a lot, as it is generally quiet during the day.

The great thing about all these places is: there’s no internet, no email, no chores, and no guilt for avoiding the little things that you feel you ‘have’ to do around the house. Try it. See if you can find your cave. You’ll be amazed at how much you can do if you find a creative haven.

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