This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
This week's featured Writing Room belongs to Fiona Gibson, whose latest novel is The Great Escape (out now).
Enjoy!
My Writing Room by Fiona Gibson
My writing room is a tiny box room and, frankly, it’s a bit of a mess. I had a much larger room until one of my sons declared that he no longer wanted to share a bedroom with his twin brother, so I was turfed out. I like it, though. I’m not one of those writers who needs vases of beautiful lilies or tasteful artwork on the walls. With three children in the house, I’m just grateful to have this small, cosy space of my own.
My desk is usually cluttered with books, scribbled notes and two diaries – one for appointments (usually child-related) and another one for my daily lists. I’m a list fanatic – I have my ‘list book’ about three inches from my elbow at all times. I do like a few bright, cheery things around me, though – a rubber duck my daughter bought me, a small collection of old tin robots, and a crocheted owl a writer pal gave me as a good luck charm. The walls are a jumble of stuck-on post cards and post-it notes – it’s not terribly pretty.
Shamefully, my workroom window has a hole in it which my husband kindly patched up with a piece of cardboard – actually, it’s one of those ‘menus’ you get in a box of chocolates. There are also a few mementoes, like the Russian doll I had as a child, and some painted pebbles from holiday in Brittany. The room looks out onto our garden which is usually strewn with footballs in summer and sledges in winter. If I’m working hard on a book, I probably glance out of my workroom window about once a week.
Music is more important to me than having beautiful things – I usually have Radio 6 on and hate working in silence as it makes me feel uneasy. Something dancey like old soul music (especially northern soul) makes me feel geed up and productive.
Sometimes our rescue dog, Jack, lies at my feet while I’m working. If he’s overdue a walk, he starts nudging my hand away from the mouse with his wet nose. He’ll force me away from the screen and outside for a walk, which is probably a good thing. A dog is a great addition if you’re a writer – he reminds me that there’s a world out there and that I need to take a break!