Novelicious.com | The Women's Fiction Blog for Readers and Writers

My Writing Room – Cathy Woodman

Cathy Woodman is the author of the Talyton St George vet books. The next in the series, Country Loving, is released in August.
 

I tend to write whenever and wherever I can, including in the car and on the train, but when I’m at home I like to have my laptop, notes and books spread across the dining room table so it looks as if I’m working really hard. I have a study upstairs, but I don’t use it for writing because it’s a cold room and too isolated from the rest of the house, whereas the dining room is warm and handy for the kitchen – I need a constant supply of coffee and snacks when I’m writing! I tell myself that the caffeine and sugar are good for maintaining brain activity, although the latter isn’t terribly good for the waistline.

My Writing Room – Tom Vowler

Tom Vowler, author of the psychological thriller, What Lies Within, has let us have a look at his writing space. Over to Tom...

Well, this is one of them. The one I retreat to when the temperature allows. I have an office indoors but the den at the bottom of the garden is preferable, with light pouring in from three sides, the babble of the nearby river and the lilting sound of birdsong. I hope to install a log burner this year, allowing me to cocoon myself there in all weathers.

My Writing Room – Elizabeth Fremantle

Today we're peeking inside the writing space of Elizabeth Fremantle. Elizabeth used to work as a fashion editor for top magazines including Elle and Vogue and her debut novel, Queen's Gambit, will be reviewed here soon.

I’m afraid I’m very territorial about this space – absolutely no one is allowed to sit at my desk without asking permission. Most people, and especially my teenaged children, don’t understand why this is. I certainly can’t explain it, but it makes me very twitchy, particularly if someone says, ‘Just going to check my Facebook.’ This fills my head with images of super-viruses infecting the bowels of my computer and erasing everything I’ve ever written, or glasses of red wine spilled on my keyboard and erasing everything I’ve ever written, or… well you get the picture.

My Writing Room - Stella Newman

An absolutely fantastic, funny writing room piece from Stella Newman this week. Made even better by the picture of Tina Fey (Novelicious also have her picture on their desk for the exact same reason).

Over to Stella...

I can never understand people who can sit in Starbucks writing their novels.  I find it nigh on impossible to think when there are other people anywhere near me.  And while I don’t go to the lengths that Jonathan Franzen apparently went to when writing The Corrections (ear plugs, noise cancelling headphones and a blindfold!) – I do understand the need for no distraction.  I can be writing a scene set half way up a mountain in Spain, and I’ll have the burning urge to know the name of the actress who played Michael J Fox’s sister in Family Ties. Luckily I don’t have wi-fi, so I try to sit with the urge until it passes.  (It was Justine Bateman, by the way – sometimes the urge doesn’t pass.)

My Writing Room - Caroline Smailes

Today we're taking a peek inside Caroline Smailes' office. Caroline's latest book, The Drowning of Arthur Braxton, was launched this week. You can find out more about Caroline and her books here.

Over to Caroline...

I’m planning to move, but sometimes I worry about leaving my writing space. I’ve written every novel in this office, we converted half of the garage just for me.  Crowded, cluttered, surrounded in memories, this is my favourite room in my house.

Behind me, to the left, there’s a turntable and my vinyl collection, behind me, to the right, a wall of bookshelves displaying my favourite books and my collection of Smurfs. I have bought a Smurf for every book I’ve written. Next to me are corkboards, full of prompts and recollections that make me smile. From the ceiling there’s a disco ball, underneath my desk are two pairs of roller-skates. The floor is oak and skating often happens. A recent addition is a small wooden desk for my daughter, she is now creating in here too.

From having a playpen in here to listening to my teenage son’s dilemmas, this room is full of secrets, this room has aged with us. My writing space, my office is my haven, my cocoon. For me, creativity only visits when and where I feel safe.

My Writing Room - Donna Douglas

Welcome to another writing room! Today's is courtesy of Donna Douglas who is the author if The Nightingale series. You can find out more about Donna's books on her website.

