Tony Tips Tuesdays:Creating a Writing Space That Inspires You
- Tyrone Tony Reed Jr.
- Apr 29
- 5 min read
Welcome to this week’s Tony Tips Tuesday, and happy 29th day of International Black Women’s History Month. Today, we’re reflecting on a truth that often goes unspoken but has a profound effect on your writing: the power of your creative environment.
Where you write can either encourage your voice or suffocate it. It can help you return to the page or push you away. Today’s message is about building a space that fuels your fire and keeps your spirit aligned with the work ahead.
This post also pays tribute to the sacred spaces—real or imagined—that Black women have carved out for themselves across generations. From crowded kitchens to quiet libraries, church basements to front porches, these spaces became more than settings—they became creative sanctuaries.
Why Your Writing Space Matters
Your writing space is not just physical—it’s psychological. It’s where you show up to dream, to wrestle, to pour your truth onto the page. And like any sacred space, it should:
Reflect your identity
Foster peace and focus
Motivate you to return again and again
It’s about intentionality—creating an environment where your imagination feels safe and seen.
For Black writers, especially Black women, this includes creating a space that not only invites the muse, but honors your lived experience. A space that says, "You are allowed to exist here. You are allowed to thrive." That emotional safety is not optional—it is part of the foundation.
You don’t need luxury. You don’t need perfect quiet. You need ownership of a space that gives you permission to be your fullest creative self.
Elements of an Inspiring Writing Space
1. Comfort Without Complacency
You should feel physically at ease—ergonomic chairs, good lighting, supportive posture—but not so cozy that you drift into distraction. Create an environment that invites work, not sleep.
2. Sensory Cues That Signal Creativity
Use scents, textures, and sounds that connect your brain to the writing habit.
A candle or diffuser scent you light only when writing
A playlist that triggers flow
Soft lighting or natural sun
Textures that ground you—wood grain, a favorite sweater, a warm drink
3. Visual Reminders of Your Mission
Place your goals in your line of sight:
A sticky note with your book title
An image of your main character
Affirmations like "You are a writer," "Tell the story only you can," or "Progress over perfection"
4. Creative Minimalism
Too much clutter competes with your mental bandwidth. Keep it simple, intentional, and reflective of the stories you’re telling.
5. Tools That Keep You Grounded
Have your favorite notebooks, pens, writing apps, or physical books nearby. Make sure they are easy to access and hard to ignore.
Your Space, Your Rules
Not everyone has a dedicated writing office or quiet room. That’s okay.
Some of the greatest novels were written:
In parked cars
On buses during commutes
At kitchen tables before sunrise
In journals between shifts
The point isn’t the perfection of the space. It’s the intention and ritual behind it.
Make it yours, wherever it is.
One writer shared how she transformed a small hallway nook into a writing corner with a second-hand lamp, a thrifted desk, and family photos for encouragement. Another turned a porch into a seasonal retreat with a journal, citronella candles, and fresh air. Your space doesn't have to be big—it just has to be yours.
Honoring Black Women’s Creative Spaces
On this 29th day of International Black Women’s History Month, we pay homage to the spaces Black women have created and defended in order to write their truths:
Maya Angelou
She famously rented hotel rooms to write—empty, sparse, focused. She needed solitude, but more importantly, she knew how to create sacred space even in unfamiliar places.
Audre Lorde
Her poems were shaped at her desk in Staten Island and refined across her travels. Her space was wherever her vision for justice and language met.
Octavia Butler
Butler often wrote in the quiet of her Pasadena home, battling dyslexia and economic insecurity. Her imagination didn’t need noise—it needed space to grow.
Toni Morrison
Writing late at night and early in the morning before work or while her children slept. Her space was time-bound but sacred nonetheless. It was hers.
These women didn’t wait for perfect conditions. They made their spaces sacred through commitment.
Creating a Space for S.O.L.A.D.™
In the creation of S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™, my writing space had to serve as more than a desk. It had to become a launchpad for purpose-driven storytelling. I didn’t always have the quietest setting, but I had:
Character sketches, scriptures and motivational quotes
A laptop, my notes, and my previous novels
Gospel and cinematic music to tap into the emotion of each scene
Whether I was in a hotel room, my bedroom, or at a comic convention, I made space for S.O.L.A.D.™ by making room in my spirit first.
And that’s what every writer needs: a space where you are reminded of who you are and what your story can become. I get really inspired as a day dream about my future as a writer and creator and write at a comic conventions.
Writing Exercises: Build Your Creative Space
1. Describe Your Dream Writing Space
Write 250 words describing your ideal space. Use all five senses. Then ask yourself—how can you start building a version of this now? Consider how your cultural identity influences your dream space—what would your ancestors or mentors place in it?
2. Name Your Creative Triggers
Make a list of things that help you drop into creative flow:
Songs
Smells
Lighting
Times of day
Begin integrating these into your routine.
3. Declutter Your Space
Clear a surface, organize your tools, wipe down your desk. Ritualize it. Let the cleaning process be a declaration: this space matters.
4. Write in a New Place
Switch it up. Go to a library, a park, or a coffee shop. Notice how your words change. Let environment reshape energy.
Final Word: Create the Space You Deserve
Your writing space is a reflection of your creative soul. Treat it with honor.
Don’t wait for the perfect office or the right mood. Build it. Find it. Carve it out—even in corners, chaos, or quietude.
As we close out International Black Women’s History Month, let this tip be your legacy:
Make space for your story. And protect it like your life depends on it. Because it does.
Here’s a word from poet Lucille Clifton that stays with me:
“What they call you is one thing. What you answer to is something else.”
Let your writing space be what you answer to.
Until next Tuesday, write where your heart is.
📚 Ready to be inspired by faith-filled, purpose-driven storytelling? Order your copy of S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™ and other novels by Tyrone Tony Reed Jr. at www.tyronetonyreedjr.com.
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