Lucky Dog
I'm back!
As I start my new life on our land in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, I have to stop and think about how lucky I've been. This 500-square foot cabin was originally built as a writer's retreat for me and a fishing cabin for my husband. Located on Bull Shoals Lake in Northeastern Arkansas, high in the mountains and deep in the woods, it is the place I dreamed of when early writing instructors asked me to describe my perfect writing spot. It was a long road here and I wouldn't recommend losing a close family member, planning a major out of country trip and selling your house to pursue your dream within a 4 month time span, but we made it. And while the current home is a bit crowded - especially when all 4 dogs come into the kitchen when I'm trying to cook and the husband decides to join us - I believe it will provide the peace and quiet and inspiration I desire for my writing life (at least until the new digs are being constructed).
So, today, my freelance life will be about following up on editor's calls and emails that came in while we were on holiday, as well as continuing trying to find a place for everything - something so important when dealing with limited space. I have plenty of organizational caddys on hand and will make use of every inch of space.
In between, I'll take the dogs for long walks on the country road, not minding the risk of bug bites until later, and enjoying a cup of coffee on the deck while listening to the sounds of nature.
I'll bask in the fact that I'm finally home...not just physically, but in my writing heart.
Think about your perfect writing spot. What can you do at this moment to make your space feel more comfortable, more like the home where your inspiration will grow? It could be as simple as a change of scenery with new photos of mountains, a lake or the ocean. Maybe add a CD of the sounds of nature - or for you urban writers who long to live in the heart of publishing - a poster of a neighborhood in NYC. Maybe it's something more involved, like a big comfy chair that will swallow you whole. Whatever it is, make a note of it and work towards getting it. Start small with your wish list and then work your way up.
Enjoy your writing life wherever you are at the moment. That's what part of being a writer is all about.
posted by Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell at 6:16 AM
1 Comments:
Kerri, I too managed to resurrect my dream writing spot - the one I carried in my head for years and years as I moved around the country and the world. And eight years ago when I moved back to Kansas from all those travels, I began doing just that. Now we have a camper up on "the farm" (although my husband who's from Baltimore and spent summers in Ocean City calls it "the beach house"), and we spend quiet summer days watching the wind. Living up there year round is not possible at this point, the camper only a half inch of tin between us an spectacular thunder storms, but it's wonderful and six miles from the nearest paved road. And the past three summers I've had a little desk in front of a west window that looks out onto the prairie. Me and my laptop, we go sit. The gift is quiet and focus and time and no phone or Internet or to-do lists. Just time. And sunrises and sunsets, bluebirds and whipporwills. I'm happy for your gift of time and woods and country too. Enjoy and best wishes to you. Janet Sunderland
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