Ask Whitney! - Where do writers write?

Hey everyone,
Hope you've all had a great and are looking forward to the weekend. :)
So you might remember my earlier post about 'Ask Whitney'.
Well, Today I'll be answering my first question made by Shelly, a fellow aspiring writer of romance.
This is what she asked me:


I've always wonder what environments writers work best in. Does everything have to be neat and orderly in their office? Did they chose a specific paint color to help them be more creative? Can they write anywhere?


Now as much as I love being descriptive and would make a good attempt to discribe such amazing places to Shelly, I thought a collection of pictures would say more. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, lets test that out.


First up, we have the writing space of Annie Seaton. She writes across genres including steampunk, historical and paranormal romance, romantic suspense and her favourite, contemporary romance. Annie lives on the east coast of Australia and her house (as is evident the photo she has provided) looks out over the south Pacific Ocean.

Annie has just had two releases, a wonderful contemporary romance called 'Holiday Affair' and a steampuck romance called 'Winter of the Passion flower'.


These books can be found at the following links:

Holiday Affair

http://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Affair-ebook/dp/B007KTECCQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332724219&sr=8-1

and

Winter of the Passion Flower

http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Passion-Flower-ebook/dp/B007L4DM9O/ref=pd_sim_kstore_8?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS

Next we have, Imogen

My next author is Lucinda Brant. Lucinda writer Georgian Historical romances and lives in New Zealand. She writes full-time when not bumping about Georgian London in my sedan chair or exchanging gossip with perfumed and patched courtiers in the gilded drawing rooms of Versailles.
In a previous life she died at the guillotine during the French Revolution (her reason for the migraines in her life). Hence, all her novels are set in 1700’s England or France but well before 1789!

Now this is my favourite study and I'm finding myself a little envious of Lucinda :)

One of my crit buddies, Coleen has also decided to share with us and although she didn't have a picture for us, she had this to say:

“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” (Virginia Woolf)

I don’t have a room of my own to do my writing—the cost of inner-Sydney housing means I have a corner in the bedroom for my desk, but that’s a step up because I used to work at the kitchen table. My workspace is cramped but perfectly adequate. It’s more the environment around me that affects my writing. I like to start my writing by ten o’clock, after I’ve seen the children off to school and gone for my morning constitutional.  I also like to do chores like setting off the laundry or emptying the dishwasher before I start, otherwise they weigh on the back of my mind. Some writers swear by listening to a playlist as they write, but I find music more of a distraction (and if the neighbour over the back fence starts up his awful ‘doof-doof’ music it’s a sure fire concentration-killer). I like to have a cup of tea and the window open to let in a slight breeze as I write.

Email and the internet are the worst time-wasters for me. It’s easy to fritter away an hour on emails or social media without really achieving anything. Unfortunately the internet is also a great tool for research, which leads to even more time-wasting! Sometimes I just have to shut down everything else on my computer and just focus on my WIP.

I need to do my writing in solid chunks of time, like two to three hours at a time, as I’m not great on picking up the thread after interruptions. Sometimes the first three or four hundred words are sheer torture, and then as I get immersed in the story the words seem to flow more easily. But sometimes the entire day’s writing feels like squeezing blood out of a stone. I can’t predict which way the writing session will go, so if the words are flowing freely I hate to stop in case the source dries up!

At the end of the writing day, I always make a backup of my WIP and store it online. I’m paranoid about losing my work. I think every writer is.

Well, that’s my writing routine, such as it is.  Thanks for having me on your blog, Whitney!

Coleen Kwan

www.coleenkwan.com

And here's a little about Coleen for you!

Coleen Kwan has been a bookworm all her life. At school English was her favourite subject, but for some reason she decided on a career in IT. After many years of programming, she wondered what else there was in life — and discovered writing. She loves writing contemporary romance, whether it’s sweet or sensual, and has recently discovered a whole new genre in steampunk romance.

Coleen lives in Sydney with her partner and two children. When she isn’t writing she enjoys avoiding housework, eating chocolate, and watching The Office.

Her steampunk romance, Asher’s Invention, will be published 25 June 2012 by Carina Press.

Mary De has also decided to share with us. Mary writes romance stories of love, betrayal and passion, set throughout various stages of history. When she isn't writing Ishe's usually found at hereasal painting works of art in oils, pastels and porcelain or getting lost in a new novel. And when there is REALLY nothing to do - Mary reads her favourites all over again.
You can find Mary at the following places:

http://marydeatharthaven.blogspot.com.au/

http://historicalhearts.blogspot.com.au/

http://hunterromancewriters.wordpress.com/

Facebook: mary.dehaas@facebook.com

My next author is Imogene Nix. Imogene writes Space Opera's with a some time travel squeezed in, that are set around five hundred yearsin the future. She's published with Secret Cravings publishing and runs her own online bookstore where she specializes in Romance. You can find Imogene at the following websites:


http://www.hotauthors.blogspot.com.au/
www.imogenenix.com
And here's Imogene's:

And lastly, theres me :)
I haven't got a picture, as there really isn't a specific place I write.
My writing space is generally my laptop. Unfortunately, it has just crashed and I am without it. I am suffering as the laptop I'm borrowing is larger than mine and I tend to miss letters. As I said I don't have a place, but it does depend on my mood. I surround myself with inspiration and when I can't find any in the comfort of my home, I go out and I hunt it down.
I generally write in my room and I can't write if I suspect someone is watching me. So public places are a definate no-go for me.
I've always got a coffee in hand and I tend to write in the early morning or late at night. But due to other commitments I try to write whenever I can. When I'm in the mood, nothing stops me.


Based on other comments made by many other authors who participated there are similar factors that contribute. Some have said temperature affects them. Place is always a major thing and so is time. Based on my research I've found most writers write in the early morning as thats when they are fresh. If your like me however, you sleep with a note pad near your head as just when I'm about to fall to sleep, an idea always pops into my head.
Another strange thing, but public transport always helps me when I'm brainstorming. I see a lot of people and as I'm by myself, I have a lot of time to think. My first novel was contructed around a scene I dreamed up on a bus.


I think the biggest trend these pictures show is that every writer's space is as unique as the writers themselves. Some are messy, some are clean. Some overlook oceans and beaches, and some overlock rural splendors. It just depend on the writer. Their workplace is a haven. :)
Well I hope I've provided an interesting answer to your question Shelly, and I hope everyone enjoyed this post too.


Feel free to send me in some questions!