Show Your Space!

[tdonbavand]

** First, I hope that I'm not replicating a thread elsewhere on the forum (I searched, but couldn't find one) and, second, I hope this topic is OK in this section... **

I'm fascinated by the way other writers write and, even more so, by how and where they write.  The Guardian newspaper in the UK looked at a selection of writers' rooms here - http://books.guardian.co.uk/writersrooms - but I'd love to see the offices and desks of folks who visit these boards, published or otherwise.  So, here's the idea - post a pic or two of your desk and/or the place where you write and write a few lines about it.

I'll go first...



I use a very small spare bedroom which gets incredibly hot, and I'm forced to have the window open all year round.  I make plotting and character notes on index cards and pin them up on notice boards around the room (you can just see a couple of them)  For drafts, I write on a iMac (I have a Macbook for when I'm away from home), and I keep a selection of spooky objects to hand to get me in the mood for the children's comedy horror novels I produce.  On my desk in the picture is Eddie (the skull who appears in my WIP), a skeletal pen pot, and you can just see a rat peeking out from beneath my laptop.  My 9-year old son's bedroom is next door, so it's nice and peaceful when he's at school, but less so when he's home, battling aliens on his Playstation!

OK, your turn...

Tommy

[RyanBruner]

I don't have a picture to post...but if you can imagine the inside of a Ford Freestyle (or any vehicle for that matter), that's where I do most of my writing.  I drive to a parking lot, plug in my laptop, move over to the passenger seat and go at it.  It is nice.  No distractions this way...not even the internet. Occasionally I write in other places...but most of my novel was written in my car.

[Christy]

Too embarrassed to show mine. Imagine computer 
persian cat
piles of papers 
ipod
pencils
chocolate wrappers  (empty of course)
coffe mugs  (those are empty too)
books- stacks- 
positive notes from editors on wall  .

that's me!

[tdonbavand]

Don't be embarrassed!  My desk is normally littered with drinks cans and the remains of sandwiches, but I tidied it up when my new iMac arrived last week.  Take a look at some of the writers' rooms at the link in my original post - now they're messy!

Go on...  Let's have a peek!

Tommy

[YAmom]

Don't be embarrassed!  My desk is normally littered with drinks cans and the remains of sandwiches,


I don't believe for a second that pristine desk has ever seen a food or beverage in its lifetime. Nice try though, trying to make us slobs feel better

[mrspilkington]

Not brave enough for this one (sometimes I don't answer the door when we have unexpected visitors, so...), but kudos to those who share! 

[ghostgirl]

okay, Tommy...if you click here, http://thebrokentree.blogspot.com/2007/03/room-of-ones-own.html you'll see my blog on where I write.  It still looks pretty much the same, though now I have a mascot named Ruthie!   

[Harrietthespy]

I need five years to clean up first.  Suffice it to say iMac, MacBook, Cube, Two laser printers, 1 inkjet, 1 fax and four overfilled bookshelves (three of which are seven feet tall).  Maybe I'll use this as an incentive to clean my space this weekend and show my "pride."   

[writercat]

i have an office all to myself with a big desk & four 6-foot bookshelves double-stacked with books. But I never write there. I sit on the bed with this overstuffed back support thing I call huggybear and a padded lapdesk and my laptop. The office is a mess right now--our house is too small for us so it's become a catch-all. I just never felt comfortable writing there...

[tdonbavand]

I like that office, Ghost Girl, even though I often wish I didn't have a window so that the neighbours' music or power tools wouldn't disturb me!  I know the feeling about kids in the office, too!  Mine and their friends are banned from passing through that doorway!

For the folks who think I'm compulsively tidy - here are a couple of extra pics of my office, including the areas I try not to show...





If I can do it, so can you guys!

Tommy

[Jessica Burkhart]

Fun! I'll get a pic and share.

[brendao]

Um, er, sorry Tommy... If that's supposed to make me feel better about posting a pic of the rathole where I work, it didn't!  I aspire to reach the neatness of your messiness.

I always intend to clean up, but then I get sucked into the computer. Maybe tomorrow. *sigh*

[Theresa Black]

I write in bed too. I have a big overstuffed foam pillow that I made years ago for back support. I also have a desk I occasionally use, especially for revisions so I can have a dual monitor thing going (although you can't see it in this picture which is about a year old). Still messy though.

