The Ultimate Writing Setup for Authors – Know How You Can Set Up Your Perfect Workspace

If you are a writer planning on writing and publishing your first book then this blog is for you because today, we are going to talk about the ultimate writing setup for authors.

We will help you choose the right location for writing your book as well as the best kind of desk setup and even the best kind of chair you need for your first writing set-up.

Apart from that we are also going to talk about essential technologies that you might need when it comes to writing your first book and so much more.

This blog has been created with inputs from multiple authors themselves and these tips generally work out great for authors and that is exactly why we bring you the ideas for the best workspace.

However, we also understand the fact that you might not agree with some of the choices and you are free to choose the setup you want.

So, let us look at the ultimate writing set-up for authors.

The Ultimate Writing Setup for Authors

Location

One of the most important considerations you must take into account as an author is the right writing location.

There are a lot of options for you in this category simply because different writers choose different kinds of writing environments.

You can choose the classic writing location which might be a calm and cosy café where you might get a coffee and start typing on your laptop. And this is one of the most minimalistic writing locations and styles.

If you are someone who is not comfortable writing in a café then you can choose to write in your room and we would suggest a room with a lot of open air and natural light.

Ideally, you can choose to set up your desk near a window as you get to see the outside world and even interact with it in a way and write your masterpiece.

There are of course unconventional writing locations such as writing in nature where you choose to write while sitting down in a park or in your garden.

You can also choose something even more unconventional like a co-writing setup where you sit down with friends and write together however this is usually done in projects with multiple authors.

Desk and Chair

We now come to the section where we talk about the best desk and chair combination and this is something very personal and can only be perfect after multiple trials and errors.

When it comes to a desk, if you want you can try something very traditional and get yourself a wooden writing desk which is naturally inclined and quite comfortable for writing.

These are usually available in antique shops because finding something new like this would be very difficult. You can get one made but it is going to be costly.

Or you can definitely choose something modern and something that might be not that expensive and we are talking about a gaming desk. These are easily available on e-commerce websites and while they might not be as traditional or comfortable but they are just like any regular desk but with a lot of space to work.

Similarly, when it comes to the chair, you can choose a wooden chair with or without cushions. While these might seem uncomfortable but they are actually very good for the posture and are actually comfortable for long writing sessions.

You can of course try out modern chairs and we are talking about gaming chairs which are also very comfortable but might be somewhat expensive.

We would suggest you try all of these options before you come up with something that is perfect for you.

Technology

When it comes to choosing the technology, this is also a debate between the traditional and the modern because when it comes to the traditional options, there are typewriters and ofcourse the humble pen and paper.

If you are comfortable using a keyboard and you do not want any distractions while you write then you can definitely use a typewriter.

We understand your concerns that you might need to create digital copies of your drafts and for that, you simply need to take pictures of the typewritten heats and a basic smartphone app can convert those into digital text.

You can of course try out pen and paper but it is too much work for the modern author and converting them to digital text is also a little bit tricky because text recognition apps are not very good with individual handwriting.

However, if you want the most convenient set-up with easy access to your files and research papers then nothing is more reliable than a laptop or even a desktop computer.

You can even have a setup of multiple monitors with the primary monitor open to your word processing software. This way you can have your primary draft open on the primary screen and you can have your research materials open on the other screens.

We would also like to suggest you try out cloud storage options so that you can have backups of your work and not be too reliant on a hard disk.

Writing Tools

When it comes to writing tools there are so many choices out there that you might find it quite easy to choose something specific for you.

In this day and age of globalisation, we have hundreds of international brands that can be accessed through eCommerce where you can check out different kinds of notebooks and pens.

If you do not want to use notebooks and pens and you want to utilise a keyboard and mouse then we would suggest going with mechanical keyboards because they have the best kind of feel to them for prolonged hours of typing and we would also suggest you to go for Cherry MX brown switches for your mechanical keyboard.

When it comes to the mouse, you can choose any regular mouse and it is just going to be alright for you or you can even try out some ergonomic mouse styles. However, these are going to be expensive.

