Describe your dream writing retreat. Where would you go? Who and what would you bring?
This RTW is one I've spent plenty of time contemplating. Mr. S and I are starting to grow out of our one-bedroom apartment, and as we plan for where we will live next, I can't stop thinking about having my own room. Not that Mr. S isn't awesome, because he is, but I've always liked to have my own space where I can have everything just so. So my first answer is--I would go to my own room, and I would bring my cat, or nobody. My room won't just be for writing--I'll also keep books and knitting stuff and sculpture wire in there--but there are a few things I would really love to make it feel like a writer's haven.
First of all, my books. As much as I love my Kindle, I will never be satisfied with e-copies of any of my favorite books. (Also, some books are just too cool as objects to be on the Kindle--I'm reading Legend by Marie Lu right now, and with its shiny cover and gold print, it makes the most convincing case I can think of for books as physical objects, rather than Kindle copies.)
Ideally, this requirement would be satisfied with the use of built-in bookshelves, which have always been a dream of mine. While we're shooting for the moon, maybe they could look something like this, with a daybed built right in!
Second of all, plenty of natural light (or really good electric light, I guess). I also love that about the picture I linked to. (But you can crawl into that corner of the couch and curl up if it's just too early, or if the dreaded migraine strikes.)
I also want a desk, so I could go back and forth--couch to desk--to save my back. Sometimes I like to sit up and sometimes I like to curl up. Actually, I mostly like to curl up, but then I sit like that for ten hours straight, hunched over a keyboard, and can't move the next day.
And, of course, my laptop. Can't do much without that. I tried writing on my iPad this summer for a change of pace, and it wasn't ideal, even with the bluetooth keyboard. But I hear Scrivener for iPad is on its way...so maybe for editing? We'll see.
Or...if I went away away to write...definitely the Berkshires (or maybe the Catskills--mountains, anyway, or what pass for mountains in the Northeast.) Someplace leafy and green and quiet, like The Porches Inn in North Adams, MA or Mohonk House in New Paltz, NY.
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My alma mater, Williams College, tucked in among the Berkshires. Fun fact: The chapel with the four-spired tower there is where I got married!
But wait! There's more! While you're here, be sure to check out my 2012 More-Reading-For-Everyone-Giveaway!
That picture of your alma mater is gorgeous! And I love the bookshelf/reading couch combo pic too. I'd loooove that :)
ReplyDeleteThe bookshelf-couch looks cool! Sounds like we're on the same wavelength regarding the whole "get away"--there's no place like home. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the difference between a book and an e-book. There is something about being able to hold prose in your hand and curl up with it, fingers leafing through crisp pages, and of course, the cover! A built-in bookcase sounds divine, but alas, I don't have one in my house. ;)Someday, eh?
ReplyDeleteI so hear you on the growing out of a 1-BR thing. I want a home with more doors! (And closets, but that's another issue.)
ReplyDeleteI've always been curious about the Mohonk house; it looks really cool.
Oh man, Rebecca, if you ever win the lottery--go to Mohonk. My in-laws took us once and it was the most relaxing, wonderful few days I've ever had. We hiked, we took a canoe out on the lake, we went horseback riding...not to mention the world's best banana pancakes. I haven't been back since because it's quite pricey, but it's on my "someday" list.
ReplyDeleteAnd everyone else--yeah, that bookshelf is basically the coolest thing I've ever seen. Some people finish their basement, some people get a pool--my big project someday will be to put in bookshelves like that.
I love the bookshelves/bed/couch thing. I want one.
ReplyDeleteHi! I took the blog-comment challenge from Lee Wind at SCBWI in California and it led me right to this blog. Then, of all things, I read about Mohonk -- an amazing place. I lived in New Paltz for year and went up for dinner there once, but I drove by every day when I lived on the other side of the mountain. In the mornings, wild turkeys sometimes blocked the road! Now, I live and write from Los Angeles in a strange Oasis inside the city called Park La Brea -- right across from the LA County Museum and the Tar Pits.
ReplyDeleteI want that reading nook with the bookshelves!
ReplyDeleteCan't agree more with the Kindle vs. real books thing. I love books - the beautiful covers, the way they feel in my hands, the smell of them. I do like having the Kindle when I travel, though - I tend to read through all my books on the road, and then have an anxiety attack because I have nothing left to read! But at home, I will always have a place for bookshelves, and the desire for real books, and yes, a room of my own in which to enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteThe Berkshires look really pretty. I like that you would take your cat into your writing room with you. My cat isn't invited to my writing retreat because he needs a lot of attention.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post that I can relate to! I live off the F train, too, btw. My boyfriend and I just recently got a loft-style apartment in BK...one big room. Needless to say, I am having a bit of a difficulty finding how my "office" fits in to all of this. My boyfriend is a visual artist and actually has a studio in BK...so he is lucky. But I am carving out space in the apt for my writing. In fact, going to IKEA tonight to help the process. Definitely going to follow your blog. Hope you follow mine...http://writeroutine.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI love that little reading area - if I had it in my house, I might never crawl out of there!
ReplyDeleteI love that picture! I want a room like that, too.
ReplyDeleteI love this dream. Thanks for sharing. It reminded me of my childhood dream of a house in upstate Maine with lots of windows that I could write in. Recently I have been dreaming of drawing and painting instead.
ReplyDeleteCan I sign up for this retreat too? It sounds pretty perfect!
ReplyDeleteI've never gone on a real retreat, but the idea sounds increasingly more helpful to me.