Thursday, February 08, 2007

Writing Choices

So, it's snowing again - here's the view from my bedroom window. The woods you can see in the background are the common and then at the very back and to the left, Winnie the Pooh's 100 acre wood, aka Ashdown Forest.

The news here is full of the snow, and the children are off school, as it seems are half the working population, or at least according to the radio. I've just listened to the third feature about the joys of working from home, whereas I fantasise so much about working in an office that I regularly look through the windows of office buildings around here. I live in fear of getting arrested as a stalker! It's all those office routines I think I'd enjoy - the coffee break, the chats about last nights TV, in-jokes... But that's not to say I don't have my own routines - or choices to make. First off - and Kath, are you listening? - it's slippers (as mentioned previously). Which pair of slippers I put on to work in will have a definite impact on how I feel - those brown ones, for instance, make me definitely rakish when I write...




Then it's which candle to light. I have to have a candle lit when I write, but I only let myself light one at a time. Different colours, different scents, different feels..


And lastly, which coaster to use for my ever-filled cup of tea? Some make me laugh, some make me feel nostalgic and others have been given to me so have a special significance...



Phew! And who said a home-worker's life was dull? And to think I've just answered a question about what special writing routines I have with a one-word answer: 'none'. What's strange is I hadn't thought about all this before. Any other 'homeworker' want to meet me by the virtual coffee machine and share their writing preparation?

5 comments:

Dr Ian Hocking said...

Hi Sarah, nice to bump into you at the virtual coffee machine... I haven't got much of a writing routine (which probably explains why I don't get much of it done), but I do tend to close the door and put on some headphones to keep the world out. Then I listen to music that suits the mood of the thing I'm trying to write. (For my last novel, it was the Silence of the Lambs soundtrack.) I write in chunks of an hour or so...

No snow to gaze at unfortunately, just washing lines. Oh, is that the sound of the postman!? Sigh. No.

Sarah Salway said...

One or two sugars, Ian. I keep forgetting.

Dr Ian Hocking said...

Better make it three...

Anonymous said...

Fabulous slippers, Sarah!

You've got me thinking - I must invest in a few new pairs. Love the embroidered silk ones...

ivoryfishbone said...

i loved this post ... not just because of the sight of ashdown forest where my father was brought up and ran barefoot through ... and where some of my relatives still live in coleman's hatch etc. but also because of the rituals and candles and slippers ...
i will do almost anything (except go to the dentist) to put off writing which is ridiculous ... but perhaps i need a candle a coaster and some slippers ...
xxx