It’s All About The View
I read somewhere that a view gives a person perspective.
That explains a lot, because my daily dose of barren trees, mud mounds, and the neighbors’ squatting dog inspires little more than stilted paragraphs of self-doubt.
Seems I better find a different means of perspective, because save a stint of reincarnation or time travel, an everyday glimpse of spectacular coastal France is not in my future.
Nice, France from my cubby-sized stateroom. C'est très jolie!
The logical solution is to transform my immediate writing environment. Will that new-age Kung Fu or Fungus Shui or whatever the enlightened are doing these days spark my creativity?
Thinking back on the eleven years in my home, I wonder how I ended up parked in front of a cramped table in a cold basement, with only one window to brighten my outlook, its dimensions the size of Yoda’s fingernail. But Yoda unlike, its inspiration, serves me not.
Funny, because upon moving into the home, skin still elastic, bosom still ample (it’s called poetic license, and I’m invoking its use), I seem to recall claiming a high-ceilinged, fire-place enhanced room for my den. I also recall decorating the room to my liking, a muted collection of blacks, browns and taupes à la an African theme. This was to be my sanctuary, something the kind Mr. Rubin agreed I deserved. After all, I had recently bore his two children, not much but a trigger-happy bladder left in their place. Plus, I’ve lived in some crappy joints in the past (there’s a future blog post in many of them; that and roving schools of silverfish). This was my payback.
And it was. I scratched out my novel in that room at the beginning of the millennium. But sometime over the past decade, as my writing time dwindled and my other responsibilities quadrupled, a paper-strewn, beer-scented man cave replaced my peaceful African providence.
Hey! Now wait just a damn minute!
Daniel Craig's got nothing on my man. (Photo credit Wikipedia.org)
Fine. I retreated to the basement—no desk in our bedroom and too noisy in the kitchen. And really, why risk getting a fat hiney in the process? What about my kids’ bedrooms? Well, if you need to ask, then you don’t have children. In fact, I believe the class bunny, forced upon us one holiday weekend, still hops in one of those hell holes. Or decomposes. Poor Floppy Ears. (Relax, PETA, I’m kidding.)
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before a family computer took root in my dank piece of basement heaven. The beer smells and clutter and male bodily noises soon followed. And yet there I remain. Cramped, cold, and uninspired.
View and perspective, my ass.
On your behalf, I will make the remainder of this nail-biter brief.
Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art.
I am a woman. My family heard me roar. My husband’s desk in the never-intended man cave now resides in the guest room. As do the beer bottles. And the pile of papers. And the soon-to-be carpet stains.
And the best part? He doesn’t care. He’s one of those rare, wonderful, enviable birds who are happy just to be. Sort through work issues upstairs? No problem. Scratch and burp in the guest room? Be happy to. Hey, this is the home of an introvert. We don’t have many guests.
So now, with the room aired out, African artifacts realigned, blinds for five big windows (count them—five!) functioning and ready to rise, will this new environment give me the needed perspective?
We’ll see. My desk arrives shortly.
What about you? Does your environment affect how you write (or draw, or work, or stuff classroom bunnies, or whatever it is you do)?
Note: This post was inspired by Riatarded, a witty blogger who is encouraging other bloggers to participate in “The Uninspired Chronicles”, which involves writing a post about how you “overcome the creative funk”. If you’d like to post on a similar theme, check out the link.
110 Responses to “It’s All About The View”
[...] like to thank my unsuspecting neighbors for my Lazy Blog Day image. I told you the view from my window was dismal. Today’s post also confirms what I’ve long suspected: There is a [...]
Yeah that you have your beautiful space back! I can’t really say where I find inspiration – sometimes it’s at home on the dining room table, sometimes I absolutely have to get away and be among the people. What always works to soothe and refresh my soul is a weekend camping trip in the desert (I’m not sure how camping in Germany is…).
Be inspired!
