This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
The room where I wrote Before We Met no longer exists, or at least not as I knew it. My desk has been replaced by my daughter’s cot, my lamp is now hers and my inspiration pin-board is propped on its side by her chest of drawers.
This picture shows the spot where I write now, given half a chance. It’s the end of our dining room table and there’s nothing I enjoy more when my daughter is in bed than sliding in here, between the table and the bookshelf, in the circle of light from the standing light with its wobbly shade. I’ve always liked small writing spaces, especially if they are in attic rooms. I never feel jealous when I see writers with large, high-ceilinged offices and huge glass desks – give me a nook any day.Though there’s a healthy stash of my crime novels further down, most of the books visible here are my husband’s. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been living in New York for over two years now but the majority of my book collection is still in boxes in England waiting to be shipped – sorry, Mum! When they finally arrive, we’ll probably have to move out to make room for them. On the second shelf from the top, put there to remind us to watch it again soon, is a DVD of It Might Get Loud, a documentary about Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. Joe is a writer, too, and we find it really inspiring to watch and listen to these three incredible guitarists. I don’t listen to music when I write, though – I wish I could.
I took this picture at night because that’s when I love to write. Having a baby means that these days I have to work when I can but if I could choose, I’d start at about four in the afternoon and write through until the small hours. There’s nothing better than getting lost in writing as the rest of the world gradually goes quiet around you.
Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse is out now.