I realized last Friday as the moving truck was pulling up (did you see the size of that thing? Safe to say the neighbors all know we’re here!) that this is my 13th move. And moving-in day was Friday the 13th. So I figure this is either going to be the luckiest place I’ve ever lived, or the unluckiest.
We are about 80% unpacked, which is pretty damned good considering we moved 14,000 pounds of stuff from Seattle to Toronto. And the truck only arrived four days ago! While there’s no real rush to unpack, here’s the thing: I dislike being disorganized. I dislike clutter. I dislike cardboard boxes. I dislike dust and dirt. I’m really picky when it comes to my living space, especially since I work from home. Ever watch Friends? I’m a total Monica.
Today’s big project was getting my office set up. Since this was a corporate move, we had professional packers come to our house in Seattle to box everything up. Which was great, except that somehow my books, which were alphabetized in Seattle, arrived in Toronto completely out of order. Yes, I realize there are worse things, but since I was so organized at our old house, I assumed unpacking my office would be quick and easy. Yeah, no. This one room took ALL DAY.
Here’s a before picture, right after we got my shelves put back together:
And here’s my office now:
I’m very happy with how it turned out. I feel like this space has really good energy, and I hope this means I’ll write another book here. Or two. Or three.
Tonight, someone on Twitter asked me if I had separate tables for writing and editing. I do. I write all my early drafts at the computer, but I do all my hard copy editing at that blue glass table. I love that table, and I’ll be sitting there again when I work on FREAK edits over the next few weeks.
I know not every writer is fortunate enough to have a dedicated space for writing. I’m very lucky to have an office I don’t have to share. I wrote my first novel (now trunked) on an uncomfortable sofa in a cramped living room, and I know I could never take having a personal writing space for granted. Ever.
Where do you write?
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