Setting Up A Home Office
Everyone who works at home must have the proper equipment. A writer is no different.
The most important thing is a good chair to sit in. It will determine how you feel while sitting at
your desk and computer. A good chair has arm rests and back support. You should have a foot
stool to rest your feet on. It will help your circulation and you will not get as tired.
Your computer screen should be as big as you can afford. Mine is 19 inches and I find it much
easier to see on line and off. There are many new monitors now and some of them are very
expensive but easier on the eyes.
You should have your computer monitor at eye level, neither looking up or down all the time.
Your neck will thank you for it, I am sure.
You should have a desk that has plenty of room to lay your papers around without putting them
on the floor. You can find many non wood desks now to fit your needs. Just make sure it is not
too big for your home office.
You should have a room used exclusively for your home office. If you intend to claim business
use of your home, the IRS demands it of you. Your home office should not feel too confining. If
you have a window place your desk where you can see out of the window. Your room should not
be in the main part of your home, if you can help it. That extra room over the garage would be
perfect if you can claim it for your own.
You should definitely have a filing cabinet and storage for your office supplies, paper, pens,
cd's, ink cartridges and etc. Make sure all of these items are labeled and where you can get to
them easily.
You have to have a printer. How could you get along without one? It does not have to be the
most expensive one on the market. Find a reliable one that works well with your computer's
operating system.
A scanner comes in handy but is not absolutely necessary. I use mine as a copier and I find that
very convenient. You do not have to run out to a copy shop every time you need copies of
something that is not on your computer's hard drive.
A writer needs reference books, a current dictionary, a book on the rules of writing, and a
thesaurus. You must have Internet access or you would not be reading this. If you can go online
you have all these resources at your fingertips.
You should have a telephone line for your computer and a separate phone for your business
calls. If you cannot afford two phone lines, or a phone line and a cellular phone, some ISP's offer
a phone messaging service. A window will pop up and tell you the number of the person calling
you.
You can also hire someone to build you a web site or learn to build one of your own. With some
of today's software it is not all that hard. If you use Microsoft Word (TM) you can probably use
web site editing software that comes along with a small business web site or you can use one
of the simpler web site builders with the free web pages you can have with most ISP's. A web
site is good to advertise yourself and publish your own works if you would like.
In today's world a writer can be published in numerous ways. The Internet and computers make
it a whole lot easier and rewarding.
Set up your home office today and get serious about your writing.
Lavenia Ann Claman
Aspiring Writers
copyright November 17, 2003
All rights reserved
Everyone who works at home must have the proper equipment. A writer is no different.
The most important thing is a good chair to sit in. It will determine how you feel while sitting at
your desk and computer. A good chair has arm rests and back support. You should have a foot
stool to rest your feet on. It will help your circulation and you will not get as tired.
Your computer screen should be as big as you can afford. Mine is 19 inches and I find it much
easier to see on line and off. There are many new monitors now and some of them are very
expensive but easier on the eyes.
You should have your computer monitor at eye level, neither looking up or down all the time.
Your neck will thank you for it, I am sure.
You should have a desk that has plenty of room to lay your papers around without putting them
on the floor. You can find many non wood desks now to fit your needs. Just make sure it is not
too big for your home office.
You should have a room used exclusively for your home office. If you intend to claim business
use of your home, the IRS demands it of you. Your home office should not feel too confining. If
you have a window place your desk where you can see out of the window. Your room should not
be in the main part of your home, if you can help it. That extra room over the garage would be
perfect if you can claim it for your own.
You should definitely have a filing cabinet and storage for your office supplies, paper, pens,
cd's, ink cartridges and etc. Make sure all of these items are labeled and where you can get to
them easily.
You have to have a printer. How could you get along without one? It does not have to be the
most expensive one on the market. Find a reliable one that works well with your computer's
operating system.
A scanner comes in handy but is not absolutely necessary. I use mine as a copier and I find that
very convenient. You do not have to run out to a copy shop every time you need copies of
something that is not on your computer's hard drive.
A writer needs reference books, a current dictionary, a book on the rules of writing, and a
thesaurus. You must have Internet access or you would not be reading this. If you can go online
you have all these resources at your fingertips.
You should have a telephone line for your computer and a separate phone for your business
calls. If you cannot afford two phone lines, or a phone line and a cellular phone, some ISP's offer
a phone messaging service. A window will pop up and tell you the number of the person calling
you.
You can also hire someone to build you a web site or learn to build one of your own. With some
of today's software it is not all that hard. If you use Microsoft Word (TM) you can probably use
web site editing software that comes along with a small business web site or you can use one
of the simpler web site builders with the free web pages you can have with most ISP's. A web
site is good to advertise yourself and publish your own works if you would like.
In today's world a writer can be published in numerous ways. The Internet and computers make
it a whole lot easier and rewarding.
Set up your home office today and get serious about your writing.
Lavenia Ann Claman
Aspiring Writers
copyright November 17, 2003
All rights reserved
Aspiring Writers Magazine
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