Tiny Spaces
Did I hear we surpassed 8 billion people (2 of which are definitely my fault)? And did I hear that we did not in fact make the earth bigger to accommodate all those people? Ah. Right. More people means less space for each of us (among many other terrible implications…) something that sadly runs down class lines. Space has become a commodity that has left many writers with very little of it.
Years ago, there was a writer I greatly admire in my community who was upset by her lack of wall space to spread out her ideas and outlines. It’s a common suggestion — (cue) card your book and put the cards up on the wall to “see” your book — and a common problem — where exactly, in my tiny space? My fellow writer’s problem was one I felt I could solve, so here are some ideas for visualizing your writing in tiny spaces.
Tuck a magnetic whiteboard or corkboard under a bed when not in use.
Take thin poster board or another rollable material and attach your cards or notes to it then…roll it up to (win? A Canadian joke…) put it away when not in use.
Make it pretty and replace a piece of wall art! Or make it secret and put it behind a piece of wall art you remove when working. Ooooo the mystery!
Stick sticky notes on a window, your closet door, your bathroom mirror. Windows work well, especially if you live in drearier climates and don’t want to look out your window anyway. Windows and mirrors can also be drawn on with dry or wet erase pens, just make sure it’s the right pen and test it first. I used our mirrored closet doors as a giant whiteboard when making a list of potential names for our second son.
Use a digital canvas to visualize your notes. There are many structured and unstructured mind-mapping apps out there. Macs now have Freeform, an app that is perfect for this. Digital also has the advantage of being mobile. Have an idea on the go? Put it on your phone in an app that syncs via the cloud to your computer. You can also project a digital canvas to your TV if you want to see it nice and big. Or want to be really big? Get a mini projector, hang a white sheet temporarily from your ceiling and project away!
The point is, get creative. Now, you may share your space with others who don’t want to see your notes, will destroy your notes with small, mischevious hands, or maybe you like to keep your process secret. That’s where the tuck-away ideas might serve you best.
We may have dwindling space but we have creative human brains who can solve our problems. What’s more, we can have a belief that there is a solution to be found.