Writer's Toolbox (Katherine Pritchett)

Every job is easier with the right tools. Just ask a plumber trying to replace a faucet with kitchen tongs. Or try to pluck your brows with a pair of pliers. What’s in my toolbox? Oh, lots of bright green tools: reciprocating saw, drill, brad nailer. And a pole saw. Circular saw. Weed eater. Mower. Power painter. All kinds of drill bits—oh, wait, you mean my writer’s toolbox.

Well, there I have all kinds of neat tech toys: a new 10” Asus tablet with detachable keyboard (very solid) that came with Office 2013. Because I lack the hand/eye coordination of today’s generation that grew up with video games, I use a wireless mini-mouse. I would prefer a Bluetooth mouse to keep my single USB port free, but I just ordered a four-port USB 3.0 hub so I can plug in my mouse receiver, my 1TB portable hard drive and my still-wired old Brother laser printer. I also have a wireless Brother ink-jet color printer for when I need color (or am too lazy to get up from the recliner to print a page or two).

One of the toys I also have is a Bluetooth portable speaker (smaller than my mouse) so I can listen to my daughter’s music with better sound than the Asus speakers afford. And then there’s my digital recorder (not much bigger than my mouse) for when I get great ideas while driving or being walked by the dog. And for good measure, a USB battery charger for mouse, camera and recorder batteries.

I also still have my 15” Dell laptop that was beginning to develop issues after four years. Once I get my desk cleared, I’ll use it as a desktop, with the portable hard drive allowing me to work from either platform. After many years of carrying a full sized laptop from one side of the country to the other, the Asus is a delight. I’m learning to work moving between mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen, whichever is more convenient for the task at hand.

Though I have a nice, comfy, supportive desk chair, I usually work from my recliner or my bed. Or my kids’ couch. Or an airplane seat. Or my front porch. I also have a big desk with bookshelves and a bulletin board in front of me, printer stand with drawers for supplies beside it, and more file cabinets with a desktop on the other side. My office is bright and sunny with a stereo in the corner, and reference books at hand.

I bought a new thesaurus recently, and stayed up an extra hour or so just enjoying the words. Chicago Manual of Style, maps and a baby name book also stand ready nearby, though much of my research comes from internet searches.

But the single most important, useful tool in my writer’s toolbox is my writer’s mind. The artist who paused a moment to stare at something in the mall outside the shop while doing my makeover will become a Russian immigrant who spotted a hit man for the Russian mob in Convergence, my next novel in the Richard Matthews series. The friendly gray cat with the pink belled collar who showed up on my porch (and continues to do so every time I turn into the driveway) might become a messenger in another story. Or a means for two characters to meet. Geese flying south at the end of winter, probably trying to temporarily avoid the Arctic cold front rushing our way, might become a herald of impending doom in an apocalyptic novel.

The eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the skin: all are ways of experiencing the world that a writer uses words to share. In short, it doesn’t matter if you use the newest technology or a number two pencil and Big Chief tablet to communicate. It’s your unique way of experiencing the world that is the most important tool in your toolbox.

Organize to Succeed by J Vincent

The topic for this month is organization.  When it comes to writing there are several areas that need organization.

First is where you write.  Not only the environment but the computer you use.  Follow whatever arrangement seems most logical to you and that fits your situation. I have on my desk within easy reach a first name book, a surname book, a thesaurus, a dictionary and the relevant books I’m using for fact checking in my current book.  Many of these items can now be online resources. I have those I use frequently bookmarked in a folder named Resources on my browser.  Having them in a folder organizes them for fast and easy use instead looking through a ton of bookmarks. 

For my writing I organize my computer files in folders.  I have a main folder for a book in which I save the writing files and then subfolders for whatever areas that particular book needs. I still have a binder for each book I write despite the fact I also now keep the same information on my computer.  In both binder and computer I have a section/folder on characters where I paste a picture and also have a physical description as well as character traits and important events in the life of that character that predate where the book begins.  Since I write historicals I also have a calendar section for the months of the particular year(s) I am writing, like September through December of 1810 for my present book and a timeline of real and fictional events in the story.  Another section is for plot outlines and scene notes.  I also have a section for locations with photos or pictures clipped from wherever along with notes and diagrams of homes or castles or forts that my characters will have to move-fight through.  When I am writing and find I must make big changes I re-save my file with the present date.  That way I have the “old’ and “new’ versions.  I also save scenes I cut, especially if they are long.  You never know when you might want that information or scene again.  And since I sometimes self-publish I also have a folder for what I need to include in the ebook version.

