This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
When we bought our current house for renovation a few years ago, I had the builders create a little writing room for me in a spare corner of the ground floor. And when I say little, I do mean quite tiny – more a cupboard than a room, but for someone like me who is easily distracted, it’s the perfect size. Being able to lock myself away in a space which contains nothing other than my desk, chair and bookcase, gives me a greater chance of focusing on my work instead of noticing all the things around the house that need doing.
As happy as I usually am to be tucked up in my cosy room, the past summer we experienced in England was so glorious when it finally arrived, and so rare, that I couldn’t bear to miss out on all that sunshine and warmth. Up to the eyeballs in edits on my debut novel, I took my laptop and decamped to the deck in the back garden.I have to say, it felt deliciously decadent, reclining on the cushioned furniture, wearing a sarong and sunglasses and sipping chilled drinks – much closer to the fantasy image of a romance novelist’s working day than the typical socks and cardigan reality. As idyllic as it was, though, I did find it came with it’s own set of challenges – the main one being trying to work on a winter-themed story in 30 degree heat.
With endless, cloudless blue stretching above me, it would have been tricky enough if I’d simply had to conjure the sleety chill and grey skies of an English winter, but there was Christmas and a very snowy new year trip to Vienna to contend with as well. And although it did feel a little strange to be soaking up the rays and developing a tan even as my characters were having to wrap up against hypothermia and frostbite, I do admit that it made a nice change from having to do it the other way around!
Melting Ms Frost by Kat Black is out now.