I’m impressed you find a weekend camping trip soothing and refreshing. I suspect I would find it bug-filled and toilet-unfriendly. But then again, how will I find inspiration if I don’t open my mind to new possibilities? Hmmm, still seeing a lovely beach and not a camping tent…
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you get a chance to camp in Deutschland!
Hilarious post! Sounds not entirely unlike my house.
I mostly write in the evening after everyone else is in bed, and since I do it on a laptop, I could do it almost anywhere. (I’ve recently moved out of the incredibly cluttered study to the cumfy TV-watching chair in the living room.) View is not important. What is, is quiet. More important, I do my thinking about what I’m going to write any time I get a chance. When I go for my walk is good, but even when I’m driving (not always such a good idea.) I carry a couple of folded pieces of lined paper in my purse so I can write in waiting rooms. (I hate it when they have TV’s on in waiting rooms.) Honestly, as far as perspecitive is concerned, I think the vistas are internal. (But then, I write fantasy.)
I have trouble writing at night. If I write too close to going to bed, I can’t get to sleep. I need to wind down by seven or so. Of course, when I was working close to full-time, I had no choice but to write in the evening.
Thanks for your insight. I agree–what it really comes down to is quiet. But I still won’t mind having a little sunshine while I write.
Thanks for stopping by!
I always thought an amazing view would help write, it helps with meditation and wasting away the hours watching people!
, but I’ve found I can write anywhere, even in Starbucks, or on a bus, I just zone out. I think the view is great for afterwards and wondering..where did the hours go? Enjoy your view!
Thank you. I am eagerly awaiting my desk, because, for some reason, my brain tells me I can’t move back into my space before it arrives. And that pretty much sums up how my brain works…
[...] considering I just posted an entry on my own crappy scenery last week, lamenting my lack of perspective, which I’ll admit, is likely what prompted my nocturnal musings. No wonder your short stories are [...]
Yeah it does. I probably need to be locked in to a prison for twenty years so I can write without having to come out for chocolate cake and vacuuming and things.
Hmmm, I suspect anything you produce during that 20-year incarceration might prove dark and disturbing. But don’t worry, I’ll read it!
The place is so important.
My desk is in a sun room that looks out onto a park across the street. LOVE IT! I know some people prefer no windows for fewer distractions. Not me! Though sometimes I have to move to the living room floor for variety when I’m writing.
Great post!
A sun room–how perfect! Especially since you get to look at a park. Seems like a very inspiring spot.
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it!
I read once that you need to refresh your mind at least once every hour by staring out the window, that is the window with the nice view. Fortunately my office window has a beautiful views of the only trees in San Diego. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating but really, they aren’t that many trees in San Diego besides the ones that were planted by humans for added decor.
I took this picture last fall for a WordPress photo challenge so most of the trees had turned yellow and brown but it’s now back to all green and I love it. I’m truly blessed to take a seat at my desk every day.
http://perfectingmotherhood.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/wordpress-weekly-photo-challenge-peaceful/
Great picture. I wish I had something like that to look out on. It’s so expansive. Once I get my den back, I’ll have windows on three walls, so that is a definite improvement. Unfortunately, they will look out a neighboring house on each side and a busy street in the front. But at least the sunshine will come pouring in. I can live with that.
Natural light any day is better than basement light!
Hysterical…I spend most of the time writing on the couch while my children are watching Nick Jr. My one-year-old son creates chaos and havoc while I’m trying to write, though. His new trick is wait until I’m completely engrossed in the work then dump his sippy cup of milk over some piece of IMPORTANT ELECTRONICS. Yesterday, I got fed up, strapped both kids in their car seats, and sat in the car writing in the front yard. Tomorrow: Wal-Mart parking lot.
Wow, I can’t imagine trying to write like that. I should be grateful for what I have! But I remember when my kids were toddlers. I waited to do my writing at night, because it was too difficult when they were awake. Good for you for being so creative in your creativity.
Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate it!
