A Room of One's Own by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt

Virginia Woolf famously said that "..a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." A concept she then turned into the long essay “A Room of One’s Own”. She was really addressing the difference between the genders. Even in her day (Woolf lived from 1882 to 1941), it was only the very rich woman who might have her own space for anything, and a dedicated space for writing was virtually unheard of.

I’d argue that not much has changed. Men too, especially if poor, have very little space of their own. The middle classes might have their studies, dens and even offices (though not necessarily the time to use them), but a writer living in a one bed council house is a bit different. One of the evils of social media is that I now suffer from summerhouse and den envy.

Fortunately, writers tend to have the imagination to make the best of things. If we don’t have a writing shed at the bottom of our garden like Roald Dahl, or even an actual garden, then, as for Jane Austen, needs must; and we can fashion a room out of a chair, or our lap, or a notebook, as long as the tools are there, we can make do. What really matters is finding the room in our days and in our heads.

Solitude and silence, as well as time, are more necessary, to most writers, than space. Those are, naturally what Woolf was really talking about. Being able, as with prayer, to close the door on the world and enter a different plane.

I know that I’m not the only writer who works sitting up in bed. And I suppose, really, I think of my laptop as my “room.” When the last one went belly up, my Mum very kindly bought me a new one, knowing that I live pretty much my whole life on there. And what a room the internet is! Used well, it’s a boon to writers. I can write this article with facts about Woolf at my fingertips, get shed envy, window shop for summerhouses and receive consolation from other writers, all within a few moments.

The web is distracting too, of course, but it is also a place to connect, research and be inspired. The trick, as with all resources, is to use it, rather than it using you. But it is also a place to give. I find that not only do I get great pleasure by giving; sharing art and thoughts, jokes and even proper writing (whatever that is), I also receive in return. Maybe “the room” is there for everyone, and we can all have a little corner of it, desk or no desk, Mac or ASUS Souwester, Word or Scrivener, pen or pencil.

(Photo above from Pixabay. Not sure I could live with that clock though. Below, a quick drawing I attempted of Woolf - she moves fast)

Keren Dibbens-Wyatt is a chronically ill writer and artist with a passion for poetry, mysticism, story and colour. Her writing features regularly on spiritual blogs and in literary journals. Her full-length publications include Garden of God’s Heart and Whale Song: Choosing Life with Jonah. She has a new book, Recital of Love, coming out with Paraclete Press in June 2020. Keren lives in South East England and is mainly housebound by her illness.