[Alison A]

Um, er, sorry Tommy... If that's supposed to make me feel better about posting a pic of the rathole where I work, it didn't!  I aspire to reach the neatness of your messiness.

I always intend to clean up, but then I get sucked into the computer. Maybe tomorrow. *sigh*

My thoughts, too!

Tommy,
rhamby on the boards here (and part of my on-line crit group) had a similar request on her blog a few weeks ago, and though I intended to share, the thought of taking a photo of this   chaotic space and sharing it with the world actually depressed me. Sorry to her and you. I admire the photo of your space and I do love my space, messy as it is. My favorite part surrounding the mess: Sandra Boynton "Monster Ball" wallpaper. This room was once used as a nursery. No more diapers here, thank goodness, but grinning monsters everywhere.

[Arya]

I love this thread! I'll start taking pictures to post on here.

[smichel]

I wrote about this on my blog last year. Of course, I tidied it up a bit for the pic, but you still see my junk stuffed here and there.

http://wwwstarsy.blogspot.com/search?q=A+clean+Well-Lighted+Space

Stella 

[Rachel Hamby]

My space is back to being messy, Alison.  I was lucky.  I had cleaned my office a couple of days before I was tagged.     Here it is in all it's former glory. 

http://rachelwrites4kids.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-writing-space.html

[tdonbavand]

Theresa - I love the bookshelf above the desk.  I might try and do something like that with mine!

Stella - that's a great desk!

Rachel - very nice in white, although I don't think mine would stay that tidy for long!

Anyone else...?

Tommy

[Theresa Black]

Theresa - I love the bookshelf above the desk.  I might try and do something like that with mine!

Thanks tdonbavand. I think they call it a hutch. It came with the desk. It allows me to keep with my theme of organized clutter.

[~Michelle~]

This is a cool thread. But I don't have a picture ready. Yet, it is funny as I was just thinking and read that your space is very important. I share mine which fits since I'm just starting out. So maybe in the future it will be more prof.
Thanks for this thread.

[Gail]

Fun stuff!

You can see mine here:
http://gailmakiwilson.blogspot.com/search/label/studio

I'm glad I labeled the posts, made it easy for me to gather photos. You get to to see it all. The the good, the bad, and the ugly. OK, maybe I'm not so glad...

[tdonbavand]

That is incredible, Gail!  Want to swap?! ;o)

 Tommy

[Victoria]

My writing space is currently swamped with flashcards for my impending history exam, but I'll see about posting a picture when that's all over. 

[Gail]

That is incredible, Gail!  Want to swap?! ;o)

 Tommy

Maybe in the summer when it's 110 degrees F here! I get more space since I illustrate too. The writing happens in the computer area.

Right now it is incredible, incredibly messy this is! I'm in dire of spring cleaning again.

[aclaire1980]

I love this thread and the article that you posted. All of these spaces are so unique! I feel really guilty because even though we have an office in our house, I do not use it. I usually write on the sofa, in bed, or outside. However, after reading this thread I feel like I really need a space for myself. Maybe I would be more productive if I always used the same spot to write. I just started writing on our new patio furniture outside. Can that be considered a space? I always get fidgety when I sit at a desk.

[gla]

I'd share, but I can't figure out how to post a photo.  A little help here would be great.

[smichel]

Wow, Gail!  That's some work space. I understand artists need a little more room, but WOW!  That's about all I can say.

Stella

[1846]

Gail, I love yours!  Just how I've always envisioned my own someday, except with a different color scheme and with a pool table in the center.

Here's mine:  The computer sits in a guest room which very seldom sees any guests.  For editing hard copy, I generally work from my desk in the dining room.

The pool table - my favorite writer's block diversion - sits in the basement.  Clearing the pool table is a frequent part my work time.

[Bish]

Ok, here's my space. Hubby and I share "The Other Room," as we call it. It's our "office." It's cluttered and crowded. I use a different computer to go on line. My laptop is strictly for writing, it will never visit cyber-space.

[tdonbavand]

Now I need a pool table!

As for posting photos - I uploaded mine to my web space, then clicked the 'Insert Image' button to link them in.  I'm not sure how the last two posters have attached their images, however...

Tommy