Your Writing Space

Susan that sounds lovely!

I write at my desk at work. We are across the road from a huge clocktower that is part of the 200 year old post office. I can hear the clock chiming throughout the day.

My desk is a big white one, and I can see through the glass doors to the bank of lifts. to my right is a hole cut in the desk for a flower arrangement. This week it is pink and white cherry blossom, magnolia foliage, and pink and white lillies.

When I have my own home, I'd love to write in a place that sounds exactly like what you describe, but if I'm honest, when I'm in the zone, everything fades and I could be anywhere. I'm in the room with my characters.

I'm most productive on a Cityrail train in Sydney, on my morning hour-long commute.

Except in Winter on the week where it was cold enough for frost, and the lack of air-conditioning on the train made me want to keep my hands safely tucked somewhere warmer than my keyboard.

Kurzon - fingerless. gloves. They may make you look like a hobo, but they keep fingers warm while allowing for typing and iphone touch screening

My writing space is pretty much wherever I happen to be with my Alphasmart Neo. Panera, my living room, bedroom, office, whatever--since it's so portable, I write just about anywhere.

My desktop is in my office, but I don't do much writing or rewriting in there. Just formatting and printing.

MissMacchiato said:

Kurzon - fingerless. gloves. They may make you look like a hobo, but they keep fingers warm while allowing for typing and iphone touch screening

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I've tried them - but on days when you don't want to take even your gloved hands out of your pockets...

Fortunately there are usually only a few days of really cold per year in Sydney.

SusanL said:

Do you like the Neo? I've heard nothing but good about it.

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I love it. I've done all of my first drafts on it since I got it in 2004. All my short stories, novels, and other writings have started their life in the Neo. I've had a few sales, so it's paid for itself several times over.

Big draws of it for me are its light weight, great battery life, and lack of internet access or games. It's little more than an electronic word processor and that's all I really need.

I finally got my own office so no more dining room for me. My office is a loft with gorgeous large windows and views of the lake. I still use my dinning room table as it has been promoted to desk since we got a new table. This works better for me because its more like a library table and gives me room to spread out.

On the table I keep a live orchid and an iPod dock. The wall has a framed copy of my first published book's cover as well as artsy black and white photos.

I love this space. It keeps me motivated.

My writing space is my study. The study is smallish, about 8-9 feet by about 12 feet. It does not have a door and is accessed via the sitting room. Sort of open plan. I have an oak desk which was rescued from a skip where I used to work. It is a lovely dark marmalade colour with drawers on the left hand pedestal and a cupboard on the right hand one.

On the wall facing me are two tall book cases, two cupboard doors and a filing cabinet. Skulking behind one of the cupboard doors is the water heater and hot water tank. On my right, and at right angles to the doors, are two windows. A large and a small one. When I draw back the curtains, which is not often, I can see the eucalyptus tree and all the birds that visit. This is a major distraction so the curtains are mainly closed. Behind me are two very large book cases. They are filled with my Shakespeare collection - plays, biographies, crits and all sorts related to WS. To my left is my bureau which, when I had a laptop, I used to work at. Over the bureau is a print that always reminds me of the years I lived in Stratford-upon-Avon. There is a swan, the tower of Holy Trinity where WS is buried, a view of the river and the artists depiction of how WS may have looked. Either side of the bureau are book cases. One of them stands in front of the way in to the brick built bread oven. This is a huge thing that was a real modcon when it was built over four hundred years ago. Now it houses spiders and the lost cheese sandwich. At the left hand side of the desk as I sit at it, and at the front, are low level book cases.

The top of my desk has a row of reference books on it, the 'puter, Belton Bertie and sundry other softies, a box of tissues ( I cry a lot), a round thing to hold pens which are mainly dead from lack of use and boredom, mouse pad, a tape measure, the mini bear I made and took on Concorde, glasses cases. a china flop eared rabbit, tape measure, stapler, bust of WS, picture of Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, a calendar, and a small, pink floppy bunny. The window sills are full of toot, and the one over the desk has files that are full of print outs of work waiting to be edited. They are also, in all probability and judging by the number of cobwebs, full of spider and fly carcasses. The floor has a clear path way through various items that have fallen off various piles that one day (holding of breath not advisable) I might pick up.

On the bureau is a clock that is always an hour slow. Draped over said clock is a spiky frog. I dusted the bureau last week and it looks very out of place.

The study is very quiet. The only noise during the day are the sound of planes and very heavy lorries. Early evening and night the only noise are birds, brown owls, foxes barking and the local randy tom cat.

Giant puffy chair + laptop, or else giant puffy chair + writing pad.

I write primarily in my library/study. I tend to write longhand first, and then type.

But I also write at my desk at work when I'm on breaks etc.

I usually either write on the couch with my laptop, or in my home office (which is supposed to be our formal living room, but is only ever used when we have parties). It's the lightest room in the house with a big picture window and another smaller window, plus the two windows and door in the attached dining room (there's a big doorway separating the two).

My desk is the desk of the editor at the magazine I used to work at (the magazine closed and he's since passed away). It's huge, over 2' deep and over 6' long. We think it used to be a map table in a library, and it's in horrible shape, but I don't think I'll ever get rid of it. If the top ever breaks (it's pretty warped now), I'll reuse the legs to make another desk.

I have a couple of bookcases in the room, as well as a couch and chair. My cat likes to sleep in the chair while I work or write, and my dog is often asleep on the floor nearby.

At the moment the whole room is a disaster area, as we're cleaning out our house and getting ready to put it on the market. But it's still a nice place to work.

MissMacchiato said:

When I have my own home, I'd love to write in a place that sounds exactly like what you describe, but if I'm honest, when I'm in the zone, everything fades and I could be anywhere. I'm in the room with my characters.

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This is me. I write anywhere - at work, at home on a laptop on the couch with the TV, my husband and stepdaughter in the background - where ever and whenever I get in the zone.

My coffee table, me sitting on the floor in front of it.

An utter mess, with added pictures of hot men, er, people who look like my characters. Oh, and a poem on the wall by AW's Shewta. It's basically the corner of my dining room.

I've got a picture somewhere...

I have two places, a Writing Space and a Serious Writing Space.

The Writing Space is an old university surplus desk with an executive office chair and my computer. It's within an arm's reach of my CD collection for mood music and has ample space for notes and (most importantly) plates of food.

The Serious Writing Space is, stereotypically, a local coffee dive. Their chairs are much more comfortable than mine, and their inconsistent wireless means I'm often cut off from the internet, which is Distractor Number One. Going on a special trip just to write, and having plentiful and powerful sugars and caffeines nearby, seems to have a miraculous alchemical effect. And before anyone starts in with the Family guy quotes, I tend to go on Sunday afternoon when the place is deserted

Julia, that must be wonderful surrounded by hot men! . What a great idea to surround yourself by pictures of whom your characters are supposed to look like.

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Oh it's very inspirational... I do write on my laptop too; the dog likes to sit on my legs. It's an utter mess there too, but I get to watch the fish swim round their tank when I'm stuck. That's therapeutic!