Writing: Ergonomics

I can’t “just write anywhere” – I wish to God i could.  I can get IDEAS all over the place, but actually putting those ideas into words. I need the right space: feng shui or ergonomics.  I think of it like ergonomics.

If my chair and the table are the wrong height, my wrists will hurt. I’ve read up on how to avoid this. If I slouch I get distracted more easily. Thanks mom for making me take ballet. I’ve also read on tricks for keeping upright. If I have the wrong music I get sidetracked. And it has to match my scene to some level. Sometimes my scene ends up matching my music – which may or may not end well for me.

Here’s the real weird piece – I don’t need a view or a specific set of music. My Pandora stations are just weird. And yes, I have multiple so each can specialize:

• “International Beats” is where I try to get good non-American artists like M.I.A. and Beats Antique to feed in.
• “Energy Music” is frequently film scores. I thumbs down pretty much anything with someone singing (or move to another station).
• “Comedy Radio” has the funny ones – Jonathan Coulton, Tom Lehrer and Weird Al
• “Very Hard” is supposed to be the best of rock/alternative/nice bass-bone-rocking songs. I suspect Pandora thinks I’m just crazy on this one because I’ll thumb down songs on LYRICS as often as sound.
• “Girl Songs” is supposed to be female artists – the softer songs but sometimes that isn’t the way it works.

I like Pandora for it’s “radio” feel.  I am not a music person (see my review on all music ever) and so I don’t tend to know artists like other people. I am proud if I can name any artist on the right song – much less going and finding new ones.  But when it comes to my writing I find that music really makes or breaks my ergonomics. So Pandora’s radio-ness is useful to me because I don’t know what I like.

I’ve seen “ideal writing” pieces where people try to say what should or should not work – but I have to say that this is unique to every writer I’ve ever met. I don’t work well in silence. I need some kind of auditory background noise – but nothing I have to actually digest. My wrists being at the right height is also one of my biggest factors.  HUGE.  Finding a desk and chair… it is HELL for me because when they aren’t right… the whole time I’m writing I’m fidgeting, trying to move my keyboard and readjust my chair.

What’s your ideal writing space?