Writing time also has to be marshalled to be available.  That may be exceedingly difficult in a busy life but I’ve learned if you don’t plan a time for it, you will never find any in which to actually write.  I don’t think it should be carved in stone but some workable framework has to be constructed to find available slots for writing in your day.  Once those are identified, set small incremental goals to use them.

All of this organizing will make writing easier.  You won’t waste time looking for information you know you have and will get more productive writing accomplished.  I’m sure I missed some areas and/or didn’t expand enough on others.  What organization techniques do you find most useful in your writing?

Why yes I do have action figures for my characters. (Melissa Robbins)

I have been looking forward to this post.  As a quirky person, I have an assortment of quirky things in my writing area.  You’ll have to forgive me.  I can’t share just one.  

First, I have Connor’s plane complete with noseart and markings.  I assembled and painted the Spitfire myself.  Yes, Connor’s kite is missing a wheel, courtesy of my six year old son who played with it.  The boy loves planes as much as his mummy.  I didn’t glue the wheel back because there is a scene in my second story (written before the damage) where Connor has to land his plane on one wheel.  And yes, here are my characters as action figures (sort of).  I assembled and painted my little Connor, Jack, and Wren, too.  I love how Jack has his coat slung over his shoulder all cheeky like.   I’ve resisted playing with them to act out scenes.  Are you wondering why Jack, who is U.S. Army Air Force, is wearing Royal Air Force blue?  Yeah, Wren was wondering the same thing.  ;0)  Looking at this Wren makes me laugh.  This figurine is a lot calmer than Wren was in the scene.  She wanted to strangle and hug her brother at the same time.    

            Near the plane, I display pilot wings, like Jack would have worn, in an antique printers’ tray.  

    Here are 1940 editions of Murder on the Orient Express and Biggles – Secret Agent.  In my first story, Wren carries around the Christie paperback in her gas mask bag and it helps her solve an important code.  Wren uses the Biggles book to communicate code messages with a certain pilot.  Biggles inspired my flyboys and is probably the reason I have a fascination with pilots.  That and watching Top Gun at a tender age. 

  

     What we were talking about?  Pilots.  Right.  Here is my bulletin board for inspiration and distractions.  On top, we have Jack’s Bacon and Connor’s Raven noseart.  Between them, I have my own propaganda posters.  The British government created a ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ one.  ‘Keep Calm and Write On’ was something Fran told me and it’s become my mantra ever since.  The blue ones are real signs from WW2.  I also have some sketches of my favorite boys (Jack, Connor, and my YA brothers, Dermot and Carrick.)  Oh look!  Who is that devilishly handsome man in the RAF uniform?  That would be Rupert Penry-Jones from Charlotte Gray.  If you want to know what Jack looks like in RAF blue, there you go.  Except you need to muss up his hair a bit.  Those pictures are SO distracting!  Sigh.  Where was I?  The black and white photo is of a real WAAF who reminds me of Wren and below that is a wireless patch she would have worn.  Underneath that is a fortune from a cookie I received recently that reads, “Bide your time, success is near.”  The image of the RAF ranks and insignias helps a lot determining which rank to use. 

  

          Adjacent to the bulletin board, is a nifty WW2 calendar a writer friend gave me for Christmas. Each day has a significant event that happened during the war.  Funny thing though, I was SO busy drooling over the bomber squadron for January that my friend had to point out the events.  I hadn’t noticed! 

            So there you have it, my collection of quirky items.  I also have a shelf full of WW2 books. 

What's the Most Unusual Thing in Your Writing Space? (Penny Rader)

What’s the most unusual thing in your writing space that inspires, entertains or humors you?

When I saw the topic for this month I sort of panicked.  I don't have a space dedicated to writing...yet.  I will soon.  In a couple weeks or so a writing room/library with a bulletin board and a white board or two and lots and lots of bookshelves will be mine, all mine.  Bwah-hah-hah-hah. (Yay!) Nothing much inspiring, entertaining, or even all that funny about the unorganized mess I have going on now.

So while I was at work last week, in between freaking out about tax season and the looming deadline, I looked up.  Maybe I should backtrack just a bit.  When I first went to work at the accounting firm I shared an office with our very own Starla.  She has amazing collections.  Along the top of her desk she had really cool ceramic houses and lighthouses and such.

