Pebblepup's Writing Den

There is a good writing exercise that I often use. It’s a case of describing your ideal writing place. It’s a simple enough exercise. You don’t need too many materials. All you need is a piece of paper and something to write with. You can do this exercise in a memo app on your phone or whatever you use to write.

The idea is to sit down somewhere and describe where you would like to write. It could be a tropical island, a remote mountain top, or a crowded coffee shop. It all depends on what you want to do.

So sit down with whatever your favorite writing method and think about where you would like to be. Even if you are where you want to write, that is, in your ideal writing space, describe it. That’s it. Describe the location. Describe what tools you have, or you would like to have at your disposal.

Where is your ideal writing space? What do you see out the windows? Are there windows? Are you inside at all? Or areyou outside, sitting on a beach or in a meadow.

What do you feel? Is there a gentle breeze? What do you smell? Do you smell the salty sea? Wildflower?

Immerse yourself in this writing space. Then describe what you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. What is around you?

Remember, it will likely be different every time you do the exercise. Here is my take on this exercise.

There is a little cabin in a clearing in the woods. It is a snug place with a stone fireplace for those chilly days. There’s a wide, wraparound covered veranda for those days when it’s quite warm.

The cabin has large windows. My writing desk is in front of one of those windows. There is also a cane desk out on the veranda so I could write inside or out. I can hear the birds singing in the trees from inside or outside the cabin. I can see squirrels, deer and rabbits as they go about their business. The scent of wild flowers permeates the air.

That’s a short version of one of my spaces. I have several. None of them exist in reality. They are exercises in description. This is what is an excellent way to develop a good descriptive voice.

Good writers can make you ‘see’ their story’s locations in your mind’s eye. You need practice to pull that off. That’s where this exercise comes in. You can also describe any place you would like to live or where you would meditate. Describe where you would love to do that activity.

It seems easy, but often it is not. Be sure to set aside a long enough time to do this exercise. You can have a word count limit or a time limit. That’s up to you. You don’t need either.

You want to be as specific as possible when you do this exercise. Create a world in which you can immerse yourself. That’s the point of the exercise. Give it a try and see where you end up.