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| Springtime writing |
The warmer clime is just across the house. A sunny, south-facing bay window overlooks our garden. It's equipped with a cushy recliner and a bookshelf (upon which sit two cat baskets) with space for reference books, writing journals, and a CD player. The cats know this is a Good Place. I take my netbook there, or a hardcopy manuscript, and curl up in the sun. I also appreciate being able to shift my position -- first, sitting cross-legged, then reclining the chair and propping the netbook or clipboard on my legs. (And yes, I've been known to tilt the chair even further back and take a nap!)
I have trained myself not to noodle on the Internet on my netbook unless I'm traveling. That hasn't been hard, since the little excuse-for-a-mouse-pad is sufficiently awkward to sue. The habit helps minimize the distractions I face while at my desk/desktop. Winter inevitably means less time on the 'webs, or rather, more efficiently-spent time.
The major drawback of the setup is how hard it is to spring out of the chair at a moment's notice (as when the phone rings or the cats have abandoned their sun baths and are up to something naughty). I always go through this mad scramble to upright the chair and find a safe place to put the netbook down. I always think, I should bring the portable phone with me, but then I forget. It's probably just as well, as these occasions inspire me to break up my work sessions with bursts of acrobatic physical activity.
Now it's your turn. Where do you write, and why? What works for you? What poses a problem?
I have a desk looking out into lovely old redwoods. This ties nicely with the orchids on my desk. Other than that, my writing area is pretty boring. Yours sounds lovely!
ReplyDeleteWell, we share a view of redwoods. From the bay window, I have a view of the Bonny Doon Massif, covered with them.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those who never has had a "writing place." Some of my best work has been done while sitting in a concert hall (those where the lights don't really go all the way down) during a rehearsal, or in a coffee shop or the food court in a mall. Perhaps because my creative work tends to poetry or short essays those somewhat chaotic environs work. When I'm working on something longer (a long report, a long research project) any table or desk will do, as long as there is either classical music or football in the background, and no humans or dogs to distract.
ReplyDeleteI can't focus at all with television on, which is one reason we don't have cable, the only access in our neck of the woods. I love to write to music, though - classical and some folk like Celtic, as long as it's instrumental and mellow.
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