Writing Ergonomics: Standing to Write

Something else to consider in the search for the proper desk height is whether you might like writing while standing up. If it worked for Ernest Hemingway, why not try it? You might find it easier to adjust your arm position, and your posture should improve as well. You'll burn a few calories, which could help offset some of the sedentary spread many of us writers are prone to. It requires a good, supportive pair of shoes and you'll have to adjust to being on your feet for long periods of time, but each of us has to find what works best for our body, budget, temperament, and level of stamina.

Ikea used to make a computer desk that was adjustable to standing height. A quick search on the Internet turns up any number of futuristic-looking slabs of work surface affixed to towering rods. Perhaps there are more aesthetically pleasing options as well.

However, I like the Hemingway version of a short bookcase just tall enough to support a typewriter (or laptop). I think drafting tables might be usable. The old wooden ones–battlescarred from decades of use–sound appealing to me. It depends on whether they can be leveled off or whether they have to remain at a slant.

Another option for the DIYer: buy a base cabinet for a kitchen, top it with a sanded piece of plywood or a scrap of countertop or stone and position it for use. Unfinished cabinets can be purchased from retailers like Home Depot or Lowe's, or you can search for one at your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

For further information: http: smarterware.org/7102/how-and-why-i-sw....

Ernest Hemingway standing at a desk on his friend's balcony. Image from Life Magazine.