In his book, On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft
It didn’t work for him.
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There are times I think about having “the perfect desk” — either a beautiful antique desk, or something slick and minimalistic.
I envision myself coming into my office in the morning and running my hand over the smooth, hand-carved finishes of the antique desk, or placing my laptop (and nothing more) on the sleek desk. I love the thought of that, but it wouldn’t work for me.
I have a confession: I’m messy when I write!
I need to scrawl notes on pieces of paper to capture thoughts before they disappear. I need to shuffle drafts of what I’m working on. I need chaos in arm’s reach (I know where everything I need is in those piles). Notepads (yes, plural) are always at the ready.
I’ve come a long way from the days when I worked in billing and my desk was covered in notes scrawled on adding tape from my adding machine, but I don’t think it’s possible for me to work and not be surrounded by papers. (Maybe this is how I will justify the purchase of an iPad, but I have a feeling it would still end up resting on top of printed manuscripts and hand-scrawled notes that only I can read.)
* * *
I see people posting photos of their desks online and they’re all so…perfect!
Everything has its place in a very soothing room where — I assume — relaxing magic happens.
It’s not that magic doesn’t happen in my office (my next book’s about a female magician!), but I can’t say my office is a soothing place to be for anybody but me.
The rest of the apartment is my sanctuary; the office is where I work, and I work in piles.
See?
What you can’t see in this photo are the piles of comic book boxes, the stacks of books, and a bin full of juggling props behind the chair. You can’t see the bins full of my wife’s art supplies and sewing remnants. Oh, my office is also the laundry room, so when it’s time for laundry, I’m back here with hampers and hangars and clothes hanging from the doorway.
It may not always be ideal, but it’s better than saying I need an ideal workspace or I can’t write.
Were I to do that, I’d never get anything written.
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On Monday, I watched this video.
Desk – Music and Sound Design from Aaron Trinder Film:Motion:Music on Vimeo.
I love seeing where people work.
I love the thought of the designer’s big square desk, so crisp and barren.
My writing room is more like that of Kurt Andersen’s in the video. It’s not pretty, but I like to think it’s where some good stuff has been written and recorded.
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I’m not a messy person, but my office is cluttered, no matter what I try to keep it in pristine shape.
Since I often work on more than one thing at a time, I tend to have more than one pile going at a time.
I’m okay with that.
Maybe there will be a day when I have a closet in my office where I can set my piles on shelves — where somebody wanders in and can’t see a printer, wires, or anything beyond the form of a sleek desk and a designer chair.
Instead of a clunky laptop, maybe I’ll write on an iPad with a wireless keyboard and limit myself to one small notepad and a stylish pen on my desk.
But I doubt it.
Even if I do one day have a Zen office like that, I assure you: come in during the day and there will be piles!
As much as I appreciate form, when it comes to writing, I’m all about function.
It’s what I need to get the job done…
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So now that I’ve shared what my writing space looks like, I’d love to see where you write.
Feel free to comment and include links, no matter how clean or cluttered your writing space is.
Yeah, most of our trouble comes from just not having good space and the organizational containers/etc that are needed. That’s part of the reason I have such trouble getting interested in art or sewing. I want to be able to have clean areas to work, be able to find things, and if there isn’t any way to totally clear my space up when I need a break or am done for the day, I want to be able to shut the door and not look at it.
Cynthia: Right. Having a closet where I can stack manuscripts and other things that clutter the office would be nice.
With the right space, I know my office could be a nice retreat. Right now, though, it’s all about making due with the situation and staying busy.
Chris,
I read in this article that your next book will be about a female magician. I have a question about the character. Will this female magician be a sorceress like Hermione granger from the Harry Potter books, or will she be a magician like Criss Angel or David Blaine? If she is going to be the latter, I strongly suggest you use my YouTube channel as a research tool. I have over 10,000 videos of females performing magic in a whole bunch of playlists. I eagerly await publication, so I can read it.
FEMALE MAGICIANS RULE,
George Waldman
TheMatrix72370@yahoo.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/theMatrix72370
George:
Thank you for the reply! The book is in its initial stages (I’m still working at getting representation for the novel I recently finished), but the main character is a stage magician. I’m still not sure if I’m setting the story in the early 1900s, or in the 50s, but I’m starting to jot down ideas and write scenes as they come to me.
I typically don’t work with an outline…I just start writing until it all clicks and I know where I’m going. I’m really looking forward to working on the next book because I love magic, even though I’ve only dabbled in it. (I always focused more on juggling.) One of my fondest memories is my father taking me to a big magic shop in Kansas City and letting me go wild. I bought some magic tricks and my first set of juggling torches that day.
I’ll definitely check out your YouTube channel. Thanks again for the reply!
Chris,
To me, it doesn’t matter when the story is set as long as two things occur: the female magician is the main character and she performs LOTS and LOTS of magic.
Like I said, feel free to browse through my Playlists on my YouTube channel as you do your research for the book.
I know this is asking a lot, and if you cannot do it, I’ll understand, but would it be possible for me to get an autographed galley edition of the book? I know that you know what a galley edition is because you are a writer, so I won’t define it here.
May I ask which female magician(s) inspired you to create the character?
FEMALE MAGICIANS RULE,
George Waldman
My husband and I took a 6-foot conference table (the kind with the steel legs that fold under) and drilled holes to allow for cords. Then he works at one end while I work on the opposite side at the other end. It’s a bit cramped, but it’s been working for us since 2004-ish. I’m a serious shelf-lover, since I don’t have lots of horizontal space!
George,
Adelaide Herrman is really the only actual female magician to inspire the next book. The other inspirations are several female vaudeville performers and some female jugglers. Also, female family members. I was raised by my mom and on her side of the family were female performers, art gallery owners, and other independent women.
The other inspiration comes from my first novel, which I’m currently podcasting. While things will be very different with the book that I’m knocking around in my head, one of the characters is a female magician. It’s only mentioned in passing–it’s not at all a big part of the book.
Still, it was always just enough of a glimpse that I wanted to write about a female magician up against a lot of hardship.
As far as a galley, that’s a long way off (and in the world of writing, may never happen). I’m still seeking representation with my current novel; I have yet to see a novel published (only some independent comic books and some newspaper and magazine articles). But if things work out and everything isn’t electronic at the time, I’ll see what I can do for you.
Take care, and thanks again for writing.
Tammy,
Those big tables come in handy. For awhile, Cynthia used one as a sewing table. I have several friends who’ve used them as writing tables because they have so much room.
And shelves…yes! I have no shelves in the office right now. A trip to Ikea is in order 🙂
Chris,
I’d love it if the female magician was the main character.
FEMALE MAGICIANS RULE,
George Waldman
At the moment I work primarily in poetry which probably gives me more freedom than a fiction writer. The bulk of my writing is done at Starbucks with a notebook and a pen.
Anthony,
I like hitting La Madeleine with a notebook and jotting down ideas. I used to do a lot more writing in notebooks. With the leap to novels, though, I found notebooks didn’t work for the way I move things around.
For shorter things, I still like notebooks. Something about always having the ability to write when it hits is nice.
(Oh, and I really like the poetry I’ve seen you write, recently!)