Writerly Spaces

Inside the writing shed of Roald Dahl. I love the lap desk on the arms of the chair!

Where writers write fascinates me. I’m a bit all over the place, depending on the circumstances (read: noise level) in which I’m trying to write. Sometimes I sit in the sweet spot (the corner) of our L-shaped sofa with my lap desk and either my Alphasmart (fast drafting) or macbook (editing/research). Other times I’m at one end of the dining table, or sitting on my bed. The irony is that I actually have a dedicated desk space in our study. There’s a magnet board and everything! But the sad reality is it’s usually at least an inch deep in scraps of paper and other remains of scrapbooking projects, so as of yet, no writing has ever taken place there. (but hey! It’s a new year. Never say never…)

I live in an apartment but if I had a house with a garden, I know I would find it hard to resist the lure of a little writing space of my own. After all, it works for Neil Gaiman!

For those who, like me, are curious about the places creative goodness is born, here’s a fun look at the writing sheds of a few famous writers, including Mark Twain and Roald Dahl. And writer Jennifer Bertman periodically features a writer and his/her space on her blog, From the Mixed Up Files. The archives are full of lots of fun peeks into creative spaces.

Me? I’m off to find my lap desk and ear plugs and a place far enough from the Wonderpets to try to do some outlining on my WIP.

How about you? Where do you create? Do you have a certain space where you work? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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