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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

A Room of My Own

I've never had a writer's nook or office or room of my own.

I write where I can. On the sofa in my living room, standing in the kitchen, in my car while I'm waiting for one of my daughter's, in coffeeshops, at the library.

My time is coming.

One of my daughters is about to go off to college, which is going to mean a room shuffle . . . and, perhaps, a writing space of my own.

I like daydreaming about it, imagining what I'll have in there.

Here's my list, as of today:

I want a dry-erase wall, preferably also magnetic. Without a designated work space, I struggle with
brainstorming and organizational space. I'd love to have a blank wall to write out all my bubble maps and timelines on, to hold snippets I'm not ready to use just yet, to display visual  cues and inspiration.

I recently found out that these don't even have to be white, so I can still have a cool color, too. Maybe a peaceful green or a calming blue. It's chaotic in my head, so it would be good to have the walls be calm.

I'm also going to need an awesome chair. Something wide enough to sit in sideways with my feet tucked up or to share with my dog when one of us needs that.

I don't really want a desk. A wide, flat surface just becomes a junk collector for me, so a chair and a nice folding table will do nicely.

Sometimes, I think it should be a traditional library wingback, other times an overstuffed cushy thing, or maybe something really weird looking, like a giant hand or a spiral shape. I'm looking forward to trying out a bunch of possibilities. I'm 45 years old and I've never really chosen a chair to please only myself.

I like to imagine some plants in there with me. I'm happiest when among trees. My grocery store has been selling indoor palms and ferns and lots of jungly-looking greenery here lately and I like the idea of having a little private jungle feeding me oxygen as I pound out my words.

I won't really need a lot of shelf space or a need to make tea in there, since this is going to be in my house, which is already full of bookshelves and ways to caffeinate, so I should have room for my own private forest near the windows.

I'm not sure how that will go, as I am not known for my green thumb, but this is a dream room right now, so the plants are lush and healthy, fed by the wild imaginings created in their presence.

I'll keep some display shelves up high with copies of my books on them and remembrances of my writing life, like name-tags from cons and pictures and such. Stuff to make me feel successful and re-inspired when I get discouraged.



What do you think? Anything that's a must-have in my writer's garrett? What's in your creative space (real or dream)?


4 comments:

  1. I love your dream room! My daughter went away to college in the fall and her room is the same as the day she left it--a mess. I have been known to work in there, but for now it's still her room since she comes home for breaks and will live at home for this summer, at least. We'll see what the future holds...for now I write on the dining room table and the plants stay safely away from my death rays in the kitchen.

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  2. I like the idea of plants in the room. I couldn’t do without a desk, though – but I’m not one for a cluttered desk.

    If I were to entertain my dream space… My ideal would be something akin to a Victorian solarium, with a sheltered, shaded space for my digital creative center, plus an open space with great southern light for painting and hands-on artistic expression – including easels and a drafting table. As for chairs, I need a good desk chair for the computer, plus a great stool for the easel and the perfect chair for the drafting table. Then, I’d need a graceful, comfy chair that makes a statement with an ottoman and at least a settee nestled among the plants and potted trees, plus a good reading lamp – a maybe a cozy fireplace.

    Until I win the lottery… I’ll just have to make due with my office/guestroom space. I have a corner desk with room for my organizing accoutrements and the printer, but ample room remaining so it’s not crowded my coffee mug (of prime importance). The bed is a contemporary wood-frame daybed piled with upholstered pillows to make it sofa-like. My comfy chair and reading lamp are in my livingroom with my bookshelves.

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    1. I guess I'm aiming a little lower in my "dream room" : for one I might actually be able to have. :-) But, hey, if either of us gets rich, let's go for that solarium!

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  3. I love the graphics you insert with your posts. They add such a flare. :) Love the red sofa as well.

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