It’s 1:38 a.m…everyone’s asleep but me…I need a creative way to sleep and work at the same time!!! Love your blog!!!
Thank you!
I need to set the record straight and clarify a few points as set forth in “It’s All About the View.”
First and foremost, Mr. Rubin is not a raging alcoholic as suggested in the blog post. I do, however, enjoy a microbrew from time to time.
Secondly, in my continuing quest to drive my blogging wife insane (and I have enlisted the aid of my sons), I currently sit in the deskless African-themed room, sipping a microbrew, typing on her laptop, and glancing at the orange soda stains on the carpet while I ponder if I should “accidentally” leave my empty beer bottle behind, giving the revived room the ambiance it so rightly deserves. As I inadvertently left her laptop on in the room last night, in a place where the sun’s rays shined brightly upon it in the morning, I know I can take back the room at any time, once my mission to drive her insane is accomplished.
Mr. Rubin
Well, my love, you are closer to completing that mission than you know. In fact, the readers of this blog may assume it is a fait accompli…
I actually play videos of random people talking while I work. Creepy huh? haha
This was a fun read!
Thank you for doing this Carrie! I hope that more people will be inspired to take part!
x
Thanks for giving me the idea. I enjoyed writing it. In fact, your post on getting out of a creative funk was partly what spurred me to reclaim my workspace!
As for playing videos while writing? Clearly, your attention span is better than mine.
I always reply when asked what my writing goals are, to end up in the South of France, writing
Sounds like a perfect goal to me! But better get your Speedo ready.
Ha ha
If you search my blog for Ibiza – Swimming you will see at the end of the post I don’t do those 
Kind of figured that would be the case. Banana hammocks really need to become a thing of the past…
Indeed
That was fantastic my nose is still twitching from the descriptive words about the man cave. I’m glad to hear you roar and also glad the roaring went well. A new desk! That is music to my ears it’s almost like hearing A NEW CAR :+)
My writting environment sitting at the kitchen table. I wake up pretty early so I can have some quiet. I yern for a proper desk. I’ve had a headache for the last two weeks because of bad posture and by butt hmmm I’ll have to take a look to see how that’s going that could be as bad as my neck. I get most of my writting inspiration in the bath tub which is a shame. I could use a good view and maybe a trip to France. Makes me sigh just thinking about travel.
Well, I wish I could tell you I bought the desk to end all desks, but as I pointed out to some earlier commenters, I don’t like to shop, so my husband and I made a very quick decision in the furniture store. A simple desk that was half off. Needless to say, we bought it.
I hear you on the posture. I wrote an earlier post on a treadmill shelf I have, and at least once a day, I rest my laptop on this and walk at a slow pace while I write. Helps decrease the back pain, not to mention is better for the hiney, if you get my drift.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a water-proof laptop? Then bath writing could be a popular pasttime!
Thanks for dropping by, Starla. By the way, are you the one that just bought Buford, Montana, population 1, for $900,000? Wink, wink. (Saw it in USA Today).
It is now named Starla Town! :+) We had to change the sign Population 2 .
Your ears must have been burning this morning I was just telling Navar about your post with the laptop on the treadmill. I was just saying to him I was wondering how that was working out and if you liked it. You answered that question. That worked well. Let me think of another question and see if you can answer it before I ask it. :+) squinting and making a strained face. That’s too hard nevermind.
Look for treadmill shelf on Amazon. For a mere thirty some dollars, you can own one too. Much cheaper than a town. Sorry I made your head hurt.
Can you believe I’m going to go cross country skiing right now to go and pick up the mail.:+) The town here really is so small we can ski right down main street. It’s a winter wonderland here. I might as well enjoy the snow it’s probably the last good snow, I hope for awhile. Enjoy your weekend.
You too! But I’m glad mine will be sunny and snow free.
Enjoy the sun :+)
I love that you can write in your writing room or your basement. Just as long as it’s your space.
