Wednesday, January 4, 2012

RTW: Room to Write

Today, Road Trip Wednesday asks us to:

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.  

(Source)

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!

15 comments:

  1. That picture of your alma mater is gorgeous! And I love the bookshelf/reading couch combo pic too. I'd loooove that :)

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  2. The bookshelf-couch looks cool! Sounds like we're on the same wavelength regarding the whole "get away"--there's no place like home. :)

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  3. I'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?

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  4. I 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.)
    I've always been curious about the Mohonk house; it looks really cool.

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  5. 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.

    And 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.

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  6. I love the bookshelves/bed/couch thing. I want one.

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  7. Hi! 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.

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  8. I want that reading nook with the bookshelves!

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  9. Can'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.

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  10. The 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.

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  11. What 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

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  12. I love that little reading area - if I had it in my house, I might never crawl out of there!

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  13. I love that picture! I want a room like that, too.

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  14. I 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.

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  15. Can I sign up for this retreat too? It sounds pretty perfect!

    I've never gone on a real retreat, but the idea sounds increasingly more helpful to me.

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Thanks for coming by! Please chime in!