Writing in Place

By Jean Iversen

As writers, we’re often encouraged to create a personal, inspiring space to write. Virginia Woolf advocated a room of one’s own. Dickens wrote from a favorite desk and chair. Colson Whitehead writes to a 2,000-song playlist at ear-splitting volume.

Less attention is given to the surprising benefits of writing in the same location in which our stories take place. In other words, we can summon mysterious forces that shift our writing by simply placing ourselves in a certai...