A short post about the influence of place on writing, with reference to my new two-desk writing strategy
If you ever spot me at the kitchen table, pen in hand, you can be pretty sure I’m writing a shopping list.
At the fold-out table in my camper van, with a spiral-bound notebook in front of me, chances are I’ll be writing a travel-inspired post for my blog to share an anecdote or observation that could only have arisen on the move. Like the time we found a dead body on holiday. Yep, fact, not fiction, folks – you can read about that incident here.
Sat at my computer desk, I’ll be stoking up the blog I edit for the the Alliance of Independent Authors, or plodding through a vast action list reflecting my multi-faceted self-employed life. Least likely task of all: bookkeeping, but with the help of adrenaline triggered by Saturday’s HMRC deadline, I’ll be thundering through my tax return this week.
With so much on my to-do list, I’ve realised that none of these places are very conducive to fiction writing, despite my motivational screensaver telling me to “Use your time wisely: write”. That’s a shame, because that’s what I most love to write.
Call Me Debbie Two Desks
So today I’ve arrived at a new strategy. Call me Debbie Two Desks if you like, (shades of Monty Python’s wonderful Arthur Two Sheds Jackson – catch up with him on YouTube here), but I’ve just cleared my grandpa’s old bureau to create a new creative writing corner in my study.
On top of the desk is the old statuette of a man reading a book, which I learned to love when it graced his mantlepiece throughout my childhood. The pull-down flap is just big enough to accomodate either an old-fashioned paper notebook, or my ancient computer netbook, which is too slow and cumbersome to tempt me to surf the net instead of writing.
So far, so good – I sat down at it this morning and wrote “Snoring”, one of the stories destined for a collection called Marry In Haste, a lighthearted collection of humorous stories about partnerships dogged by odd foibles. I’m hoping to publish it this spring. Will my new strategy work long-term? Watch this space, and you’ll soon see…
Like to know more about my little reading man statue? Find out how and why he motivates me here.