When she moved to her own office a year or so later I told her I didn't mind at all if the village continued to live on what would now be my cool desk.  I still get a kick out of them and often wonder who the inhabitants might be.

So last week I looked up and knew what unusual thing inspires me.  Or rather, shames me.

picture by Kathy Sparks

"Have you written today, matey? This week?  This month? Aaargh."






I really hate it when my answer is "No."

~~~

Tell me about your writing space.  What inspires or entertains you or makes you laugh and dive into your current wip or a new project?

Discovering Inspiration Along the Way

What's the most unusual thing in your writing space that inspires, entertains or humors you?

I've been thinking a lot the last fourteen days about what I'd write about today and been coming up with very few inspiring ideas. After ten plus years of writing, I finally have my own writing space and what have I done to make that space inspiring? Not much.

After two moves in the last three years I've been living out of boxes with a few stacks of books making their home near my desk. I have come to a point in my life of starting over. My third child has left the nest and I've taken over her bedroom as my office area. After a year, I still feel like I'm trespassing in her room and while it thrills me to finally have space that is my own I've been struggling with truly making it mine.

I do have plans and ideas for this space of mine but I think it will be built a little at a time as I rediscover myself and refocus on becoming the writer I dream of being. I hope to someday have pictures of heroes and heroines on my walls, screaming out at me to write their stories. I've always wanted to develop a better plotting style as well and have writing and plotting boards to help my stories past that first blank page. It's a fun journey thinking about what really inspires me. Who am I and what would I like to have around this space that will motivate me to move further along my writing path.

But for right now in this moment in time, on my desk I have a teddy bear and a small pink convertible. The teddy bear was a gift from a very special person who has shown me that romance truly does exist in the world. My fluffy bear inspires me every day to write about that love that for a very long time I didn't really believe in. The pink convertible was a gift from a friend after the 2007 RWA conference in Dallas. It brings back memories of friends and fun and gives me hope that some day I'll have a car and drive again and go to other conferences and meetings.

As I continue my life and writing journey, I have my teddy bear, my pink convertible and my secret stash of peanut butter M&M's. I am inspired, humored and entertained, but I am never finished growing and learning.

What about you? I want to hear some of the things other writers have in their space that inspires them to give me some ideas of what to do with mine.

Manipulating Our Surroundings (Roxann Delaney)

Environment and all the things continually going on around us help set our moods.  Those moods then affect how we react and what we do in any given situation.   Whether we can do something about that--manipulation--is up to us.

Writers and others who create can be especially affected--both good and bad--by their senses.  There are many ways each of those five senses work for or against us.  Our job is to learn how to best control and use them to our advantage.

HEARING  --  Most writers have a problem with noise distracting them and keeping them from the concentration necessary to string words together that make sense.  (Yes, we can string words together that don't make sense!)  That's the downside of noise.

But there's an upside to noise, too.  With the ease of downloading music and even making our favorite tunes portable in every sense of the word, writers are creating music playlists to set the mood and tone of their characters and storylines, not only for one or two scenes, but throughout an entire book.  For instance, Deborah Harkness, author of the best-selling A Discovery of Witches, posted the playlist of all the songs she listened to while writing the book on Facebook.  But music not only can set the mood of our stories, it can also set our mood to write.  A bouncy, fun tune can get us moving, when before, we may have been battling inertia.  If nothing else, turning on the radio can evoke random emotions and help lift our moods.

SEEING -- Writers tend to work with visions in their minds, and then translate those visions into words that convey them to readers.  I think this is why Pinterest has become so popular.  Writers use them as motivation and for ideas, setting the mood in their mind to write a character or scene, while others use it as a way of communicating without words.  As Napoleon Bonaparte said, "A picture is worth a thousand words."  My favorite type of pictures are those that evoke peaceful feelings.  Not only pictures, but colors affect our moods.  Think of your favorite color and how it makes you feel.  Chances are, that feeling is pretty much universal.