I spent most of my writing years in a Manhattan apartment. So my bed doubled as a work area. Then I got my desk. It’s been a love affair ever since. I I adore the cabinets and file holders, the six drawers that hold everything they should. I feel like I’m master of my writing domain. 
I’m surprised how many commenters say they write on their beds. I guess I should be grateful for my dungeon! My new desk is nothing fancy. I mentioned to another commenter that I dislike shopping, so my husband and I stopped in a furniture store, saw one on sale for half off, and quickly snarfed it up. My kind of shopping.
Thanks for coming by. Now go master your domain!
I often lament my ‘lack of a room with a view’; heck, I’d even settle for a room without a view!
Long ago, my hubby and I moved into a 4 bedroom house. We each had an office. Child number 1 came along. My office moved downstairs to the guest room. Child number 2 came along. We finished the storage cubby in the basement and both moved in. Child number 3 came along. My computer died and before I replaced it my hubby had taken over my desk in our joint cubby.
Now I work on the couch/in bed/at the kitchen table/in the garden/at Starbucks. Wonder if I’d be more productive if I had my own space…
Have fun decorating your new digs!
I can’t believe you are able to produce all of that great content working in “leftover” worksites! You definitely deserve your own haven. But I understand how children can impinge on one’s space. I loved how you described your gradual phase-out. Maybe because I understand it so well.
Thanks for stopping by. Always appreciated!
Always feel bad about being the 65th reply . . . why bother, surely she’ll never read it. (By the way, how DO you find time to keep up with all the replies??)
I’ve been thinking (for about two years now) about moving my desk/office to the basement bedroom and something always makes me rethink the idea. It, too, has minimal natural light — I was actually thinking (not two hours ago) about novel ways to light it so it seemed warm and cozy.
You’ve made me see the light, literally. I’m staying put and the world can go on around me. Thanks!
I always read (and enjoy!) every comment. And I only post twice a week, so it’s not too hard to keep up.
Unless you are fine with artificial light, I think you’re smart to stay put (I know I crave sunlight). Sunlight stimulates serotonin release, after all, and everyone feels better with a little burst of feel good neurochemicals. At least I do, and hopefully, it will help me feel more creative. Just waiting on that desk…
Thanks for stopping by, no matter what comment number you are!
Hi, Carrie! Saw GJ last week in LA…had lots of fun…have now read a couple of your blogs. They’re a hoot….anxious to read your novels…..AuntieFlo.
Wow, I now have two family members reading my blog! Very cool. (But hey, where are the rest of you?) Thanks so much for checking my stuff out and taking the time to comment. Glad you and GJ caught up with each other!
I used to have to fight over the computer that the kids used in the kitchen. But now that my oldest has gone to college, I’ve taken over her room, and quite like it! I look out the window and watch a woodpecker do something to my willow (but I find that I can’t write because I’m ready to run outside and scare him away if he dares PECK at my tree). A view can be distracting as well as inspiring (it all depends on woodpeckers).
Better keep those BB guns away from you! I imagine little Woody would get pretty annoying.
I finally broke down and got my own laptop. Trying to find time on the family computer proved difficult. Plus, there are all those pesky parental controls we mean parents put on.
We have used the BB guns before, but not on Woody. There are some mean blackbirds that are very territorial when the cherries come on. I let my boy go hog-wild shooting those dive-bombing twerps. So far, Woody’s been good to my trees…but he still makes me nervous. That beak of his is so strong looking. I should write a book about him since I watch him so much.
Yes, it seems he does deserve some payback for all that peeping Tom business you’re pulling on him.
This is Perfect. Now the Auntie is reading it too.
The more the merrier. I need you insiders to keep me honest!
I love your idea — and yes, a cleaned out area cleans out the mind. I have a big oversized stuffed chair in one of the bedrooms downstairs in a room with a big window — me and the laptop might fit quite well there….
Now that sounds cozy. So much so that I’d probably fall asleep. But it would be inspiring sleep!