Over to Donna...

I know what you’re thinking. You’ve seen more cluttered padded cells, haven’t you? But that’s sort of the point. My office is bare, not because I’m incredibly tidy by nature (you haven’t seen the rest of the house), but because I’m a terrible procrastinator. Which is a polite way of saying I waste a lot of time.

I used to have my office in our spare room, overlooking the back garden. It was lined with books, filled with all my little treasures, and was generally a cosy nest in which to spend many happy hours.

And that was the problem. I spent many happy hours there, but not many of them were actually spent writing. I don’t know if you realise how much time you can spend watching your neighbour’s cat sunning itself on the wall, but let me tell you it’s a lot. Especially when the alternative is staring at a blank computer screen.

I would rearrange my bookshelves, first into alphabetical order, then into genre order, then even in order of height. The day I found myself organising my pencils in order of colours of the rainbow, I realised something had to give.

My Writing Room - Amanda James

Today we bring you the writing room of lovely Amanda James, the author of A Stitch In Time, which we'll be reviewing here soon.

My Writing Room by Amanda James

I would love to be able to tell you that I write in a shed. I have shed envy big-time, and many author friends have them. I don’t, sadly...but one day. I would love to be able to tell you that I write in a beautiful Cornish cottage from a window overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. I don’t, sadly...but one day. I would love to be able to tell you that I write in a Californian beach house overlooking the Pacific Ocean – a place I live when not at my Cornish pad. I don’t, sadly...but one day!

My Writing Room – Laura Ziepe

Today we bring you the writing room of lovely Laura Ziepe, the author of Essex Girls, which is currently on offer for just 99p!

My Writing Room by Laura Ziepe

My original plan was to write in my office, and when I first moved in my house, that’s what I did.  I decorated it in a shabby chic style and it’s really pretty to look at, but unfortunately it’s far too cold as it used to be a garage.  It doesn’t matter how many layers I put on or if the heating is turned up full blast, I freeze in there, so after a few weeks, I resigned to the fact that I needed a new place.   I find that I do most of my writing in my kitchen, sitting at the table as it’s the brightest room in the house.  I’m less distracted than if I sit in the lounge (though I must admit, I do love to laze with my laptop in my reclining armchair).

My Writing Room – Molly Hopkins

Today we bring you the writing room of Molly Hopkins, author of the 'It Happened' series.

My Writing Room by Molly Hopkins

My favorite place to write is in the dining room. I can spread myself out like a Pre-Raphaelite muse across eight chairs if I feel like it, (not that I ever do).  I have a fabulous view out the front window, and so have effortlessly acquired an in depth knowledge of everyone else's business. I'm a one man Neighbourhood Watch Association. I think I would be less productive if I worked in a closed room without a view.  Writing can be very solitary; it's easy to lose yourself in time. From my dining room, I see the kids coming back from school, (this is coffee time for me). And when the evening Ocado van pulls up, it's glass of wine time.

My Writing Room - Laura Kemp

Today we bring you the writing room of Laura Kemp, whose debut novel Mums Like Us is out now!

My Writing Room by Laura Kemp

When I write, I’m still on duty ‘just in case’.

My husband works away all the time so I can’t afford to do my work in a place where I can cut myself off from the world. If the phone rings, it could be school telling me my son has gone down with the latest bug. And when there’s a knock at the door, it’s usually something I’m waiting in for, like the Tesco delivery or a parcel containing something I can’t remember ordering because I clicked after half-a-bottle of wine.

That’s why I write in the kitchen, within grabbing distance of the phone, the kettle and the crisp cupboard.

It’s entirely functional and I love it that way because it reminds me of the newsroom, where I spent 15 years as a journalist. Obviously there’s a slight difference in that I’m by myself so I’ll have Radio Five Live on as I work and I’m on and off Twitter for a bit of banter.

My Writing Room - Shelle Sumners (Plus GIVEAWAY!)

