I worked on my earliest writing in libraries and even on the
bus. In fact I began writing my first novel, a historical western romance, in a yellow spiral notebook during my
commute by bus from Nutley, New Jersey to my copywriting job at JC Penney in
Manhattan. When JC Penney moved out of New York, like several thousand other
employees I lost my job. I quickly got another one, but in between I set up my
first home office and began to work on the revision of that first novel. My
home office quickly cluttered with boxes of research material, files, and
reference books.
While I working on revision of that
first book, I began a second book. That book later became my paranormal romance
novel, Sacred Fires. Over time, I
created story boards, bulletin boards, and even objects to inspire my writing.
In that attic office I also wrote a third novel, Angels Among Us, and several short stories along with poetry and
articles for newsletters. The attic office became my sanctuary for writing, a
place I went to early in the morning or late at night. I kept a flyer which read “Do It Anyway”
which was given to me by motivational speaker and published novelist Alice Orr.
This adage got me threw some rough early years and is a reminder not to get
discouraged and be willing to take writing risks.
Over
the years I retired a few desktop computers. My first laptop gave me the
mobility to work in other rooms of my home or outside my home. Today I do more
writing in my dining area and some reviewing or editing work in my family area.
It all depends on my mood and where I can work without distractions.
Being near the kitchen, it’s easy to get
my coffee or tea and the occasional snack my muse craves. She particularly likes
frozen peppermint patties and string cheese with crackers.
Since I have a day job as a teacher, I
do most of my writing on the weekends, sometimes on weeknights, and a lot of
new material during the summer months.
I
like to listen to music which fits the mood of the story. Murphy, my black Labrador
Retriever mix, is a constant companion when I’m home, and he is an attentive
audience when I read parts of my stories aloud. I share my home with my husband
and our young adult son who’s been helpful with critiques on writing combat
scenes.
I’ve
also learned that I can write wherever I need to given the tools to write and
an active imagination including the library, the local Starbucks, and the park.
After all if I can write a draft of a novel on a crowded commuter bus, I can
write in a lot of different place, but there’s no place like home. LOL
***
Catherine Greenfeder is a
multi-published and an award winning author. She published two books, Sacred Fires and Angels Among Us, both paranormal romance novels, with
Secret
Cravings Publishing. Catherine is currently working on several writing projects
including a young adult paranormal and a paranormal novella romance.
I enjoyed your post, Catherine. I live in New Jersey, too. It's a good idea to work near the coffee. I do the same.
ReplyDeleteAll the best:)