Environment and Ambience

The environment and ambience of writing for an author are different from the location because it is much more complicated and much more nuanced.

When we talk about the environment, we mean everything from the lighting to the art and architecture of the room as well as the entire ambience and the mood of the room.

There are a few things you can do to set the perfect ambience and one of them is the choose between natural air or air conditioning. If you live in an area that is polluted then we would suggest an AC room.

However, if you like the natural temperature but do not like the pollution then we would suggest one or two air purifiers in your room.

Additionally, when you select the lighting, we would suggest a warm desk lamp preferably LED but then again you can have general fluorescent lighting.

Apart from that when you are choosing the ambience of the room it is always a great idea to have a very open space without a lot of clutter.

You can even choose to have a lot of greenery in the room in the form of small succulents and potted plants and these will simply help you concentrate more on the writing and green is always an amazing colour of focus.

You can skip the part about having indoor plants but it is a very natural way to improve the air quality and also improve the ambience of the room.

When it comes to designing the room and the atmosphere of the room, we would suggest you do it according to what you like. If you are someone traditional then we would suggest traditional furniture along with a lot of wooden articles.

If you like the modern look then we would suggest everything white from the desk to the walls as well as the colour of the lights. However, most of our authors suggest a warm light is always better than a white light when it comes to writing.

Organization Systems

Writing anything requires a lot of notes and folders as well as files and organising them is going to save you a lot of headaches during the actual writing process.

That is why you need to organise them and this is also when you can try out two techniques of organising. One of them is going to be traditional and the other is going to be digital.

When it comes to the traditional technique you do not really need very high-quality stationery and organisation systems. Simple files and paper clips will just do the job.

The one thing you can add to improve the experience is organisation baskets where you can simply put in individual sheets of paper so that they do not get everywhere.

You can also use other basket-like spaces for organising pens and other important articles of writing.

If you plan on doing everything digitally then all you need to do is to have a well-organized folder system with proper names.

When it comes to sorting your files and folders, we would suggest choosing something like small icons or even large icons depending on what you prefer as the size.

You can choose other folder viewing options such as the option for seeing your files as a list but it is much more difficult and then again you are not getting file previews, especially in a Windows system.

If you want then you can of course use a specialised organising software to organise all your files and have the option for smart search where the software is not only going to search files but also the content of the files for you.

However, such options are expensive and since you are just starting your journey as an author, you should always stay with a clean and simple set-up that is easy to manage.

Writing Routine

And finally, we come to writing routines. Having a good writing routine will not only ensure good health but it will also get more work done.

It is not about leading an unhealthy lifestyle and working extra long because you simply will not be able to maintain those extra-long working hours.

Instead, you should choose something comfortable because writing and creativity are all about getting into your space and doing something repeatedly time and again.

This is where all your writing set-up elements will come together from your desk and chair to your ambience as well as your stationery and organisation tools.

When it comes to writing routines, we usually suggest two slots of routines every day rather than a long continuous one.

This means getting up early and putting in at least two or three hours of work.

After which you can have lunch and maybe relax a little bit and get other work done and then put in another slot of maybe one or two hours of writing work before you sleep.

This is much more practical and if you add them up then you can expect even five hours of work which is actually quite difficult to do if done all together continuously.

In order to be successful at your writing routine, you can have your set rituals such as making some tea and putting on some classical music but these rituals should not be so comfortable that you fall asleep.

Finally, if you are planning on creating a writing routine then you should always use a physical calendar and mark all your dates of work and even write down goals in the calendar and keep it near the writing desk.

We hope this blog will help you understand how to set up the ultimate writing workspace for your first writing adventure.

If you are someone who has already figured out everything about the writing setup and you have completed the manuscript and you feel like publishing it, we are here for you.

We are Orange Publishers and we are the fastest-growing and most popular legacy publishing company in India and we will help you with all your publishing needs.

We welcome you to visit our website and check out everything we do.