The Eleven and a Half-Foot Desk

How many of you are typing your blog or writing your books on your lap? For me while I have done that in the past, it's history. When I change rooms for my office in my house I took several things into consideration. How close it was to the master bedroom, how much storage was needed, and how much elbow room did I need.

My husband also sits in the office to read the news and play games so it's an office built for two. Anybody go shopping lately for a huge desk? Don't bother they don't make them. This picture was sort of my inspiration for my office desk. Of course being me, I had to design a desk that I wanted and built it.

The room is 11 1/2 by 9 1/2 ft sq.  No, I didn't build it from scratch. I adapted unfinished base cabinets for storage and support, and hung wall cabinets. On top of this configuration I cut MDF (medium density fiberboard) for the top at 3 1/2 feet wide. (monitors, notepads, printers, phones, etc take space. It is a built in unit and not going anywhere. That's the beauty of owning your own home...you can do anything to it. It is unique like me and totally functional. Where the closet was is now bookcases on huge piano hinges so the back of the closet is accessible for hidden storage for all those reams of paper, ink cartridges, etc.

So what's my point...

To work as a writer, you need your space to work that has everything you need within reach. Yes, you could get up and down repeatedly to fetch whatever you need, but when you are on a roll and writing isn't that distracting? Being prepared, planning, and execution is all parts of doing any job.

I wanted the desk to wrap around the long side and halfway across the short sides. What would I need to achieve my goal? (I want a huge desk or write a book) What are my strong points? (creativity, stubbornness) What are my weak points? (Stubbornness, a bit impatient... I want everything yesterday, and have limited mobility) And being honest with myself. (But can I do this? Yes, but i may have to ask for help) This is the planning phase. So how do you prepare to write a novel or book? It takes some creativity, a spark or kernel of an idea, but mostly it comes from reading. You read what other authors have written, how-to books on writing, and blogs of those who have gone before. I can't stress how much reading you need to do. I hear you now, I've read books all my life. Yeah, I know me too. Did you like what you read? Did you say to yourself, I can do better? Or wow! I wish I could do that. There you go the first step of writing is in your hands.

Because no store had an 11 1/2 foot desk with side arm workstations, I had to design my desk. In writing the planning is the harder part of this. Designing your novel or book is crucial. What genre is it? I spent the better part of my blogging last week trying to find one genre my novels fit in and I still don't have an answer. What's the premise of your story? Can you describe it verbally without hem-hawing around? Can you write a description in a paragraph? In one sentence? A word? Who are you characters? What is your plot line? What are your subplots? Why should anyone read it besides you? Is there anyone out there who is interested in your story besides family? On this last point I'm going to mention I have a VERY large family with in-laws and out-laws, adopted, blood relations, etc. Well that would account for most of my sales in 2011, but wait there are people who are not family who bought my books. **Big smile** I must have done something right for a change.

The implementation is the hardest or easiest part depending on your point of view because nothing is easy and if it were, why do it? Where's the sense of accomplishment?

I've read blogs, and hear from a lot of people excuses of why they don't sit down and write...this writer included.  It doesn't matter if it is good when you first write it. It doesn't matter if it takes you ten years to write one book. It doesn't matter if you have ten kids, a job, school, and a host of other things. Just do it.

In writing, the accomplishment is this...a word written? That's it one word at a time. One sentence at a time. One paragraph at a time. One page of 200 words at a time. If that's all you have time to do...just do it. Stop making excuses for not writing and write it down or type it. You can always change it later if you don't like it. That is the one thing that makes life life...adaptation and change. Revel in it, accept it, and then move on. That being said I'm going back to work.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.