SMELLING -- Nearly any store you walk into these days has a large display of scents, aromas, and ways to use them.  Incense grew in popularity in the 60's and 70's.  Scented candles quickly followed throughout the '80's and 90's.  Scented oils followed, with different ways of diffusing them into the air.  Peppermint can perk you up, while Lemon is known to help with alertness.  Even a few companies have added scents in their ventilation systems for better productivity.  Can't sleep?  Try Lavender to help relax and drift off to sleep.  Don't like Lavender?  Try a hint of Jasmine.  And if you're a disbeliever of how effective scents can be, think of what happens when you smell cookies baking. ;)

TOUCHING -- We don't often pay a lot of attention to our tactile sense, but our body is more aware of it than we realize.  Hot, cold, smooth, rough.  Kittens wouldn't be so lovable if they weren't soft.  Nobody would want to go down a slide made of sandpaper.  Some people find velvet disturbing, while others don't care for satin.  Do you sleep better on crisp sheets in the summer than on flannel?  Do you prefer wearing a well-worn t-shirt to a brand new one?  I bought a new throw this winter, and although it isn't thick, it's softer than any I've ever had or found.  It was originally for my bed, but somehow it made it into the living room, where every one of the grandkids has taken control of it at one time or another.  It's soft.  It's warm.  And it's comforting.  Even the cat loves to knead it with his claws and sucks on it!

TASTING --  The first thing I think of when I think of how taste (food) affects us is chocolate.  It isn't necessarily the taste itself that makes it so beneficial to mood, but the serotonin that's produced in our bodies when we eat it can lift our spirits.  And after hearing last night on the news that a study has found that chocolate also increases our metabolism, increasing the burning of its own calories, well, I'm not going to give it up.  But chocolate/sweet isn't the only taste that can have an affect on us.  There are five elements of taste perception:  salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami (savoriness). For most of us, we've craved each of them, at one time or another.  Sometimes we choose a particular food or snack because it comfort us.

Just for fun, try eating in the dark.  Dark dining, where restaurants serve their food in the dark, has become a trend in several large cities.  While I'm not sure I'd enjoy dropping my food in my lap at a restaurant--even if the lights are out--it might be fun to try it in the dark at home...and alone.


Take some time to think about your senses and how each of them affects your mood.  In time, you'll learn how to manipulate your moods with your senses, whether it's tasting, seeing, hearing, touching, or smelling, and use them to your advantage.  And don't forget to use those five senses in your writing to make it come alive!

Why did I choose the blue and black Yin Yang?  Because I like it! ☺

What would my perfect office be like...

I would have many windows with different views:
• A window that looked out at one of the Scottish lochs to let me watch the misty fog rising in early morn, let me see an ancient castle’s ruins across the way, let me savor and dream about a tall and handsome Scottish laird striding over the land within my view.
• An open window that looked out at a beach in northern California and let me feel the coolness of a new day, let me hear the waves rolling onto the sand, and let me watch young lovers walking hand-in-hand, barefoot along the water’s edge.
• A window that looked out at sprawling gardens filled with flowers of every size and color, guarded by weeping willows with branches dancing merrily in the soft breeze.

I would have a variety of chairs in which to sit:
• An over-stuffed, extra-wide chair, perfect for curling up in and letting my thoughts wander through the many thoughts overflowing within my mind.
• A buttery soft leather chair with a matching ottoman to ease onto with a good book and slip away from the trials of working on a storyline that isn’t working at the moment.
• A plump swivel, rocking chair, something to satisfy the need to sit and daydream while curling up one leg and using the other to absently swivel from side-to-side or mindlessly rock at a comfortable pace.

I would have electronics galore:
• A personal computer on my desk with two—maybe three—monitors.
• A laptop for the moments I sit in one of my many chairs to write in comfort.
• An iPad…just because.
• An iPhone…another “just because.”
• A radio/CD player that sits across the room to quietly play music of many genres dependent upon my mood…with a remote.
• A TV with a remote.

I would have a selection of tempting indulgences:
• Chocolate in many varieties and forms.
• Cheez-Its because they are so easy to nibble on.
• A basket filled with snack bars, granola bars, and cookies.
• Apples and cheese strings.
• Flavored waters and V-8 Fusions (to get my daily requirements of fruits and vegetables in a drink)

These are some of my fantasies, far from my reality. Okay, I have all of the electronics (just call me Geek), but not necessarily in my “office.” And I have chocolate hidden away in desk drawers most of the time. Plus there is a box of Cheez-Its under my desk, unopened as I keep forgetting it’s there. But the windows and the chairs… Dreams only.

Where do I write? Everywhere (Melissa Robbins)

I have four small children. I write anytime and anywhere. I have small notebooks in all my purses and the diaper bag. I have been known to write while waiting for my daughter in the car rider lane, during my girls' gymnastics classes, and on long car rides. I even sneaked in some writing during the five minute intermissions of my exchanged student's school's one acts.

