Last week Rebecca over at Diary of a Virgin Novelist did a great little giveaway whose entry requirements were to take a picture of the place where you write/blog and email it to her. I didn’t get my pictures in before the deadline, but I still thought it was a fun idea. So here’s where I write. (Sometimes.)

my home office 001

Of course my supervisor always monitors me from his comfy perch.

my home office 003

Yes, my bed is that close for a reason. Late night writing sessions usually end with me stumbling into bed. The closer it is, the more likely I will actually make it there.

(And oy, ignore the fact that nothing matches!)

I like to keep myself surrounded by various tools and sources of inspiration, such as pens, writing books, and clippings of some of my characters (courtesy of Seventeen magazine). Whether or not I actually consult them is irrelevant.

my home office 004

In a closeup, you can see the specific writing books, as well as the 5 Hour Energy that I keep on hand “for emergency use only” (no, really). My favorites are Amy Tan’s The Opposite of Fate and Stephen King’s On Writing.

my home office 005

I also write at the couch and the dining room table, but this desk is my “official” space.

Someday I’ll have an office with hardwood floors, giant windows, a piano, and a mirror and barre (so I can dance too!). And of course everything will match. But for now this works just fine.

What about you? Where do you write/work/blog? What’s your dream office? I’d love to see pics, but you can just tell me about it if that’s easier.


18 responses to “Where the "magic" happens”

  1. Kimberly Franklin Avatar

    I need to get me a bottle of that 5 hour energy! Like STAT!

    I usually write sitting in bed or on the couch, but lately I’ve been writing at my desk, in my office (my twilight room). My office is very inspiring, as you can imagine (because of the pictures of Edward and Jacob, of course!).

    I’m looking forward to more Spring weather so I can start writing on the patio. I love that!

    Happy Monday!!
    .-= • Recent post by Kimberly Franklin: A CONTEST and GIVEAWAY you can’t miss!! =-.

  2. Todd Newton Avatar

    I do a lot of my writing at my “day job” or at Starbucks, lately, plus my apartment is kind of a boxed mess right now in preparation of moving into our new house!! Once we get all settled in (around May-June-ish), I will probably do this. Then again, I’m still not one of those people who has a “set” workstation. When I’m at home, the best place to hang out with the blue writing machine is in my recliner.
    .-= • Recent post by Todd Newton: In Medias Res =-.

  3. Todd Newton Avatar

    By the way, LOL @ the 5-hour Energy. Those things are crazy!

  4. Jon Avatar

    I write at a desk I picked up for ten dollars at a yard sale that came with speakers (!). I have a really old electric keyboard to my left that I’m embarrassed to play. On my desk: scissors, lots of CDs, a stapler, a notebook, a bunch of random pieces of paper, pens, and of course, The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol, a book I am intimidated to open for some reason.

    I love the 5 Hour Energy–a high dose of caffeine is so appropriate to writing.
    .-= • Recent post by Jon: Creativity on Demand =-.

  5. Kitty Avatar

    I don’t really have a set place. If anything it’s on the couch with my laptop on my lap. I don’t think that constitutes an office or anything though ;p

    All of the desks we have are crappy and not in good places. I mean, I have an office but it’s got this tiny little desk and for the most part it looks like a fabric warehouse exploded in there…
    .-= • Recent post by Kitty: Etsy Picks: Aqua =-.

  6. Rachele Alpine Avatar

    I love your wriitng spot; it looks nice and cozy nestled in next to the wall and bed. I really like the idea of placing it near the bed so you can stumble in late at night (or if you get an idea in the middle of the night!). Seriously, that makes so much sense.

    I posted my writing spot awhile back. I usually go to a coffee shop, but if I write at home, it’s at my kitchen table near the sun from my deck.

    http://freckle-head.blogspot.com/2009/12/write-stuff.html

  7. Rebecca @ Diary of a Virgin Novelist Avatar

    But you know what Stephen King says about big fancy desks and writing spaces! Yours is perfect.

    And I hadn’t heard of Tan’s book before. I will check it out.

  8. Sonja Avatar

    I also have a laptop. My blog writing almost always happens in my recliner in the living room. With two kids and three dogs, there’s usually some chaos around, but I don’t need total concentration for blog writing. For writing where I need focus (fiction or when I had to write papers for school) I generally go upstairs to the bedroom and close the door. It’s not perfect. I’d rather have a quiet little spot, like a home office, I could go to write, and maybe I will this summer. This is definitely one of the times when living in a very small house is a detriment – there’s nowhere to go to escape.
    .-= • Recent post by Sonja: In which I tell the girls about the birds and the bees =-.