Welcome to the last stop on the recent Grace Grows Blog Tour. We're excited to bring you the writing room of Shelle Sumners, and check out the bottom of the post for an exciting giveaway!

My Writing Room by Shelle Sumners

This is where the magic happens. Well, some of the magic; I can write anywhere. I wrote many stretches of Grace Grows dialogue between Grace Barnum and Tyler Wilkie in my car, during my daily work commute. Talk about driving distracted! Those people had quite a lot to say to each other.

 I also outlined the plot and wrote chunks of the story while serving sixteen days of grand jury duty (I hasten to add that I wrote on breaks, not while hearing cases!). And Julia Barnum, Grace’s mom, turned out to be a grand jury prosecutor. Go figure.  

 Anyway, my workspace: I have several inspiring things pinned to my bulletin board, among them

 *A quote from author Jodi Picoult: “You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”

 *Two nice bits of paper I got from fortune cookies that say: “You are a talented storyteller,” and “Start where you left off—do not avoid the difficult part.”

 *Pictures of George Harrison and a Native American shaman, because they visited me in a dream one time. We three sat in a café and had a lovely chat. 

I have a little contest in mind. I really like dragonflies; in fact, I managed to sneak three dragonflies into Grace Grows. AND I’ve just noticed that there are at least four dragonflies in this picture of my workspace! Do you see them? I’ll send the Grace Grows Original Soundtrack CD to the first three people who email me at Shelle [at] ShelleSumners [dot] com and tell me where the four dragonflies are.

Thank you, Novelicious. What a fun way to end my UK blog tour! 

Thank you, Shelle!

GRACE GROWS BY SHELLE SUMNERS IS OUT TODAY!

Keep an eye out as next Wednesday we'll be giving away five copies of Grace Grows on Novelicious.com

My Writing Room - Victoria Lamb

Today we're having a peek inside Victoria Lamb's writing room. Victoria Lamb was awarded the RoNA for Young Adult Romantic Novel of the Year for her book, Witchstruck, on Tuesday evening at the Romantic Novelists' Association 2013 RoNA Awards. Victoria's new book, His Dark Lady, is out today and we'll be reviewing it very soon.

My Writing Room by Victoria Lamb

I'm a massively restless person; my urge to keep moving is part of what drives me on as a writer. Not surprisingly then, I don't enjoy writing in the same space every day. In 2011 though, I bucked that trend. I rented an office and worked there 9-5, occasionally also going in during the evenings - despite concerns over office zombies!

When we moved to Cornwall, I chose a home office instead, thanks to increased space. Nonetheless, I've since moved it to a different room twice. My first study had lovely views over the surrounding fields. My current study has a more restricted view though, something I recommend for high productivity. Views are wonderful, but it's too easy to stare at them idly for hours instead of working. Distractibility probably accounts for more unfinished novels than lack of confidence or ability.

My Writing Room - CJ Lyons

Today we have a very unique and slightly dangerous writing room today from CJ Lyons! CJ is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling thriller writer. You can find out more about CJ's books here.

My Writing Room by CJ Lyons

During my 17 years as a pediatric ER doctor I faced down gang-bangers, drunk guys three times my size, bomb scares, fires, two hard landings in helicopters, and numerous irate parents. I even once came face to face with a serial killer.

My Writing Room - Lynn Shepherd

Lynn Shepherds latest novel is A Treacherous Likeness and it's out now. Here is her writing room.

My Writing Room by Lynn Shepherd

I think I’m incredible lucky to have a view down a meadow to look out at from my desk. I regularly see deer and foxes in the field, as well as many different types of birds – I have a feeder hung where I can see it outside, and there were over a dozen goldfinches coming down this year. It’s a really peaceful place to write and think. As you can see, I also have my cats on my screen-saver. That picture was taken the day after we got them as kittens, and as you can tell from the photo, my little black and white female cat was already an intrepid adventurer, even at eight weeks old!