There’s a romantic image of writing that shows up everywhere.
The cabin in the woods. The quiet office with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The sunlit café with just the right amount of background chatter.
Writers talk about these places like they’re magical keys. If only we had that space—perfect, private, uninterrupted—then the words would flow.
It’s a nice fantasy.
It’s just not true.
Perfect Spaces Don’t Exist
Even if you get the dream cabin or the corner office, it won’t take long for reality to creep in. Your back hurts. The neighbour’s dog is barking. The internet’s slow. The weather’s too hot, or too cold.
There’s always something.
If you’re waiting for the perfect space, you’re really just waiting for an excuse to start.
What You Actually Need
The truth is simple: you don’t need a perfect space. You need a consistent one.
- A laptop at the kitchen table before everyone wakes up.
- A notebook on the train.
- Ten stolen minutes in a parked car at lunchtime.
It doesn’t matter if the lighting is bad, if the chair squeaks, if it’s not Instagram-worthy. What matters is that you show up and make words happen.
Adaptability Beats Perfection
If you can only write when the conditions are perfect, you won’t write often.
But if you can write in chaos—if you can pull out your phone and draft a paragraph while standing in line—then you’ll always find a way forward.
Adaptability is the real superpower. Not the cabin. Not the desk. Not the perfect playlist.
A Quick Exercise
Try this:
For the next week, deliberately don’t use your usual writing spot. Write somewhere inconvenient instead. The couch. The car. A noisy café.
Notice how much you can still get done. Notice that the world doesn’t have to be silent or beautiful for you to produce good work.
Then, when you do get back to your usual space, it’ll feel like a gift—not a necessity.
I’m doing this right now. I have a dedicated writing space, but now? I’m sitting here with laptop in my living room, with Billions (I know, I’m behind) on the TV and a bourbon on the table next to me.
The Takeaway
The perfect writing space is a myth. Don’t waste your energy chasing it.
What matters is not where you write.
What matters is that you write.