  9. Kristan Avatar

    Kimberly-
    I cannot believe you have a whole room dedicated to Twilight! … Oh wait, yes I can. :P

    Todd-
    I actually really like switching it up too. I write at those 3 places in my house, plus I write at work, and at Panera or the public library sometimes. I think the variety jogs my creativity. Though I still long for my dream office, I don’t know how much I’d actually use it…

    (Also, I didn’t find the 5 Hr Energy to be THAT helpful the one time I used it. But then again, I was waaaaaaaaaaay tired that day, not just needing a “little pick-me-up”.)

    Kitty-
    Your venture seems to be going so well! I think it’s well worth the fabric explosion. ;)

    Rachele-
    Yes, I remember how lovely your table was, with the windows! Maybe you can put a cot next to it, for that stumbling-into-bed part… :P

    Sonja-
    I expect to see your home office as the next post in your project blog! Hehehe.

  10. Sarah Avatar

    I like that your desk is next to your bed. Can just imagine you with zombie arms stumbling over…
    Even though things don’t match (I like that), it looks like a nice cozy place.
    I like my kitchen desk because it’s at the centre of the action. In the day, I can walk two steps to the pantry for snacks or the coffee pot for drinks…In the evening, I can lean back in my chair, smile at James sitting on the couch, then go back to writing. I do like writing in coffee shops, though. love the atmosphere.
    .-= • Recent post by Sarah: This means something! =-.

  11. Mary Avatar

    I work at a desk piled high with paper. I have a very “zen” looking bamboo plant that I claim is inspiration for getting those drifts of paper off my desk. It’s not working yet (but I am currently in a “worse before it gets better” stage).

    Otherwise, I do all of my computering on my couch. I sit sideways (so I can put my feet up), and lean against a bed-pillow. I have a desk, but it’s more for storage than for actual work (mostly because the only chair I have for my desk is a metal folding one).
    .-= • Recent post by Mary: The making of bread… =-.

  12. Kirsten Avatar

    I usually write at my desk at home, which is NOT the desk I wanted (husband picked out matching, contemporary glass desks with no storage). So I have way too much stuff cluttering up this expansive desktop with nowhere to put it, and it gets in my way. I have a ginormous monitor as well, attached to a giant tower that is most definitely not mobile.

    I’d probably write more if I had somewhere to put all this stuff and could surround myself with some things that are more inspirational – like On Writing. It’s such a great book, and is currently downstairs, next to the sofa.

    I love your writing space – I would prefer something similar, except my husband and I keep the bedroom as a sleep-only space, and he has to live here too.
    .-= • Recent post by Kirsten: On the Internet #6 =-.

  13. Angela Avatar

    I really liked this post!

  14. Kristan Avatar

    Sarah-
    Kiersten White works in the kitchen too! I like the breakfast bar (I’m partial to tall tables, dunno why) but I need to get/make cushions for the stools…

    Mary-
    Oh lame (about the folding chair). A good chair (or even an okay chair) makes a big difference over a crappy chair.

    Kirsten-
    Boooo, I need storage. I’m also not a big fan of glass workspaces (except for, like, drawing) because I get distracted by seeing what’s below me… Lol, sad but true.

  15. Lauren Avatar

    Lucky. I dont have a desk because I dont have room in my bedroom for one. Instead I get a little fold up table that I can use at our couch in the middle of everyone. Yep its not the best writing space.

    Good group of books on writing but your missing my ultimate writing guide John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction. If I ever teach writing with my degree it will be on my required list of books.

    Then there is always Strunk and White. uhhh grammar a necessary evil.
    .-= • Recent post by Lauren: Ramblings of a Drained Human Being =-.

  16. Liz Czukas Avatar

    Omigosh, your dream office sounds like my kind of place! I don’t need the piano (it would be the classic fish with a bicycle scenario), but a kick ass stereo would fill the gap.

    For now I work on my couch, my bed, my kitchen counters…no desk in my house and that’s fine with me.

    Fun post, Kristan!

    – Liz
    .-= • Recent post by Liz Czukas: Interview with Steve Novak =-.

  17. Neha Avatar

    Though I’m not a writer, I often find myself dreaming about a nice work area. Right now, my living room acts as my home office, but it’s not organized or anything, and it’s not furnished to my liking. I would love to have a nice big desk area (bigger than what I have now!) for administrative and coding work, which includes furniture to hold a kick-ass scanner, computer, printer, etc. I would have lawyers bookshelves (to keep my books dust free!). I also want a work area for other projects – electronics, crafts, etc. Of course, having a huge plasma tv and really nice entertainment system is a must, with gaming systems and enough room to play DDR and Rock Band/Guitar Hero. (I know, I’m a nerd!)

  18. Kristan Avatar

    Lauren-
    I’ll have to check out Art of Fiction! I have do Strunk & White, it’s just not on my desk. :P

    Liz-
    A fish with bicycle could be pretty cool too… PS: Your last name is so cool! I was glad for the pronunciation guide in your latest post.

    Neha-
    I loooove big desk space. Even if I don’t need it, lol, it’s just lovely. What are lawyer bookshelves, though?