My favorite spot to write is my library. Isn't it beautiful? For my birthday last year, my husband and I ditched the dining room that we only used twice a year and turned it into a library to contain my ever increasing book collection. Reed built all the adjustable shelves and desk from scratch. I did all the painting. We still have the trim to do and change out the light fixture.

I have the desk, but I haven't found the perfect chair yet. Okay, I have, but I'm still saving up for it. My favorite spot to write is in that chunky armchair with matching ottoman. The ensemble takes up most of the room and my husband wants to trade it in for a smaller chair. Isn't it usually the guy who wants to keep the furniture? There is also a lovely window seat for writing or distractions, but it holds the keyboard now since my writing stuff takes up my desk.

The floating shelves above the desk contain treasured knick-knacks, like my antique printer's letter tray, a model Spitfire (a WW2 plane), a deck of cards from Williamsburg, and my 1936 copy of Murder on the Orient Express, along with pictures of my kids.

Nothing inspires me more than being surrounded by my books. If those writers could write and be published, so could I.

Here I Write, There I Write (Penny Rader)

Here's my writing space. Isn't it awesome?

Just kidding. It's a puzzle I gave my daughter for Christmas. Wishful thinking on my part.

I don't have one specific writing place. The main computer is in the living room...but my dh spends as much time there as I do there, if not more. But that's okay because I usually write most of my first drafts by hand. I like the portability of a notebook and pen/pencil. And the connection I feel between the pen and paper.

Sometimes I write in the recliner or on my bed. Sometimes I write in my car. A couple weeks ago, during Mass, I surreptitiously pulled my trusty little notebook out of my purse and jotted a couple notes while trying to conceal my actions beneath my coat. All the while I expected a nun to tap me on the shoulder and ask me to share with the class. Sorry. Memories of parochial school. ;D

Then there are times my brain wakes me up while sleeping. Sentences will whirl through my head. If I don't get it down on paper (or into the computer), it's gone. Time and time again a great idea wanders into my mind. I repeat it to myself a couple times and even though I know better, I tell myself this time I will remember it when I woke up. Most of the time...nope. It's just gone. Other times the thoughts pester the dickens out of me until I get up and Write. It. Down. Which just aggravates me 'cause I like to sleep and when something wakes me for more than just a split second I have a horrible time getting back to sleep. Which makes me all draggy at the work the next day.

Enough about me and my weird brain. I like to poke around the Internet, so I decided to see where other writers write. Here are snippets from a couple that spoke to me. Maybe they will appeal to you also:

The Importance of Place: Where Writers Write and Why (Alexandra Enders)

Why do some writers prefer company and background noise, while others need isolation? Why do some need the magical monotony of sameness, and others the inspiration of variety? What does it mean for a writer to be locked into a place? What does place even mean to a writer?

Where I Write #3: Wherever and Whenever I Can (Kate Geiselman)

I would start writing in earnest, I kept telling myself, when I had a place to do it….But in the meantime, over twenty years and in twenty-minute chunks, I had managed to write only bits and pieces….It was my husband who finally called bullshit one Sunday morning at the breakfast table. He had been gently nudging me for years…. “All you have to do is send it. It’s a deadline. Finish something. Please.”

Since I don't have a real office, I poked around and found these:

Writers’ Rooms

Where I Write: Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors in Their Creative Spaces Cool pics, though Chip Delany’s office makes me a bit dizzy.

This got me to thinking about what I'd like to have in an office. Blogger and I are having a disagreement about putting pictures where I want them (instead of shoved to the top of the post), so I can't show them to you. But I can give you links to them. :D

I like these warm pink walls and the pictures and notes tacked up on the walls. I find it helpful to have pictures and notes out where I can see them. This is where I would probably work on my first drafts.

The openness of this room would be perfect for those days when I need to wander around and think. Lots of room for my books and notebooks and files and such. Lots of room to spread my stuff out so I can see all the pieces and parts. I think there must also be a comfy window seat on the other side of the room for when I need to take a break to read or daydream (aka ‘nap’).

I love the coziness of this room. This would good for when I need to get words into the computer.

The sharpness of this room drew me in. I’d probably use this room for reading through my mss and editing.

This one reminds me of when I first started writing in a drafty dining room on an electric typewriter.

