Would you write here or there, on a train or in a house as a writer in residence?

This is something I have aspired to do for a very long time. I have even filled out a few applications to be a

Would you take a train trip just to write on your novel? 

writer in residence. A writer in residence is exactly what the name describes.

A writer who resides temporarily often times for no or little cost in a place to work on their own project as well as share their knowledge insights. There are hundreds of these opportunities for writers that offer inspiring places to do nothing but hone their craft and possibly help inspire or teach others.

A writer can apply for these opportunities in places around the world. Recently Amtrak Railroad announced that they are going to start a writer in residence program giving writers free or low cost train trips to write on their books. How exciting is that?

I would love to have that opportunity to take a trip some place on a train across the country and write the whole time.

Here are a few of the places on my writers in residence wish list.

Château de La Napoule, France

They provide writers and artists with a single room with a view of the sea or gardens, breakfast and lunch in the Chateau. They also provide a private studio for the author or artist to work. These residencies last from five weeks up to one year depending on which of the programs applied for.

Kerouac House, Orlando, Florida 

The Kerouac Project  Orlando,Florida

A three month residency in the cottage where Jack Kerouac wrote Dharma Bums. The project pays the resident’s utilities and $800 in a monthly food stipend. The writer in residence works on their project and gives a reading of it at the end of their stay. Also during the residency they may be required to participate in community events, readings, workshops and the like.

The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts  Armherst, Virginia

The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts offers residencies of two weeks to two months to poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and other artists on a 450-acre estate at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They host up to 25 residents at a time providing private rooms, work areas and meals.

And of course the list wouldn’t be complete without….

Amtrak Writer in Residence Program

The program is not yet open for applications but will be very soon, according to several statements made. Writers will be given a free or low cost train trip to write to their hearts content.

How about you? Is there some place you would love to live and write, maybe even get paid to or do so for free?

Write Enviroment

E.B. White and his boathouse

Writers discovered a long time ago that where the writing is done is just as important as what is being written. Great scribes such as Mark Twain and Jane Austin have had special places inside of their homes where their muses were most inspired to work.

J.K. Rowling authored the first part of Harry Potter in a coffee shop. Jim Harrison’s muse worked best in hotel rooms. The environment in which writers surround themselves can effect the flow of words from mind to page.

Perhaps your muse needs isolation like Virginia Wolfe who had a writing shed in her garden. George Bernard Shaw also had a writing shed. Only his had a literal twist, the shed was built to rotate allowing him to keep the sunlight in his window, his preferred source of lighting.

What’s in that space can make a difference too. Invasions into that space such as extra clutter, noise above the chosen novel soundtrack or family distractions can throw off the muse. Yet sometimes nothing can be out of sorts just being in the same place, surrounded by the same things can stifle creativity.

While having a write environment is great, getting out of it can be too. There are many wonderful places to write to inspire the story. Pack up and spend a few hours writing in a location from your book.

Your local library has tables and free internet. Plus, resources for research are just a few steps away. Coffee

Writing Room of Rudyard Kipling

houses are always fun, but try writing outside the box of normal ‘writer places to go’

Museums are awesome and love us writers. One of local museums here even has a café with lovely tables to sit at. Though I prefer to sit on one of the benches in front of a painting or historical piece that inspires me. Go to the park there are always benches, picnic tables, or gazebos to write in.

Find some place with a lot of activity like a mall food court. People watching can get a little distracting but it can also inspire some fantastic characters. In short your writing environment does matter.

Find your write place and what it takes to inspire your muse. Even something as small as a scented candle or a framed photo of your main character sitting near by can do the trick.

It can have the perfect lighting, an ergonomic chair and keyboard, desk that’s just the right height. But is it inspiring? Does sitting in that place make your muse happy and anxious to guide your fingers over the keys?

What’s your write environment like?

Hunter S. Thompson writing on the beach