This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Evonne Wareham is a romantic thriller writer and the author of Never Coming Home which is out in early March.
My Writing Room by Evonne Wareham
I don't actually have a writing room. Writing tends to sprawl into several parts of the house, but this is the corner of the dining room where most of the work gets done. The comfy chair and the stool are essential, as my first draft is always written in longhand, then typed and re-drafted on an elderly computer which currently lives upstairs. I'm very fond of it, as it doesn't sulk and throw hissy fits like the temperamental laptop in the picture. The writing slope on the stool was made by my grandfather for my grandmother, who was a prolific letter writer.
This is a favourite place to write, because of the French windows. It has good light, and a view of my tiny courtyard garden, which is full of pots. It’s very sheltered, so there are hyacinths just coming out and daffodils in bud. The local moggies usually come around on a visit of inspection at some point in the day, to check that I'm working, and always seem surprised to find that I am.
I don't have a very big reference library; it’s chiefly travel books and atlases from Daunt Books in Marylebone High Street, which is a constant source of temptation when I am in London. For the bulk of my research I use the Internet and the library. Being a mature student, I have access to the University library, which has pretty much anything I might want.
It’s a convenient spot for the kitchen and the kettle. I have a whole wardrobe of different kinds of tea — I rarely drink coffee at home. Lattes and cappuccinos are coffee shop treats, for when I meet friends. The proximity to the kitchen can be a mixed blessing, as meals have a tendency to get caramelised, because I've just slipped off to add a sentence. Or two. Or three.
Of course you're seeing it at its best, because it's tidy. Usually there are books and papers and scribbled notes and empty mugs …