Happy Halloween, everyone! I was wondering what would be the scariest picture I could post today—maybe a spider or a blood-covered vampire or Miley Cyrus’ tongue (okay, I can’t help posting that one):
Yee-ikes. I’ve seen this thing more times lately than I’ve seen my own tongue, and yet it never fails to make me gag.
Anyway, here’s the actual scariest picture I could find:
Yep. That’s my office. That’s where I write, think, research, edit, blog, dream. And I think it’s why I’m having such trouble organizing my thoughts lately.
You think????
Can you say Professional Organizer? Life Coach? Get your shit together?
Just looking at this photo makes me want to weep. You too? Hey, try actually sitting here and working in this garbage heap. What kinds of spaces do real writers work in, I wondered. Hmm. Here’s a sampling.
Stephen King’s office:
E.B. White’s office:
(I guess when you have that view you don’t need much else?)
Virginia Woolf’s office:
None of these, though, exactly evoke the kind of space I have in mind. I’ve decided I need only about four things: a desk, a window, a chair, and some walls where I can tack up ideas and inspirational posters, like that cat hanging on a tree branch (Hang in There, Baby—Friday’s Coming!). No, not that one.
Here’s more what I have in mind:
Sweet, right? I feel this would be very do-able.
Tomorrow is November 1, which means we have only two months left of the Write Despite challenge. I am vowing to not only keep writing for the next two months, but to have an AFTER picture of my office by then too.
Where do you work? Describe, or post a pic for us! I’d love to know, and to get some ideas.
Write well, everyone!
—Cathy
Write Despite 
There’s a terrific amount of knowledge in this article!
Smakc-dab what I was looking for-ty!
Great, post. Love the writing spaces, can’t stand Myley’s nasty tongue.
Glad you liked these ideas, Elizabeth!
Your post is very timely. I just left my “real” job and began working from home. First task, turn the sunroom into dedicated office space. I didn’t change the space a too much, BUT I was determined to remain at least a fraction as organized as I was at work. I bought a filing cabinet from Pottery Barn that doesn’t look like a filing cabinet and I file everything in it … notes, bills, medical records, report cards, receipts, and reports from my kids’ school … I file away ideas (literally), random lists, editorial, writings … absolutely everything that can be shoved in a file. It’s a life saver. I ended up getting a small desk to match the file cabinet. I try to avoid clutter by keeping as much as I can behind doors or drawers …even books. I like that the office/sunroom has so many windows that the helps the smaller space seems open.
Adrienne, I posted the pic of your home office to Instagram. Here’s the link–I hope this works!
This is my new fave space of all time. I don’t have the gorgeous brick or hardwoods in the room I’m thinking of. But maybe I could do the curtains and the lights and the chair and desk…? I love it. Thanks for posting!
EB White’s is my new desktop background. That’s my ideal.
We love it too, although it could have spiders. Do you think he dreamed up Charlotte here?