~~~

Do you have a special writing space?

Have latptop, will travel...

Where do I write? Anywhere and everywhere. When I used to write on a desktop computer only, I felt so confined. I still write quite a bit on my desktop computer at the office where I work part time. But the majority of my writing these days is done on my laptop.

My laptop and I have become great friends. (Okay, most of the time we're friends.) We like to find a comfy corner in my livingroom and curl up together in my oversized chair to spend some quality time together. Sometimes we take a road trip and find a spot to share time in Panera Bread or Barnes & Noble. When the weather is nice, we like to spend time outside on my patio on a comfortable chaise lounge. Or maybe we will mosey over to Botanica and find a bench somewhere to enjoy the views and quiet time in the gardens. We even work well together in an airport restaurant or a semi-secluded spot in a gate area.

The photo I've included is from my comfy chair in my livingroom. I can sit there and let my fingers fly willy-nilly over the keyboard. And I can occasionally glance up and see the exercise bicycle that someday I'll actually use. Right now I mainly move it around and dust it off. I don't want to get crazy with the idea of exercise. If I wear myself out exercising, I'll be too tired to write. Right? Right.

The Writer's Habitat

A reasonable person, who is not a writer would think a writer would need a desk, a comfortable chair, a window, some good light, a book or two like a thesaurus or a dictionary, maybe a cigar or two and some angst in their soul so that they could speak to your heart through their words. They would tap dance on your nerve endings, sooth your soul, and feed your ego, shoot fear through your temples, and then toss you adrift to land on smooth golden shores.

What a writer really needs is a good long shower, some food shoved their way occasionally, plenty of readers that adore their every word....

Ok, what a writer really needs isn't much. A scrap of paper, a little time between interruptions, and a writin' stick. A computer or other word recording device is nice. Time to write while the muse is hot is even better. But some simple understanding that writers are not quite like other people and accepted for that anyway is truly balm and roses.

Writers live in their heads most of the time creating situations that other people don't really have to live through.

What do I need? Some time away from my other life. My husband likes to have company when he needs to go to town. I can guarantee he will need to talk for hours with people at the welding and machining shop, the farm supply store, as well as stop, walk around, and stare at every machinery row that has something with wheels on it. This leaves me alone in the pickup for quite a bit of time. Left too long and I'll start another book. I always take work to do with me because time in the pickup with the windows down and a huge drink, means that I can have no other responsibilities nibbling at me. I am free to run down the meadows in my mind and create whatever I need. Sometimes I edit what I've written. No scrap of that time is ever wasted. I love it.

Every week I have a town day that requires I meet appointments, do grocery shopping and run other errands. Then I meet my sister and we discuss important things. There is time in between these tasks that are 'spare'. Those times, depending upon the season are spent in secret locations around whichever town I'm in. Those locations will find me working on 'stuff', with a big drink handy, and a bathroom not too far away. One place is just out side a huge golf course in a forgotten cul-de-sac. It is just me and the birds and a view that goes for miles. That hidden spot is only 10 minutes from anything in the town. Another town and another private forgotten corner. I shared a couple with a friend recently who had too many people in her home and needed a little space. She hadn't ever thought of the many places a person can be relatively private in a town.

Restaurants are also a favorite of mine--especially in inclement weather. How can you beat a snowy afternoon where someone brings you more coffee? I just leave a nice tip for the table rent. On off times restaurants don't give half a honk that you're there as long as the place isn't full and you're taking up profitable table turn around. People like having writers around--it gives the place a certain cache. Find a place. Be a regular. It's great.

Then there is the bathroom. For whatever reason, during showers, while I'm soaking my head, I get some of the best ideas. The trick is remembering them long enough to get the soap off.

Now I lay me down to sleep. Yup, another muse favorite. If the words are flowing in my head just like beautiful jewels cascading through my fingers, then I have to get up out of my warm, warm, cot and put them down on paper, whether I like it or not!

I bought a revenge desk many years ago. Revenge you ask? Yup. I didn't want an office at our seed company's headquarters because I didn't want to have to work there. I told them if I needed to be anywhere I'd either use someone's desk who wasn't there or the conference room (old dining room table at the end of someone else's office). But when my husband bought his u-shaped beautiful desk, there was a used one that had so many little cubby holes and interesting places in the drawers that I said I wanted a desk too. I had absolutely no need for it at ALL! At that time I used the kitchen table for all office needs. In our guest bedroom, the largest bedroom in the house (through a design flaw), I wanted that desk--not to use, but to have. It has a finish on the top that cannot be ruined, but looks like dark lustrous wood. There are dents a few in the wood parts, that give it that used patina and I filled it with curiosities. Then after about ten years of ownership, I began to write. Only the top is the least useful. Those cubbyhole drawers are NOT AT ALL helpful for real work. And yet I still love it, stupid as it is to own it.

