This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
BY DEBS CARR
My Writing Room is a fabulous fortnightly event, in which some of our favourite authors show us where the writerly magic happens, and tell us a little about their writing life.
My Writing Room by Shari Low
My writing space is actually the corner of the family room in our house. In the pic, it looks like a haven of tranquillity, but the opposite is true. At any time there’s usually one son sitting behind me saving the universe on his X-box, another playing Summertime on the saxophone for the 4653 time and the dog is battering my leg with a squeaky rubber hamburger in the hope that I’ll throw it for her. It’s probably a good thing that chaos and noise makes me focus better.
However, I’m not great at working in a mire of paperwork, so my desk is always pretty neat. If there an Olympic medal for filing I’d be a shoo-in for a spot on the podium.
When I’m nearing deadline on a new book, I tend to work in really long 14 and 16 hour stretches, so I only use the writing area for part of that time. At the risk of sounding slightly neurotic, I’m a raging hypochondriac, and I’m convinced that if I sit in one position too long I’ll end up with a deep vein thrombosis and meet a nasty end just as I’m getting to the best bit of the story. I compromise by working at the desk for a few hours and then shifting to my bed and rotating my ankles a lot. I never claimed to be logical.
Oh, and the proximity is important. This room is right next to the front door, so handy for taking delivery of the reckless purchases I’ve bought from ebay in a fit of writers-block-induced bargain shopping. And far enough away from the biscuit cupboard that I burn off a couple of calories on the way for another Hobnob.
I also sit and stare out of the window a lot so I love the view of the garden.
As I’m writing all this down, I’ve just realised that between the shopping, the biscuits, the family, the daydreaming, the hypochondria, the filing and the squeaky hamburger it’s a wonder I get any work done. Maybe it’s time to invest in a hut.
Shari xx
Thank you Shari.
I'll be reviewing Shari's latest book, Friday Night With The Girls, next Thursday.
To find out more about Shari, please visit her website. You can also find her on Facebook and follow her on twitter @sharilow