This week’s blogathon recap: Bloggers’ favorite places to write

On this and every Saturday during the 2011 WordCount Blogathon, I’m sharing links to what other bloggers in the event are writing.

Give a blogger a couch, a laptop and a cup of tea, and they’re good to go.

Bloggers can and do write everywhere, according to an informal survey of the places bloggers in the 2011 WordCount Blogathon say they write.  This past Tuesday, bloggers  shared their favorite writing venues as part of the latest blogathon theme day.

Writing while sitting on the couch was a favorite for what I’ll call the homebody bloggers, whose favorite places tend to focus in and around their homes or home offices. Those bloggers also say they like to write from an office desk, kitchen table, patio table or a comfortable chair.

Some bloggers prefer mixing it up with other people while they write. Some of those bloggers’ favorite writing spaces: cafes, libraries, town halls, bakeries, airport waiting areas and hotel rooms (that’s me – give me a hotel room and I’m in writing heaven).

Why take my word for it. Here are some of the more interesting examples from this week’s theme day, “My 5 favorite places to write”:

“Our living room couch is the hub of our home some days. It scoots up to a south-facing window, and I have homeschooled for 15 years sitting on that couch. I realized that it’s one of the few places that I can get what little sunshine there is here in the Northwest. So I plop my self down in the early morning before anyone is awake to write.” – Jan Udlock, in My 5 Favorite Places to Write (The Imperfect Mom)

“Whether it’s the park or out on my deck, nature and sunshine inspire me. However, bees do not, so I’m often at nature’s mercy.” – Tia Bach, in Bathtub, Bed, Desk, Outside & In a Car: What Could These Things Possibly Have in Common? (Depression Cookies)

“I am a catechist at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church (in Carrollton, Texas). In addition to teaching adult formation sessions, I have written articles and posts on Catholic topics. Often when I am preparing to teach, I spend time in our chapel, praying and studying. One week I was in a jam and needed to catch up on some  writing for one of the sessions. I was worried people would think I was surfing the web or being disrespectful. It just so happened I was reading George Weigel’s biography on Pope John Paul II, Witness to Hope. In it, Weigel describes Pope John Paul II writing on a typewriter while in his chapel. I figured that was my sign that it would be OK to sit in the chapel and work on my laptop too.” – Don A. Gonzalez in My Desk and 4 Other Unique Places Where I’ve Written (Gonzo’s Gab)

“When I look out at the garden my husband and I built and planted together after Katrina, I am reminded that everything I’ve ever created started with a blank page.” – Veronica Del Bianco, My Favorite Place to Write (Eco-NOLA)

“Some great posts are composed on my commutes on the train. If I had an iPad or smartphone, the pen and paper wouldn’t be necessary. With almost an hour commute each way, I might as well use the time well.” – Alison Preston, in My Top 5 Places to Write (LadyMoxie)

“(In) my home office I have access to my coffee and snacks. It’s very comfortable. My favorite books are right next to my desk. There is Wi-Fi, cats and my dog. Lots of visual stimulation if I look out my window where my chickens free range (soon – they are 4 weeks old and still reside in the brooder). My spinning wheel is handy if I need a break. And I know the bathroom is clean.” – Susannah Fisher in My 5 Favorite Places to Write (Cricklewood Farm)

“I do my best writing when I should be sleeping. Usually, there is no computer or paper and pencil. As I drift off, I write — ledes to the stories I have due later in the week, very clever blog posts, 140-character masterpieces of Twitter, and some of the most scathing (and of course effective) letters to company executives, politicians, and writers I want to stalk. If only I could harness my talents when I’m sitting in front of a computer.” – Lisa Hubbell in There’s No Place Like Bed (Eat, Read, and Be Harried)

“Lately I have been pulling out my journal at concerts and writing down random lyrics that I hear. Like these overheard bits by Brett Dennen at Red Rocks Ampitheater, ‘Darlin’, don’t fear what you don’t really know. All your troubles don’t stand a chance!'” – Amanda Steinhaus, in My Five Favorite Places to Write (Ms. Panda’s Blog)

“One of my new favorite places to write is in a wine bar during a tasting, especially in the summer if there is outdoor seating. Now we’re talking! A perfect observation point (akin to a wildlife blind), to eavesdrop on intimate conversations, which get easier to hear as we all make our way through the tasting list.” –Tamara Ellingson in Oh Yeah, Let it Be Written (Mama Can Dance)

“No matter how ideal the space, or how far away from external distractions it may be, you are still you and you bring all your internal distractions along.” – Mikaela D’Eigh in Top 5 Writing Spaces (La Belle Dame De Merci)