Your Home Office
Your home-office setup will be most important if you plan to work full time as a magazine writer, but even the occasional writer needs a quiet, well-organized space that is conducive to getting the job of writing done. Whether you have an entire room that you can dedicate as an office or simply a small section of a studio apartment, your goal in setting up your home work environment should be to make the space as comfortable for your needs as possible.
Tangibles
As you read in the last section, this home-office setup should include a telephone and a fax machine, perhaps working from a separate phone line than your home number. There are other typical items that you should consider, as well:
A spacious desk with room for your computer as well as open notebooks and files
Good lighting that will keep your eyes healthy despite extra computer use
A telephone headset that will keep your hands free to type while conducting telephone interviews
A large-format monitor that you can plug into your laptop, if it has a small screen that hurts your eyes after extended use
A file cabinet for storing contracts, notes, and other important paperwork
A bookshelf or bookcase for holding your dictionary, thesaurus, and other reference materials
A desktop or electronic Rolodex or address book for easy access to sources' contact information
A well-built chair that offers good support for your back and that will remain comfortable even during a twelve-hour workday
Intangibles
As important as it is to outfit your home office with items that you can see and touch, you also need to ensure that your setup includes the intangibles that will help you to be successful. Noise is one such intangible. You can't see it or touch it, but it definitely will affect your ability to write. If you think better with a radio on, then put one in your home office. On the other hand, if you need absolute silence when you are working, consider setting up shop in the part of your home that is farthest from the television and kitchen (where people tend to congregate, and from where noise will emanate if you are working late and your husband feeds the kids dinner while watching reruns of
Consider setting up your home office as far away from your refrigerator as possible. Many magazine writers complain that they gained weight in their first year on the job, simply because they were easily distracted by that last slice of pie just a few steps away in the kitchen.
Distractions in general are another intangible to consider. If you are easily distracted, consider having your desk face a wall instead of a window. You will be less likely to begin daydreaming when the sun is shining and you're on deadline. Also consider installing caller ID on your telephone, so that you can see when friends and family are calling and screen them out during your busiest work times. Another good tip is to remove all games, like solitaire, from your computer system. There's no easier way to get distracted than by trying to get hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs into organized rows.