Thanks for coming by and sharing your thoughts. I enjoy reading all of the different places in which people create their masterpieces.
Okay, I’m lucky enough to have my own office, no kids, and an understanding husband. Yes, I KNOW I’m lucky! The window overlooks the subdivision, not some dreamy mountain or ocean landscape, but I do see grass and trees and flowers.
Is it inspirational? Maybe not so much. But I can also drive to the Metro station, hop on the train, and be in DC inside an hour. (It’d be a lot quicker if there weren’t so many Metro stops in between!) Now THERE’S inspiration! Tourists, bureaucrats, politicians, spies, diplomats…. Yes! Keep those book ideas coming, my favorite city!
Serious writers will make do with whatever they’ve got. But it doesn’t hurt to reclaim some “me space” in the house!
Everyone deserves his/her own space, but somehow over time I lost mine so am eager to reclaim it. And you should have your own office! Doesn’t your husband know he’s living with a future bestselling author?!
I’m sure DC is inspiring. I think I’ve told you before how much I love that city. When our kids are long gone, and we are retired, my husband and I have talked about selling the house and living in a different city each year, starting with DC. Of course, how we’ll pay for this plan hasn’t yet been determined…
Why it’s simple—keep writing and getting those books published!
If I did ever earn that kind of money, I think my husband and I would settle down in NW DC, at least for a few years. The experience would be amazing.
If you ever take a vacation out here before then, we should get together and talk books.
Book discussion it is. Because I’d be afraid to talk about archaeology. I’d look pretty dumb…
LOL
Shh, don’t tell anyone—the real thing is often not as exciting as people think. (It can be—just not usually.)
Since moving back to Florida, I find that sitting by the ocean brings clarity to my thoughts and inspiration to my writing. Funny how a pad of paper and a pen work in those environments!
Oh, now I am jealous! I have this fascination with the ocean, and yet, I live so far from one. I imagine it doesn’t get much more inspiring than that.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
CHAIR, chair, chair – that’s my thing. A comfortable chair for one’s ample, skinny or regulation butt. (wouldn’t you know taking care of my hiney is of utmost importance to me ;-0).
You are woman; I hear you roar – reclaim your rightly space…you are JUSTIFIED!
Me, I guess I have a short attention span. I hop from room to room and car to office. I have the neatest old reclaimed dental cart that I can put my laptop on and wheel around the house to work wherever there AREN’T talking heads flapping their gums or I can watch lizards or prairie-dog chipmunks out a window. Mostly I do the idea part by hand in journals wherever inspiration strikes and transcribe/ edit at work – desktop on the desk & personal laptop on a credenza behind. Twenty plus years of multitasking (think Devil Wore Prada) has trained me to…be schizophrenic?
Jesting aside, being in an environment that does not have personal pissers competing for my few working brain cells is very important to me. Whatever those triggers are, I have to remove them before I can focus. I can so compartmentalize, IF I can’t see the source of irritation.
Oh, and Clownonfire (I swear I smelled the essence of kitty litter when I read that) is right about the odor thing. An air purifier can give you better oxygen to breathe (my brain helps all the help it can get) and provide a little white noise…to drown out the talking heads. Sorry so long =(
Wow, you get the best mental-image-of-the-day award! Pushing a dental cart full of writing goodies around the home in order to escape the distracters–I love that! Oh, how my boys would make fun of me then (as if they don’t already). Although, considering all of the moving around you do, it’s a wonder you can get any work done.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
Great post as usual! Congratulations on winning back your space. My desk sits in the corner of the living room in front of a big window. I could open the blinds and let in natural light, but my view from here would be my neighbor’s living room window. My only dream for home ownership has been to one day have a library, filled with books, shelves, and a comfy chair to plop down on. I would order a beautiful desk to match the bookshelves and write a NY Times Best Seller
Dreams…
I have no doubt you will. Then it will be YOUR books lining those shelves.