The walls are a green color that makes everything on them 'pop'. I have a set of size four high heels from the 1950's on a small shelf with a slave bracelet. A huge blown glass fishing net float that went from Japan to Oahu. I've gargoyles and nymphs, a Foo dog, and a conch shell that can be blown and rivals a loud blast from a trumpet. Ya, I blow the thing every once in a while. I've cartoons displayed and a picture my grandmother painted of a French castle. There is a jungle picture and a porthole from a ship. A necklace bought at the RWA conference hangs on the porthole screw knobs. I love interesting book ends. One set is made from two square planters filled with silk iris. They sit on my desk with a fifth edition Websters, the Synonym Finder and Strunk & White's Elements of Style along with Essentials of English.

Over the copy machine and the fax machine, hanging on the wall, is the poster from the book signing at Penny's old bookstore with WARA writers. It makes me feel like a real writer--evidently merely creating books doesn't quite do it for me. Besides it was a lovely day with fun people--WARA people.

The piano had to go which was ok as I was using it as a filing/priority system and stuff kept falling off. Now I have a black shiny safe instead. (Why are people compelled to buy safes whether they can open them or not? Can't quite see the value there, but my DH seems to.) However it sports on its top a huge basket of flowers (over four feet wide) that has taken me years to fill up. Every year I add a small bit of the best silk flowers I can find to my basket--it doesn't matter the season or the color. It is stupendously beautiful!!!

There are books of course, but I have books everywhere--my clothes closet, the living room, guest bedroom closet, end tables. Books are my friends. Some are for fun, some are for learning, and some are for later.

It has been fun reading about where others write. My lair is a perfect writer's lair. It has the window, the desk, the comfy chair, the books, the light, and the portal to other writers. What more could I possibly want (other than a little more discipline)!!?

Ummmmmm. It looks like there may be a trick to putting pictures on the blog. Forgive me all you perfectionists.....

Where I Write -- J Vincent

I am fortunate to have an office in my home—one of the blessings of living long enough to get one. When I first started writing and for many years after that it was at the kitchen table or on a card table and always with pencil and paper. The photo above is my much sanitized desk. Organized disorder, of course. Behind me as I key this in are bookcases and a large window. There are four seven foot tall by forty-eight inch wide bookcases stuffed full of 18th and 19th century research books-- proof positive that book collecting is a progressive disease.

The window wall is wallpapered with an English style floral with a window seat that is filled with family and friend photos. The other walls are painted and on almost every open space are hung period prints (at one time a favorite gift choice of my family) or maps. There are family photos on the top of the computer hutch. It’s too small for you to see but the Boyd’s bear by the Keeper’s legs sits on a book that has “Love’s Journey” written across the spine. I do love the Keeper of the Plains –this one is a Christmas gift that I cherish.

So I write in a room surrounded by sources of knowledge and signs of love. But “where” do I write? Is it on the Iberian Peninsula in the middle of a battle? Is it in the English countryside in a castle or a mansion in 1810? Is it in London or Paris wild from the Waterloo victory?

We are physically where we live and reside and I suppose that is where we write. But when I first read the topic I didn’t think of my office. My “mind” is what, pardon me, came to mind. In our brains--our minds-- the story ideas form, flesh out, mature. Within that mysterious sometimes computer-like organ we live the complex juggling existence of woman, wife, mother, maid, chauffeur, author and a multitude of other jobs. Yet our minds usually keep everything compartmentalized—schedules, appointments, calendars, characters, settings, plots. When we write we draw on our experiences. It’s what makes us unique as persons and as writers. We could all be placed in a grey walled cubicle with sterile office furniture and yet we would still create our worlds that are nothing like that cubicle; that are not hampered or enhanced by it.

Where do I write? In a place I’ve never seen, with workings I don’t understand We draw from experiences when we write but I don’t believe the actual place we sit in determines what we write. What do you think? Ruling out noise and chaos, does where you physically write make a difference?