Writing Prompt Story Starter: Posh Sheds

This week’s Story Starter is inspired by the trend for garden sheds which double up as work spaces. 

As we move into another month of working from home, it seems that some people lucky enough to have garden space are building sheds that essentially double up as a home office. Some have lighting and heating installed (definitely preferable if you’re in Scotland this week — we have snow forecast for this weekend).

I wondered if it might spark some writing ideas this week.

Working from home

Working from home. Zoom calls, and laptops. Online meetings.

Working from home can be a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it ‘Marmite’ situation — wishing you were back at work, or happy to work from home?

Feeling a bit isolated. Missing colleagues, and cheery work chat.

Putting some space between work life and home life. Those lines being blurred. Difficult to switch off, knowing the laptop’s just next door?

Working in your pjs, or dressed as usual?

Missing the commute (and all the books we could be reading on the way to and from work!).

Separate work spaces. Or all in together?

Busy homes, with home workers and home schooling.

Old-fashioned sheds

Some of the newer ‘sheds’ don’t look exactly like a shed – they are sheds, but not as we know them!

Old-fashioned potting sheds. Making me think of Beatrix Potter, Mr McGregor’s garden, and Peter Rabbit hiding in the watering-can.

Potting-shed windows with little curtains.

The bottom of the garden.

Having somewhere to spend time alone.

Somewhere to store . . . garden tools? Garden furniture, in winter? Junk?

More generally, adapting to different situations.

Hoping for an end to this, and being able to get back to normal.

If it’s helpful, we’re looking for stories now for our weekly issues from late Spring onwards, and for our Specials, from summer onwards.

For another Story Starter from our archive, click here.