Whether you write in a home office, at a coffeeshop or in a quiet library, writing is still hard work.
I write all over the place. I have a writing desk in a room that doubles as our guest room, but I rarely end up doing my real writing there. My laptop comes along with me to coffeeshops, basement bars, airport lounges. The energy of a public space is great when I'm at the beginning stages of a project - I guess it matches the excitement I feel about starting something new.
I know other writers who have to write in the same place all the time, with the exact same pen, at the exact same time of day. They claim they can't write a word without that routine.
I've often wondered about where famous writers write. Do they have fancy offices with fantastic views? I imagine they have pristine work areas and golden pens from which the prose just flows flawlessly onto the page.
The organizers of the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival (VIWF) are trying to set me straight about that delusion.
VIWF has just launched a new section on their website called "Writer's Rooms." Each week the site will feature an intimate look into a B.C. writer's workspace, with a photo and text by the author about their workspace. The first writer featured is Jen Sookfong Lee, whose book The End of East (Knopf Canada, 2007) received great reviews.
Writer's Rooms is an excellent way to get a glimpse into the spaces where the magic of writing happens. And a good reminder that no matter where you do it, writing is still hard work.
