How to Feng Shui Your Writing Nook (So You Want to Sit Down and Write)

The room I write in has always changed how much writing I get done.

A few years ago, my desk sat in a dark corner and faced the wall. Office supplies covered every surface, and the modem, the router, and their wires sat out in plain view. I worked at that desk all day, so the mess was the first thing I saw every morning and the last thing I saw at night.

So I read every book my library had on feng shui, and I changed my writing space one piece at a time. This post walks through what I changed and why, so you can set up a writing nook that makes you want to sit down and write.

What Feng Shui Means for a Writing Space

Feng shui is the practice of arranging a space so energy (called chi) moves through it easily. For a writer, the practical result is a space that feels calm, open, and ready for work.

Most feng shui guides start with the bagua, a map you lay over your home’s floor plan. It splits the space into nine areas, and each one connects to a part of life, such as career, family, or wealth.

My office sat in the back-left corner of the house, which the bagua calls the wealth corner. That suited me, because I wanted my writing to bring in more income.

The 5 Problems in My Old Writing Nook

1. My desk faced the wall. I sat with my back to the room, so I couldn’t see who walked in.
2. Office supplies covered everything. Every pile pulled my attention away from the page.
3. The corner was dark and dusty. Nothing about it made me want to stay there.
4. A plant and a stool blocked the path into the corner.
5. The art was the wrong element for that corner. I had an orange painting there, which brings fire energy, and the wealth corner is a wood area. In feng shui, fire burns wood.

The cords and electronics were also out in the open across the house, which added to the clutter.

What I Changed

1. I Moved My Desk Into the Commanding Position

The commanding position is the spot where you can see the door while you sit, with a solid wall behind you. I flipped my desk around so it faced out into the room, with the wall at my back.

I felt more at ease as soon as I made this change, because I wasn’t listening over my shoulder for someone to walk in.

2. I Cleared Out Everything I Didn’t Need at the Desk

I moved all my office supplies into a secondhand dresser and drilled a hole in the back so the modem and router cords could run through it. The dresser held everything that used to sit out, including files and supplies.

Clutter is the fastest feng shui fix there is, and it costs nothing. If you only make one change, make this one.

3. I Added Wood and Water Colors

The wealth corner is a wood area, and water feeds wood. So I added woods, blues, and purples to the space.

I wanted a water element without adding a fountain. I painted over the orange painting with a calm water scene under a full moon, and I hung it on the wall behind my desk. The water in it is still and smooth, because I wanted money to come in smoothly, not in storms.

4. I Kept the Pieces That Mean Something to Me

My granny’s old sewing machine table already sat in that corner. It stayed, because it is a wood piece and it matters to me. On top of it, I set an orchid, a small golden elephant, a protection stone, and a wooden dish shaped like open hands with a piece of pyrite in it. Feng shui books link pyrite with wealth.

5. I Gave My Eyes a Place to Rest

My desk now sat beside a window, so I could look outside while I thought through a hard section. A view, a plant, or a piece of art you love all work for this.

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What Changed After

After I made these changes, three new projects came to me through people I already knew: a writing project on a topic I love, a book to format, and a set of publishing and marketing tasks for a friend’s clients. Work also felt less stressful, and I wanted to sit down and write again.

What I noticed most is that I sat down to write more often once the space felt good.

Can You Keep Books in a Bedroom Writing Nook?

Yes. Many writers work from a corner of the bedroom, and books can stay there. A few changes help the room still feel restful:

• Keep the books on closed shelves or in a cabinet, so the room looks calm at night.
• Keep work books out of view from the bed, so your last thought of the day isn’t about your manuscript.
• Clear the desk at the end of each writing session.

Your Writing Nook Checklist

• Put your desk where you can see the door, with a wall behind you.
• Clear everything off the desk that you don’t use in a normal writing session.
• Hide cords and electronics in a drawer, a box, or a cabinet.
• Add one piece that matters to you, like a photo, a plant, or a family heirloom.
• Give yourself a view to rest your eyes on.

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Books I Used

• Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Karen Rauch Carter
• The Holistic Home: Feng Shui for Mind, Body, Spirit, Space by Laura Benko

Make the Space Work for Your Book

A clear desk makes writing easier, and a clear plan for your book makes it faster. My clients can usually write a book in 6 to 12 weeks. If you want help writing a book that brings in clients for your business, take the quiz to find your book’s best path.

Your nonfiction book bestie

Hi, I’m Holly.

I’m Holly Ostrout, a nonfiction book and publishing coach. I’ve worked on books since 2014 and coached nonfiction authors since 2018. I help entrepreneurs (mostly women) write one Damn Good Book™ that brings in clients, lands speaking gigs, and makes their business simpler, smarter, and more visible.

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