I’ve discovered that I’m a low-light kind of guy. Complete dark makes me nervous ((Though, full dark _has_ provided a great deal of fodder for some scary story ideas.)); too much room for my imagination to put monsters in the shadows or to make too much of little noises here and there. And full light – whether sunlight or harsh, glaring interior lights – often makes my eyes hurt and my head pound after awhile.

My favorite time of the day is early morning, just before and as the sun is starting to come up, and late evening during twilight, as the sun is headed to bed for the night. I love the long shadows cast and having just enough light to see. When I’m working in my office, I like to have all the lights off with just the glow of my computer monitor and one low-wattage light on, usually over my desk so I can refer to materials I need. I like dark rooms lit only by a handful of candles; I think I could very easily live like that, free of electric lights.

I actually feel my creative juices flow freer when I work in low light. I think my mind works better, and I think I write most efficiently in the semi-dark. I don’t know why this is; I just know that I’m comfortable there. Add a little soft music into the background, and you’ve just created the perfect writing environment for me. ((Incidentally, it’s also the perfect napping environment, so that’s something I have to be on guard for.)) It’s kind of weird, I suppose, but it’s kind of cool at the same time.

What’s _your_ preferred working or writing environment?

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