Maybe if you and your neighbors stare at each other long enough through your respective living room windows, inspiration will strike you both.
I thought once we bought our house we could share the office space. Unfortunately, my husband’s vast collection of music took care of that. I currently have taken over the dining room. I carved out a nice little space in the basement. It worked for a while. Then it flooded. The dining room is pretty nice though. Now I can spy on my new neighbors….
I need to get blinds.
No wonder the cats are always all over you. They want the food! And what you really need, are tinted windows. That way, you can keep spying on your neighbors, but they can’t see you.
Just call me Alice Kravitz.
Should I be embarrassed I don’t know who that is?
Mrs. Kravitz?!?! FROM BEWITCHED?!?! Oh, Rubin. Yes. You should be embarrassed. I need you to Netflix all seasons of “Bewitched” immediately.
My apologies. I only watch TV from this decade.
Good gravy. I grew up watching that on Nick at Night. I think this means I might be older than you somehow. I’m at least sixty.
No, I still claim victory over you in terms of years and wrinkles. Just guess I was too busy with “The Partridge Family.”
“Come on get happy!”
I should have been born about two decades earlier than I was. Damn it.
You won back the region. You re-staked your claim! You planted your flag and redecorated (and likely disinfected and deodorized). BRAVO for you, Carrie. Most men don’t need beautiful thinking spaces like we need them.
In answer to your question, my woman cave has masses of images I’ve swiped from magazines collaged on my walls. The bedroom has interior decor and color and architecture ideas. The “office” cum crafty area has one corner of only deep green-blue images of jungles and gardens and zen backyard, one corner of images of very fit women (so I’ll actually use my treadmill) and a world map with giant red circles around places I want to go. My visual inspiration is inside, since ..well..you might have an idea what outside looks like here. See that color off to the right? Yea, the beige. It’s like that.
Post images of your new POVs..
erm.. Or is it PsOv ? Where’s Jennifer M Eaton when I need her grammaryness?
I think the master of Feng Shui has just commented on my site! Now I know who to turn to when I need a burst of environmental inspiration. I like the idea of jungles and gardens, though not sure how I might tie that into my African landscape. But the green-blue does sound very zen.
People ask me “why” ….. I reply “when was the last time you SAW green?”
There’s a great book by Denise Linn called Sacred Space. It says a lot about cleansing and all that stuff, but some very interesting ideas about placement and what to actually have in a room for what your intentions are. Its not long and an easy read. Makes me feel all native and stuff. I always try to have all the elements in a room (candle, fountain, plant, scent) a crystal hanging in a sunny window and mirrors to reflect light around. Makes it feel light.
And of course, there’s either a bat, a tennis racket or a pipe in the corner. For defense in case of home invasion. I try to cover all bases. Baahahaha
I was happy to see you clarified that last paragraph. I was beginning to wonder what kind of pipe you kept in the corner…
I live in the Middle East. I have both kinds of pipe. =-i
I don’t have my own room, or even a desk for that matter. I sit in my green laz-y-boy chair in the family room, facing the tv. Lots of distractions. My bedroom is quite big and I might be able to fit a desk in there, I’d have to find one first. But then, I think I’d miss the background noise of the tv.
Great post Carrie.
I’m glad you got your room back.
Thank you! And my hats off to you, because if I ever attempted writing in a room with a TV, well, let’s just say my fingers would be working a remote, not a keyboard. Especially if “Justified” was on.
Thanks for dropping by, Wendy!
I’ve never really thought about it. I usually write on my couch during the winter. My legs get warm too, but my heat doesn’t work well so it’s like multitasking. Otherwise I write at work or I keep little notes in my phone when I’m out. I’m going to be paying more attention to my surroundings now for sure.
Another laptop lapper! There seem to be a lot of you. My thighs just get too hot. If only they really were hot…
Thanks for coming by!
