Christine Allen-Riley
Kirsti Jones
Tess Grant
I confess I don't have a specific physical space that I always use to write. So to cover up my disorganization, I'm going to refer to it as a mobile office or WIP (work in progress) office.
Here's the thing. We moved into our house about six months ago and each room has been a WIP. We actually have a room that we call "the office", but it's not a fully functioning office. My goal is to frequently write in there, although I can never imagine always writing in one spot or to be honest, even at a desk.
Which brings me to my beautiful desk! (Yes, I know this is confusing)
My inner romance novelist wants to pull up a chair to this desk with a quill pen and ink, a cup of cocoa, and gaze at the snow laden pine trees for inspiration.
Practical lazy me tends to sit on the couch with the laptop (i.e. right now).
The desk will at least serve the purpose of filing my writing supplies, even if I don't write very often at the desk....and my husband and stepdaughter have been using it.
If you did a 180 turn from the desk, you would see my "new" comfy chair, which is my next project- either slip cover or reupholstered. We'll see how ambitious I get. Like I said, I often plop on the couch in our living room, but sometimes the husband wants to watch Family Guy or sports, and I'm not one of those people that functions better with music or noise in the background. I envy those people, but give me a library any day over a distraction ridden Biggby's.
I have a desk at work and I squirm all day at it. Gimme a lazy boy, this behind needs some cushioning! 95% of my college homework was done in a reclining chair. I swear I'd be more productive!
My sister's friend had the awesomest cushiest hugest sweetest chair that she no longer wanted. Overzealous for a comfy spot in the "office", we hauled it to our house. Then we discovered that it actually was a gargantuan of a chair and wouldn't fit through any of the doorways. After sweat and tears, and a trail of carnage that has yet to be fixed down the hallway, we managed. And it was worth it.
This, my friends, will be my writing chair. It is heavenly.
Our "office" also has a bookshelf, printer, and some other yet-to-be-organized bins, folders, and such. A friend of mine is replicating a witty collage I found in a writer's magazine, in the form of a hanging quilt, which will also go in the "office." I promise to show it once it's done!
The mobile part of my office is my mind and a notebook. I love a clean crisp notebook. Walking into Staples makes me giddy, and I inevitably buy a new notebook or pen even though I have a stack at home. I used to hand write everything. Then type it when and if I had to. I'm old fashioned. There's something to be said for how thoughts flow from the brain to arm to scribbling flow of the fingers. I've always felt that typing creates a disconnect.
Then I realized I live in the modern world and if I wanted to make the most of my time, I should learn to type my thoughts directly. Or at least try. The transition has been difficult, but now I mostly type on the laptop. (At least I'm not stuck at a desk, I decided).
But don't stop buying stock in the notebook companies. Inspiration has a tendency to pop up at inopportune moments such as in the shower, the fleeting 5 seconds before I fall asleep, or in the car. I've lost several gems simply because I was overconfident that I'd remember it later and then never wrote it down.
I've tried various notebook sizes for mobile purposes. I had a 3" x 3" one in my purse for awhile, but it was too small and would never stay open while I tried to write. Now I keep this one nearby, usually by my nightstand and sometimes it wanders to other rooms or places...
I'm afraid my virtual tour has been a little bumpy and sidetracked, but it's actually pretty reflective of my experience as a writer: A WIP in finding a system, style, and well, an actual office.
How about you? What kind of office do you have? Is it all in your head, mobile, fragmented, or maybe centers around a well loved piece of furniture?
