This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Sometimes my writing room feels more like a command center than a creative retreat, with dual monitors set upon an L-desk that provides plenty of surface area for paperwork, multiple beverages, and any little treasures my children leave on my desk. Today it’s home to pressed flowers, a ring holder shaped like a high-heel shoe, and a rather tall stack of books I hope to read over the summer.
Above me hang several photos that I’ve taken on my travels. They remind me of some of my favorite places, from Dublin to New Orleans. My chair is a relic from a former life when I ran my Internet company, but I like to think about how far I’ve come and how productive I’ve been in this chair over the years. I can already tell that I’m going to have to figure out a way to make this chair last forever. I’m sentimental like that, as evidenced by the windowsills filled with gifts and trinkets, mostly elephants which somewhere along the way I decided were lucky.
Every morning, I put myself together after what was undoubtedly a long night, fix my tea, and find my way here to get to the business of being an author. This is where the emails are answered and the conference calls happen. This is where I Facebook when I should be writing. This isn’t often where I start my books, but it’s always where I finish them.Most of my writing happens in a notebook when I get the original idea for a book and jot down some key scenes. Then I switch to my laptop for the early drafts, giving me some flexibility to write on the go. When I’m at the laptop phase of my novel, you can often find me writing in bed, on the couch, or in a hotel that I’ve booked to escape from the small humans who need me so much. The only problem is that I have to bring all my beverages, snacks, notebooks, and writing implements with me as I migrate from place to place. I often wonder if an actual writer’s tool belt wouldn’t be more practical.
Once the bulk of my novel is written this way and my deadline looms, I get serious and park myself back at the command center. Here I lock the door, plug in my headphones, and put my dual monitors to good use as I add the finishing touches to my masterpiece!
Hardwired by Meredith Wild is out on Thursday 30 July.