This blog contains spoilers! Downton Abbey spawned such a high degree of loving obsession from people around the world that it would seem wrong if it never featured in this blog series. We were late arrivals to it: by the time we were catching up, there had already been three series and their associated Christmas Specials. Everybody knew that Matthew died in a car accident at the most inopportune moment possible, and that the lovely Lady Sybil died in childbirth. I do wonder how differently I would have felt about the series if I had experienced the same shock as those who watched it the first time round. Now, I'll caveat the following statement with the fact that I love Downton Abbey - it's one of my comfort series that I'll go back to time and time again to watch on my phone. But, in writing terms, I think it's something of a cautionary tale. The tale being: know when to stop. The first three series of Downton Abbey are pure drama, taking us powerfully - and often pa...
Sunday 3rd November 2019 – The Writer’s Desk
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| Photo by Frans Van Heerden from Pexels |
I’m a person who loves my own space. That being said, I’m anything but a
“neat-freak”. I’ve never managed to find
a writing space which will work for all my books. Sometimes, I’ll sit alone in a quiet room,
other times I write with my two sisters and we’ll put out inspirational Spotify
playlist on. And on some occasions, I’ll
give up on the laptop altogether and write by hand.
The most important thing I’ve found is that I’m flexible
with where I write. No two books are the
same, so why should two writing desks be any different. Here are a few staples I tend to rely on,
though:
- Always have a pen or pencil to hand – even if the majority of your writing is done on a laptop, you can never underestimate the number of times you’ll need to jot down notes to ideas, from a character’s age, to a major plot twist.
- Food! Eating and drinking keeps your brain going. I’m not going to lie, chocolate and tea are favourites for me.
- A music device – you may like silence when your writing, but if you're ever afflicted with writers’ block, stick on a favourite tune and words will flow.
- Company – it could be human, canine, feline or ursine! Having someone to share ideas with (even if it’s an inanimate teddy), can help get your plan in order. A tricky piece of dialogue, or measuring the meter of a poem, it all makes sense when it’s spoken aloud.
- Never go anywhere without *something* to write on and with. You could be at the beach, up a mountain, or underground. Inspiration can strike you anytime and anyplace. Your writer’s desk need not be a physical entity but a space your mind wanders to when inspiration comes knocking – take your desk with you, and you’ll never be caught high and dry!
During NaNoWriMo, remember every day is a writing day, and
any space is a writer’s desk.
Virginia Crow
www.crowvus.com
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