A Room of One's Own? Not Likely.

I would like to address a couple of common misconceptions about the writing life:

1. You need a lot of spare time to write

Oh man. When I think of all the luxurious time I had in my twenties that I didn't spend writing, I want to go back and shake my little navel-gazing, cafe-dwelling self.

I didn't start writing seriously until ten years ago when I was at home full-time with a six-month-old baby, and I didn't start writing my novel until I had a three-year-old and an infant and hadn't had more than two hours of uninterrupted sleep in years. I had never been more exhausted or had less spare time in my life. But I still wrote.

2. A writer needs a room of her own

Um, no.

I can't even remember the last time I had a room of my own. Probably my bachelor's apartment in Vancouver when I was 24. In the seven different homes I have lived in since my kids were born, my desk has almost always been in my bedroom. And as my ex-husband and I were victims of the attachment parenting philosophy, until recently my kids were usually sleeping in there with us.

I currently live in a one-bedroom cottage. I write from the corner of my living room, which is also where my bed is. The kids get the bedroom because they are much louder. It only makes sense that they have a door that closes. The couch is four feet away from my desk and there are usually children jumping on it or practicing what they like to call their "Olympic rolls," (running at the couch and hurling themselves over it and onto the floor) which I am often called upon to judge.



See, these dangerous myths just make it easier for procrastinating writers to put off getting down to work. We all have our distractions. But if you want to write, you'll find the time.

And whether you have a sun-drenched villa all to yourself or stolen moments in the corner of a living room while the Olympic rollers are taking a break, you can find the space.