This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Today we bring you the writing room of Molly Hopkins, author of the 'It Happened' series.
My Writing Room by Molly Hopkins
My favorite place to write is in the dining room. I can spread myself out like a Pre-Raphaelite muse across eight chairs if I feel like it, (not that I ever do). I have a fabulous view out the front window, and so have effortlessly acquired an in depth knowledge of everyone else's business. I'm a one man Neighbourhood Watch Association. I think I would be less productive if I worked in a closed room without a view. Writing can be very solitary; it's easy to lose yourself in time. From my dining room, I see the kids coming back from school, (this is coffee time for me). And when the evening Ocado van pulls up, it's glass of wine time.
My writing habits vary from jotting down notes while I'm stuck in traffic, or sitting in the waiting room at the dentists, to shutting myself in my bedroom, unwashed and undressed for an entire day. In short, I have no routine, although I do prefer an early morning start and the knowledge that I have a full free day in front of me. Sometimes I have an incredible amount to say for myself and on other occasions I can't decide which way I want my story to turn. When this happens I might write out of sequence. I'll open a new word document and type up a scene that I do have an angle on, as opposed to sitting tormenting myself over the chapter I'm struggling with. It's my way of shifting the goal post to my advantage.
What I can't understand for the life of me is why I built a Study in my loft. What was I thinking? The mess was unbelievable, the dust took forever to settle, the carpet cost a fortune and dragging my Dyson Air Ball up there is exhausting, (and so I very rarely ever bother). All I can see out the window is everyone else's chimney pots. The notion was born from an afternoon in the wine bar with my best friend who hollers her views and opinions as if they are scientific facts, and I'm exactly the same. We convinced each other that I needed a Study, and so I've got one. An empty one! Still, it's a fabulous place to dump the ironing.