If I'm staying anywhere more than two weeks, I have to set up a workspace. It's a compulsion. A need. Unlike some writers who can write on airplanes or trains or in hotel rooms or cafes, I work best when I'm at home or in a place where I have a room of my own in which to work, with materials and reference books close by.
It wasn't always so. Dedicated space is a luxury. When I was first writing, I shared desk space and a typewriter with my husband. From there I graduated to a laundry/storage room. When my son left for college, I usurped his bedroom and bought my first computer. From then on, I've had my own dedicated office/room.
The above room is in North Carolina, where my husband and I hide out for a few months each winter.
If you're a writer, I hope you have your own space. Do you?
What a beautiful space! I love your Mission-style furniture... Very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteYour space looks ideal. Comfortable.... Think of all that ice, snow, wind, rain and mud you are missing back in Chautauqua. Such a pity..... I'm not too jealous.
ReplyDeleteThanks for ordering some cards. I hope you like them.
Yes, I must have a space hidden away for myself for such work. My office is a basement apartment in our hold house. My actual writing space was the bedroom of the apartment, with windows at ground level. Now and then a least shrew or a chipmunk stumbles up against the glass and stands peering in at the exhibit of the caged writer. I'm surrounded on three sides by books, with a hallway into the room created by a long high double-sided bookcase. The room is full of books and rocks and toys and lamps, lots of lamps.
ReplyDeleteI am holed up in a room at the Cambria Pines Lodge right now - with computer, reference books, and too many cookies...
ReplyDeleteyour space is very inviting! i have to be alone with no barking dogs, meowing cats or questioning husband.
ReplyDeleteI did until I returned to Texas to care for an aging parent. Now I am scrunched into a small bedroom - work and everything else combined! But you know what? I ain't complaining. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to be doing at this point in my life and I'm perfectly happy doing it!
ReplyDeleteIs your work space always so neat?
I once thought I would never be able to compose my thoughts on a computer, having relied for so many years on a Royal, and then an IBM Selectric, typewriter! I do miss the typewriter for quick notes to myself or filling out of a form!
You are a tidy, tidy writer. I spill all over the third floor of an 1880s Queen Anne house. Even after I've cleaned up between projects my writing space NEVER looks this neat.
ReplyDeleteI love having a dedicated space to work at my computer. A great place to unwind at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful space to create in. I would have no problem working in such a lovely setting. Love the colors and overall feel of the room.
ReplyDeleteI just returned to the upstairs of my writing shed (some call it a mini barn). January was too cold with no heat. But today I was out there in 25-degree weather and was only a little numb. Still, it was some of my best writing. My window looks out into the woods, where I have seen fox, coyote, and deer.
ReplyDeleteI always thought this would make for an interesting coffee table book.
Your post reminded me of the weekly series that the Guardian ran for a few years called "Writer's Desks" in which everyweek a photo of a writer's desk was published and the writer wrote about his or her desk - includes all sorts, like Edna O' Brien, Will Self, Michael Morpugo, Craig Raine, Eric Hobsbawm, Margeret Drabble, etc, etc. You can read them all here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/writersrooms
ReplyDeleteHi Ms. Creech,
ReplyDeleteI am visiting Ms. Kelly's class today. We are getting ready to Skype with you so we took a tour of your blog! We are getting the idea that you really like nature and the outside world. We'll ask you about that next week.
We are really excited to meet you! Your book, The Castle Corona, really inspired the class to make our own castle and village. We can't wait to show.
See you Weds!
Katie O'Dell and the best second graders in the whole world!
I'm moving to a new house soon, where I will finally be able to have a writing space. For now, I just have "writing clothes"...my comfy sweaters that I couldn't live without in this cold New England winter!
ReplyDeleteYou have a lovely writing space! My husband and I each have a desk in our office, and that's where my computer is. I also have a secretary desk in my living room. I love both spaces, and my current mood determines which space I write in each day!
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