Freedom of Freelance Writing: Outdoor Offices

My front yard has been dubbed "The Redneck Internet Cafe" by a neighbor. The title fits. We embrace it.

 My Redneck Internet Cafe

The disreputable shop table often holds three laptops, assorted tiller parts and fishing reel guts. It's a comfy space graced by some of my potted flowers and jovial company. A true testimony to the freedom and portability of being a freelance writer.

An outdoor office space can allow a writer to escape the confines - real and mental - of four unchanging walls. The colors of nature and activity in the street help me feel stimulated and connected to the world in a way that an indoor office never did.

It helps set a relaxed tone for more informal writing, like blogging or opinion pieces. I feel more creative and brainstorm story ideas better outdoors. Maybe it's the fresh air invigorating my brain. 

I don't do well writing structured, in-depth, articles out here. Those require more concentration than listening to chatter or a tiller starting for the 50th time allows. Then I just pick up my laptop and move my office to the backyard or indoors. Ahh...freedom.

 Photos by Tamara McRill