In all seriousness, your space sounds perfect (except for the–now thankfully halted–invasions from other members of your family). I had the opportunity to design my office/studio, with my own work habits in mind. For this reason, there is exactly ONE window, a small one. It’s on the door, and the blinds are almost always covering it.
Currently I’m facing a solid wall on which I have framed photos, memorabilia and pictures of inspirational figures (William Faulkner, Winston Churchill, Jamie Moyer, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Bob Dylan, etc.). When I need to work, I need to work, and the outside is distracting. It sounds like your dungeon is perfectly awesome.
I just spent a few minutes looking around my dungeon to see if you could persuade me. Sorry, but not likely to happen. Maybe it’s because my serotonin level has never been a straight A student. I need more sunshine to bump its release.
If you can’t be with the one you love, Baby, love the one you’re with.
♫Doo doo doo doo doo doo de doo♫
Sigh. I have an office, but when really getting down to writing, I love to be in bed! That is a really happy place for me. The other happy place to write? My recliner!
Great blog post as always. I am always surprised at what little tidbits in your posts make me laugh out loud. Fungus Shui, did it for me this time. Thought you’d like knowing that!
What? It’s not spelled that way?
You’re the second commenter who chooses to write away from a desk. I never thought about sitting on the couch or my recliner to do it. The laptop makes my thighs too hot. And when I get hot, I get cranky. And there goes the inspiration. But maybe I’ll have to give it a try. At least till my desk arrives.
Thanks for the praise and for coming by.
A very nice blog with insights as to your perspective, how delightful!
Desks are part of the furniture that add to our writing. Looking forward to reading more! 
Pink.
Yes, desks are important. But I must admit, I did not put much thought into its purchase. See, I detest shopping, and when we went out to eat last week, we passed by a furniture store on the way. We found a desk for half price. Sold! To the very decisive lady who just wanted to get out of the store.
Thanks for stopping by!
Greetings!
The best purchases are the ones made with price consciousness in mind. I know what you mean, shopping can be quite the chore. Looking forward to reading more of your posts from your new desk.
Pink.
Crubin,
All this reading about beer made this recovering alcoholic thirsty. I’ll grab another coffee.
The only office left in this house is my wife’s. She shares it with the frogs and cat litterS.
My office is now part of the living room/kids room/laundry pile room. I sit in front of a vintage 1981 framed Empire Strikes Back release poster, which could explain why I hear the Imperial March each time Lord Evil Poppy approaches my desk.
Le Clown
Wow, toxoplasmosis-laden cat litter or Star Wars and dirty laundry–not sure which of you has it worse. Sounds like you could both use a little Feng Shui.
As for the beer, I suspect I’m going to hear about it tonight after my male half reads this post…
Nothing says “I love you sweetie” like depicting your man as a raging alcoholic all right…
Le Clown
Carrie, just making sure you realize that you can buy an ample bosom for about $6K. Yes, I’m serious. There are doctors out there who will even take fat from parts of your body where you don’t want it to reside and redistribute it to your bosom. In an ample fashion. If you don’t believe me, check out the cover of Maxim magazine, where ample bosoms abound (although from the looks of things, those girls paid WAY more than $6K).
In all seriousness, I write on my sofa, looking out over my back yard. I love the view, which impacts my overall happiness, which influences my writing. I agree that the view matters, and now I’m off to work on my novel, which I have efficiently avoided for the past month while searching for an ample bosom.
Hi Stacie,
Le Clown
Yes, some problems like insufficent bosoms are easy to solve. However, the thought of going under the knife for anything non-emergent does not suit me. Nor does the thought of being an octogenarian with baseball firm boobies on an otherwise soft body. (And yes, I jest. I am not out to offend anyone.)
I assume you just rest your laptop on your thighs when you write on the couch? Doesn’t that get a little toasty?
Thanks for stopping by. Now quit searching for ample bosoms and get writing.
