“I am happiest writing in small rooms. They make me feel comfortable and secure. And it took me years to figure out that I need to write in a corner. Like a small animal burrowing into its hole, I shift furniture around, and back myself into a cozy corner, with my back to the wall … and then I can write.” —Danielle Steel
Interesting. I don’t need to write in a small room or in a ‘corner’ but I do need it to be distraction free. I have occasionally written in a public place such as a bookstore cafe and it works for a little while, but I can never do a writing marathon in such an environment.
I live in a small apartment so my living room serves as my gym, my home office, etc. That is my ideal writing spot but that can be challenging sometimes too — if you’ve ever had those times when you’re all set for a nice quiet time to write and then that’s when maintenance decides now is a good time to use the blowers outside or be banging on something or clomping up and down the stairs. LOL!!!!!
My living room serves the same purposes! Plus a view of cedars, poplars, maples, and black squirrels.
I think Danielle Steel had a whole bunch of kids. Maybe backed into a corner was the only way she could write w/o kids sneaking up on her. 😉
I have a vague memory that her first husband was abusive so there’s that, too.
I need to be distraction-free, with a view, preferably an enormous, wide-open space. I think better when I’m not confined by walls. Sitting on the balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean is my favorite, and most productive, location.
I write at my desk. In my office. With windows and wildlife, although I try not to spend too much time gazing out.
I write all over…in my office, the living room, outside, but my favorite is on my screened-in deck.
When I’m working on a novel, I prefer to be in my office with the door closed. I sit in my comfy recliner (in the corner!) with my laptop on a laptop stand that fits snugly into the chair.
I sit at my desk for work on emails, blog posts, and all other shorter works.
Writer, know thyself, I say, and Steel certainly knew herself. Knowing where and when you can write can help get the words down.
Give me a room to myself, and I’m good. I don’t need the door closed, and in fact, my cats Maeve and Moxie wouldn’t let me keep the door closed if even I tried 🙂
I tried writing in a coffee shop once and found it too distracting. My favorite place to write is on the sofa in my bedroom. If I want to make sure that no one disturbs me, I have a sign on my bedroom door to let my family know what level of “alone time” I need. One side says, “Speak friend, and enter.” The other side says, “You shall not pass.” My family thinks it’s funny.
Mine says “Do Not Disturb by Penalty of Death.” With a skull and crossbones.
I generally write in the 36′ living room, with the TV on at one end and our cook rattling the pots and pans in the adjacent kitchen. My table looks out at the back yard, where rabbits or an occasional peacock wander back and forth. The walls have a few paintings, the largest being my 48″ x 48″ “Deja Vu Puzzle,” the medium size ones by my youngest son and my aunt, and my small “ozcanvexus” puzzle in the hallway nearby.