I used to write in coffee shops, but now I write almost exclusively at my desk, which is located in a tidy corner of my living room. It's not a separate office, but it works just great for me. I thought it would be fun to ask some author friends where they feel most productive. Here's what they had to say:
Where is your favorite spot to write?
- Karen McQuestion, whose newest book is a paranormal young adult novel called Edgewood:"I converted a former bedroom into a home office and it's perfect for writing! I have a mahogany desk with my regular computer, a recliner in the corner for when I use my laptop, a bookcase, and an electric fireplace, which keeps me warm in the winter."
- Jezra Kaye, author of The Tattooed Heart: "I usually write in my home office, but the best place I ever wrote was on the balcony of my room on a Caribbean cruise ship (my husband had a gig, or trust me, this wouldn't have happened). Warm air, big sky, the boat cutting quietly through the ocean, oh my God it was great!"
- Raymond Bean, author of the School Is a Nightmare and Sweet Farts series: "I've tried writing in different places. When I was in college, I wrote at the library and coffee shops. I don't think I'd be able to focus in a busy place anymore. Sitting at my desk with the laptop and a marble composition notebook is best for me."
- Ellen Greenfield, author of Come From Nowhere:"I write in my head at all times and places: in the subway, in bed at 3 a.m., in the shower, on long road trips...but I really get down to cases in a wonderful little studio that my husband built with his own two hands. It has windows opening onto two ponds and has a nice long desk (made from an old door) covered with all the totem objects that support me."
In upcoming posts, I'll also ask these talented authors what time of day they prefer to write, as well as their preferred background noise levels. Should be interesting!
Now it's your turn to weigh in: Where do you like to write, or where is the best place you've ever written?
-Maria
Maria Murnane is the author of the best-selling romantic comedies Perfect on Paper, It's a Waverly Life, Honey on Your Mind, and Chocolate for Two. She also provides consulting services on book publishing and marketing. Learn more at www.mariamurnane.com.
This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2013 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
This is such an interesting discussion... I like to do my creative thinking at Indian Rock in Berkeley.. but I do most of my writing from a corner of my apartment where I can look out on the city and in the distance SF Bay
Anywhere with a water view. :) Cassandra
I write in my guest room/office, filled with Mediterranean sunshine and with a distant view of the sea, as I listen to the birds sing and the local church bells chime - peaceful and serene!
When the children were younger I would write in the middle of my bed and found enormous creative energy all around me. When one of my children left home, I turned the room into a study fit for a Literati - desk, chair, book shelf and art work to inspire. However, I still revert to writing in the middle of my bed, lap top and note pad beside me.
I do my actual writing in my home office, a tiny room with 8 overflowing bookcases, a cluttered desk, an ancient oak desk chair (that I've had since I was in graduate school at Berkeley in the 1970's), and 2 pesky cats. But I do my best work when I'm able to take a walk every day: I often write scenes and dialogue in my head before I put fingers to keyboard, and the combination of exercise and fresh air seems to move the process along.
Last week, when the weather was nice here in Washington, DC, my favorite place to write was our small screened in porch in a comfortable, cushioned wicker chair. The fresh air and sunlight made it such a pleasurable experience to work. This week, it's been gray and gloomy, and I'm back to sitting on a lumpy old couch with my laptop. It's hard to find a comfortable chair, and I see you left yours out of the lovely photo, Maria. The space looks so inviting that I wonder about the chair . . .
Depends on what I'm writing. Blog? Coffee shop with wi-fi. Biography of my mother (Malvina Reynolds)? Writing office surrounded by research materials and no phone. Poetry? Walking around Berkeley or in the redwoods at a writers' retreat. I have a tiny pen and a piece of paper in my pocket for that. Song lyrics? Wherever they strike me. Tunes? In the dining room where the piano is, when I'm home alone.
I girlified my college son's bedroom for my study area and love it. My desk is against a window with layers of mountains as its view. I can be such a happy hermit here.
I love your desk. The colors are perfect for creativity.