Awwww. Still not writing. But I did reorganize all of my pages in a spring cleaning kind of way. Yes. Balance on lap, which I think is giving me carpal tunnel in my right hand. Good thing I’m a lefty. =)
Hi Clown. See? Still not working on my novel.
Another good one! Can’t imagine you without inspiration.
It’s the chocolate that’s been pulling me through. Might end up with that fat hiney after all…
Thanks for the warm fuzzy!
I’m coming back to this, Carrie, when I’ve a bit more time, it deserves a proper look and I’ve only time to glance right now …
Hey, thanks for using the word “proper” when referring to one of my posts. I don’t think that’s ever been done before…
Carrie, this post took me back to Uni days reading Virginia Woolf’s extended essay ‘A Room of One’s Own’, well worth a read, it was written in the 1920′s. Your blog makes it clear that it’s still relevant today.
You ask whether my environment affects how I write and I wonder … I mostly write straight onto the PC – have done for donks – but am an inveterate scribbler in notebooks all over the place, a favourite is in the garden shed when the house gets just too noisy for me and I need a bit of space.
Two other ‘best places’ are trains and on the beach on holiday.
There is always pen and paper by the side of the bed because I know that I WILL NOT remember anything if I don’t write it down. If for any reason I’ve taken said pen and paper away [it happens!] and wake in the middle of the night, it’s the plod down the stairs, alarm off, find paper and pen, alarm on, hmmm shall I make a cuppa tea? Yes? Alarm off; kettle on. And before I know it, it’s morning, I’ve drunk copious amounts of tea and have been sat at the PC tapping in the thoughts that woke me …
Overall, I think that whilst the environment affects how one writes, in fact one can write anywhere, but if you know what you want to write about perhaps putting yourself in the most evocative environment is good if you can … I recall writing poetry about woods sitting amongst trees and listening to the birds – hey ho – words flow, for me, away from all distractions.
Carrie, you got me with the first line on this one! ‘I read somewhere that a view gives a person perspective’ followed by that beautiful blue vista and then your entertaining way of pulling us into your world.
Enjoy your desk when it arrives
I think a beach would be a perfect place to write. Too bad I live so far from one, because a beach is usually my “happy place” image.
I leave notepads all over too, because even though I think I’ll remember, I never do. I get most of my ideas while exercising, so I have to frequently stop my workout DVD, and with sweat dripping and heart pounding, jot out my thoughts on a notepad. Always makes my workouts longer! But you are more devoted than me, because nothing can drag me from my slumber.
Thanks for the kind words and for dropping by! I love comments from Englanders, because your lovely prose brings a little class to my blog.
I think where you do the bulk of your writing is a big deal! I’m glad you’re reclaiming your rightful throne. My hubby did some great wainscoting thingy to the office walls, and I have bookshelves on either side of the desk. I get to look out at the big sky (well, with some suburban neighbors thrown in there–a 10-acre plot of land is not part of my set-up) and get inspired. I’m always impressed by writers who can tune out disgustingness or really loud noises or bunkers and still crank out great stuff.
I agree. I think the mere presence of windows should help improve the situation. Even if I am looking at the neighbors’ swingsets and doggies. Am eager to get my desk so I can move out of this basement!
Thanks for commenting.
You hit this one out of the ballpark Carrie. I live in a house with 3 guys and though their ages range from 4 to 43, they’re so similar in their behaviors and habits, they could be triplets. I’ve been run amuck by everything ‘guy.’ Inspiring – no. I have to leave the house on a regular basis to get the ideas flowing, as I have no designated space to write, unless you count my end of the sofa in the family room. Maybe these guys in this house need to ‘hear me roar.’ Great post as always! Enjoyed thoroughly
Thanks, Sheila! Testosterone really can take over the place, can’t it? Everyone talks about how important it is for a guy to have a man cave, but what about the outnumbered woman? I suppose the reverse is also true. A man surrounded by estrogen makers deserves his little haven as well.
Thanks for dropping by!