Virginia Woolf said that every writer should have 'a room of one's own' and I have to say, that I have never felt more grateful for my study than I have during lock-down. It's such a cosy room to retreat to. No clocks, no phones - just books, desks, writing slopes and me. It's always the quietest room in the house. Outside noise rarely disturbs me in here. The walls lined with books are very insulating.
When I planned this room over fifteen years ago, I knew I wanted it to be as much like a traditional study as I could manage. I'm an old fashioned girl at heart and while I might be writing this post on my laptop, the laptop is sat on my beautiful escritoire desk, which is one of the best purchases I have ever made. I've written so many of my books, columns and features at this desk that it must have paid for itself a hundred times over!
Working from home means that I simply have to have a lovely space in which to work. It's non-negotiable. Like many people (mostly women probably!) I have had a massive decluttering session during lock-down. Every cupboard, drawer, wardrobe and nook in the house has been turned out, cleaned, items sifted, discarded, re-organised and put away neatly.
My study was the biggest task of all. Decades of self-employment makes for massive amounts of paperwork which I have had to sort through and decide what needs to be kept for tax purposes - a full seven years worth - and what can safely go through the shredder. My shredder has done serious overtime these past few days, diminishing my outdated work records and rendering them down to a pile of confetti! But now, I have everything neatly filed away in two boxes and the rest of the space is lovely and clear. It makes my head feel refreshed too - tidy space, tidy mind.
My escritoire has had a bit of a makeover as well. It had become too cluttered, which made me not want to work here. I found myself working at my writer's bureau instead, which is a nice space to work at but it's not as big. When I'm studying I have a lot of text books out, so I really needed to get my main desk decluttered and tidied up a bit.
Then I decided to give the desk a Lord of the Rings makeover. I put two of my Lord of the Rings goblets on the top part of the desk, above the pigeon holes, so now I have Glorfindel and Gimli gazing down at me as I write.
One side of the desk still holds my fairy Tiffany style lamp, but on the other side I put my Lothlorian candle holder, which is huge! It's so pretty. It's designed to look like one of the elven houses built into the trees, so it has pewter branches and a beautiful elven staircase spiraling up the outside. At the top sits a candle. I'm currently burning Yankee's Kitchen Spice and it fills the room with a warm fragrance that reminds me of autumn. I also have a small pewter figurine of Arwen and my pewter pen and stand. When the sunlight comes in, it glances off the pewter, making the desk area gleam.
On the book lectern I've placed a copy of Tolkien's Beren and Luthien - an elven romance told in vast, epic poetry. I love this space now. I can't wait to come in and start work each day. I wish I'd done it ages ago, as my study feels so much calmer now. The Lord of the Rings theme makes it feel like an inspired space.
Over the past couple of days I have been updating my Author CV. Publishing, much like the rest of the world, is having to take an enforced hiatus and many editors are currently furloughed. This means that, other than writing my psychotherapy column each month, there's not much else going on until the editors are back in place.
I've made the most of this free time by updating my Author CV and organizing all my projects, getting everything filed away neatly, so that it's still accessible, but it's not out on the desk looking untidy.
I've done the same thing for my university work and assignments too, so now I have an updated filing system in place that keeps my writing work and my university work separate and tided away. Being a writer involves a lot of paperwork and it can be overwhelming if you don't keep on top of it. Of course, it's easier now that so much can be done online, but the paperwork still needs to be kept and filed away safely. You just don't want to lose that amazing idea you wrote on the back of an envelope!
I've also been grateful to have my own library of books, not to mention my Kindle. My tbr pile has gone down a bit these last few months and it's been wonderful to still be able to buy new books even though we can't go out. Kindle has really proved it's worth to me during lock-down and I love being able to shop my own bookshelves for something new to read.
So for me, lock-down hasn't been such a trial. In fact, it's pretty much the normal life of a work from home writer and not much has changed. I am aware though that some people have found it really tough. My heart goes out to them. It's a reminder to us to make sure we appreciate the little things while we have them.
As for me, when I am curled up with a book and a cup of tea, in the leather armchair in my cosy little study, I just feel so grateful that I spent years working hard to build this life and this home for myself. It has been an essential retreat when the world ran to chaos and pandemonium! I hope you have all fared just as well.
Blessed Be
Marie x
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