Monday, March 30, 2009

I Found My Happy Writing Place, but I Can't Afford It

I was at Homewood Winery in Sonoma, sitting outside on a tall, wooden table with an English lab gnawing on a pinecone at my feet. I was sipping sauvignon blanc, enjoying the sun on my skin, and gazing out at the newly-sprung flowers when it hit me: I could probably finish my novel if I had my laptop right then and there. I've found my happy writing place. Even though I've still got at least 60% of the book to write, I was inspired and content and fueled by the perfect weather in the perfect location.

Unfortunately, California wine country comes with a hefty price tag. What's your happy writing place?

4 comments:

Kristy Baxter said...

Cabin in the woods. Gotta be somewhere with moderately warm temps year-round, though. It's got a room looking out at the forest, and my desk is shoved up against it. Behind me is a comfy couch and so many bookcases I can't count them.

No TV, no cell phone, no Internet, and someone to quietly clean & cook for me, then leave.

Of course, I always think of that movie "Secret Window" when I imagine this, which dampens my enthusiasm just a tad.

La Shawn said...

Ditto Kristin - No TV, no cell, no Internet. Rustic cabin in the woods stocked with plenty of food and drink. Near total silence, days and days of uninterrupted writing time. Just writing and sleeping.

Christine said...

Kristin: I tried really hard to find this picture of Neil Gaiman for you - I'm sorry I couldn't find it. The foto showed us the view from his desk - it really looked like he was in a secluded cabin in the woods somewhere. The image came to mind when you described your happy writing place. But then when you said this:

"No TV, no cell phone, no Internet, and someone to quietly clean & cook for me, then leave."

I thought of Colin Firth in "Love Actually." Hopefully that's better than "Secret Window."

Thank you for sharing!

Christine said...

La Shawn: I don't know what I would do without the Internet. You and Kristin are MUCH stronger than I to resist the wiles of the web. It'd be a fun experiment though, to rent a cabin for a week and JUST WRITE. Do you think you'd be able to finish a novel if all you were doing was writing and sleeping? Wow. That sounds magical. The possibilities sound endless!