Home   |   LCS Prints Store   |   About Me   |   FAQ   

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Finding Joy - IWSG December 2018


 

It's IWSG Day. The goal of this blog hop is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds. IWSG is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh, our brilliant ninja leader.  To find a list of contributors with links to their posts, click here. Co-Hosts for December:  J.H. Moncrieff, Tonja Drecker , Patsy Collins, and Chrys Fey.

This month's optional IWSG Day question: What are five objects we'd find in your writing space?

You’d think this would an easy one to answer, but at the moment, my writing space is barren.  There’s a laptop, of course, and a printed manuscript, but that’s it. Call it enforced neatness, but my desk is a drop-leaf table in our living room, and well—we just hosted Thanksgiving. Numbers for the holiday have ranged from a low of 19 (this year) to as many as 33, and to seat the crew we line up tables through the dining room well into the living room. My desk becomes a casualty to the effort. 
And, yes, I know we’re almost two weeks beyond T-day, but Christmas follows and I’m married to St. Nick’s son. (Just kidding…though my father-in-law’s name was Nicholas.) Truly, my husband IS Mr. Christmas and my desk has been relocated to its annual spot away from the window to make space for one of three, yes three trees! We’ll end up hosting smaller numbers for Christmas Day dinner, easily fitting around the dining room table, but it seems appropriate to keep my desk neat for the season. 
As a result, my stack of notebooks, the printed drafts filled with edits from my writer’s group, my list of books to be read, the cup with my daughter’s initials on it filled with pens, pencils and a salt-crusted card with my Twitter password, all sit on a bench in my bedroom. Under the bench I’ve tucked the Himalayan sea salt lamp I “won” last Christmas in a Yankee Swap… which I discovered melts in the humidity (hence the salt-crusted card above). Supposedly, the negative salt ions released by heating the lamp boost blood flow, improve sleep and increase levels of serotonin. I don’t know whether it really works, but I’m game to receive any positive energy while I writewhich is why I just retrieved a small rock etched with the word “JOY”from that pile in the bedroom.  It sits by my laptop year-round--a stone for all seasons if you will, but it fits in especially well now. The salt lamp may  remain tucked away for December, but the stone on my desk  tells the real story.


What's your writing space like?

Wishing you all a season filled with joy!



18 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You need your own office.
Over thirty people? That just blows my mind. I think the biggest number we've ever seen for a holiday was twelve. And no, that was not at my house!

Patsy said...

There's loads of stuff on my desk – I don't think I could write in cimplete tidiness!

Joanne said...

sounds like a seasonal rest period and JOY covers it all.

Cheers to Mr. Christmas - have fun with it all!

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Three trees?! How fun!

And JOY is definitely something we can use year round. :)

Nick Wilford said...

My name's Nicholas too, but I'm happy with just the one tree!

I don't have any dedicated desk, just the dining table, so my space is also minimal. That rock is a nice thing to have though because it's portable, and hopefully brings good vibes!

Diane Burton said...

I'm like Patsy, not able to write in complete neatness. 33 people for Thanksgiving? Wow. I can see why you have to keep your writing space neat. Best wishes for a great month.

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

It's been a long time since we hosted that many people, but it's nice to know you're still doing it. Too bad you have to lose your writing space this time of year, but it sounds to me like you've got your priorities in order. JOY is the word... and a lot of that comes from gathering with family and friends. (Still... maybe you could ask Santa for a dedicated writing area...?)

Julie Flanders said...

Three trees! I can't imagine how Christmas-y your place must look. How fun and also beautiful. Love the "joy" stone!

Jan Morrison said...

Whoa! Three trees? We'll put one up but not until the 22nd as we're having a party on the 21st and need all the space possible. I am going to put my dolly shrine up downstairs in the guest room. Then I'm hoping to give the collection minus a few favorites to the children's hospital. Are you writing at your bare desk? That's all that matters really. Happy Christmas to you!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I rearrange the house for the holidays too, but about five years ago, I made my office sacred space and the holidays stay in the other rooms. Except now my granddaughter has invaded my office and taken up about a third of it.

cleemckenzie said...

I could have used that Himalayan sea salt lamp last month to help with air quality. Great idea.

It sounds as if you're off to have a wonderful holiday. Enjoy and have a great 2019.

Tonja Drecker said...

Three trees sounds lovely! Although I don't know if I'd find it that way while being a nomad writer. Enjoy the holidays!

Sandra Hoover said...

I wrote at the kitchen table for years. I'm now an "empty-nester" and have converted a bedroom into my office. You can write anywhere - a lot of great authors have proved that. But it is hard when you have to pack it all up to play hosting duties and then get it out again. I still typically feed 20-25 people at Thanksgiving, but am now able to just close my office door. Love your JOY rock! Great vibes any time of the year!

Connie said...

We had 12 for Thanksgiving, and that seemed like a lot to me. I admire your hosting and cooking abilities with the numbers you have. I love the stone with "Joy" written on it. Seems like a good reminder to have around. I have a wooden flower sign that says "Bloom" on it where I can see it from my writing desk. It helps me stay positive and on track with what I want to do.

Jemima Pett said...

Oh gosh, I couldnt cope with having to keep the desk clear for meals and so on. In fact, it's why I have a whole room for myself for it!

I hope you'll find things get back to normal in about three weeks now!

Chrys Fey said...

Three trees? Wow. I'd love to see that. I love Christmas tress. :) If I had three, I'd do one with normal Christmas decorations and then the other two would be themed.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

Merry Christmas, Liza! I can't imagine having such a big family--our little Christmas celebrations have only three.

It must be fun to have a husband who gets so into the spirit of things.

Gina Gao said...

Three trees sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing this.

www.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com