O.K., so maybe I'm not the best person to write an article about creating a location to write. I don't have a place to write that is completely my own, and rarely is it ever quiet around here, with four children ages 18 months to sixteen years, a sweet but attention craving Boston Terrier, a leopard gecko (actually, very quiet), neighbor kids in and out, teenage music playing, baby crying. Stop! You get the idea. I'm not in a quiet stage of life.

I trust that as the children grow up and move on with their own lives, that the house will settle down a bit. I look forward to having more access to the computer, and I treasure the thought of being able to find a pen or pencil to write with day or night, 24/7 (while my children live at home, I reserve the right to blame them for my organizational struggles). If you are feeling an urge to tell me that life may not really calm down, as I anticipate, please, don't tell me!

I admire those who have created a quiet place to write. It certainly is a worthy goal to strive for. I've heard it many times from famous authors. Create your own space. Write at the same time each day. Several ANWA sisters answered my e-mail question about where they like to write.

Julie Grant writes, "My office is in my home and sits in the middle of the house. I have an executive size desk and a computer with all the usual office supplies and writing paraphernalia around it. There are no TV's or radios in my office, not even the tick of a clock."

Marsha Ward writes, "I have an AlphaSmart portable keyboard that I like to take to the local Whataburger. There is a little booth just right for having a sandwich and sitting for hours typing away. Other places that I have written are on the deck at my place in Christopher Creek with my keyboard, in various doctor's offices and other line/waiting areas, and at a window-side table on a cruise ship."

K.D. Enos says, "I write on my computer, which is in my living room because of the prophet's admonition that a computer with an Internet connection shouldn't be in a locked room (it's also the only place in the house with room for it). Now, where I compose my stories is as varied as the stories themselves. I've composed while sleeping in bed and sitting in church, sometimes while driving and shopping. Remembering those ideas long enough to get them typed up is the problem."

BonnieLe Hamilton replied, "I usually write at my desk, but I do carry a notebook and pencil when I go places, and have been known to write while waiting in my car for my aunt to do her shopping. If I'm in a restaurant or office, I get distracted by people watching, and I don't get much done—but waiting out in my car, I can write a lot."

Valerie Steimle says, "I like to write on a pad of paper with pencil in various places, such as on my bed, in my hammock under the tree in my back yard, or on the couch. For some reason, I can't create on the computer, but on paper I can create."

Linda Whiting replies, "I write out my first thoughts for a paragraph or section in long hand. I do this in spiral notebooks at a table in my bedroom, or lying in bed watching TV, or waiting in the car for my kids in front of their schools, or waiting in the car for my kids in thrift store parking lots (they collect LPs), or at tables in libraries waiting for my kids, etc. Then, I go to my computer on a table in the small room off my kitchen. There, I type what I have written out in my notebooks, and then begin to work with it. Once I get a good start on a section, I can usually begin to compose straight into the computer using the research I've collected."

Connie White says, "Actually, I mostly write at my computer, so that makes me utterly boring."

I also received one comment on what not to do. Pat Faas writes, "I once tried to write in a steamy bathtub full of bubbles. I had placed a board across the width of the tub. Unfortunately, I dropped the pad of paper underneath all the bubbles. By the time I found the pad, everything was soaked and I could no longer read what I wrote."

As you can see, writers have different ways of making time to write. They write in many different places, either by choice or necessity. I could sit here and tell you that you need to always schedule your writing into each and every day. I could also recommend that you write in one spot, and write at full speed until your scheduled time is up. You've heard it all before. Although those are great strategies, they don't work for everyone, all of the time.

The honest truth from some of your fellow ANWA sisters says it all. Find a comfortable place to write. Surround yourself with the tools you need for writing. Write on a regular basis. Be prepared with supplies at hand to jot down inspiration as it comes. Look for extra time in your day to write.

Now that I am nearing the end of this article, I've already changed my mind about finding a place to write. I am a writer who somehow finds the time to finish the articles, poetry, and the stories that fill my head. It doesn't really matter if I share a desk, room, or computer with others, or that sometimes I retreat to some secluded place—anyplace I can find at the moment. What matters, is that I follow the urge to share my voice with my family and with those who will listen. I know you do it too. Thank you, sisters, for sharing what you know, what you do, and what you hope for. Find the time to write and don't give up! Go for it!

Rachel

*Many thanks to all of you who shared your remarks for this article. I regret not being able to use all of them as several comments came after I had finished the article.