This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Taking inspiration from The Guardian's 'Writers' Rooms', Sky Arts' 'The Write Place' and Book Chick City's excellent 'Where Stories Are Made'; My Writing Room is a fabulous fortnightly event, in which some of our favourite authors show us where the writerly magic happens, and tell us a little about their writing life.
This week we have the writing room of Amanda Addison, author of Laura's Handmade Life…
My Writing Room by Amanda Addison
I write in what is the smallest room in the house. It also doubles up as my studio. After moving to the country from a small terraced house in the city, where my bedroom doubled up as my study/studio, I very much value this me space. Luckily, gone are the days of sleeping in a bedroom amidst oil paint fumes or finding a few pins and sewing needles in the bed!
Although my study is small, the window faces east, which means in the mornings it is bright and filled with light. It is a perfect morning writing space.
A writing space is so important, in my estimation, that the first homework I set my creative writing students is to find a writing space where they can work regularly. I always surprise them, saying that my space is quite bare and minimal – very few pictures etc. I intended my study to be empty, rather like a monk’s cell so, that I could easily get into the writing zone without any visual distractions – very hard for someone who initially trained as an artist!
However, the reality is I store so much reference material for my writing and art projects that 
the room is stuffed full of note books, pens, fabrics, threads, paints, books, magazines and colourful crockery. I tell myself they are there for inspiration, but my husband says it looks like the burglars have been in!
In the afternoon I decamp to the conservatory and sometimes even the garden – weather permitting. Here I like to mull over writing ideas and work on any painting/textile commissions. It’s then a mad rush to move everything back into the study/studio before the school run.
Finally, my study is out of bounds to the rest of the family. I haven’t gone as far as putting a no entry sign on the door, but have often thought about it! I always tell my children, if I see them veering towards the study after printer paper or a paintbrush, “Don’t touch anything!” For I know where everything is and there is order to the perceived chaos!