It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's SUPER QUIRKY! by Anna J Stewart

Let's get this out in the ether once and for all...I'm quirky.

Scratch that. I'm not just quirky, I'm Super Quriky (and now a super hero). Most people probably wouldn't believe what's spinning around in my head at any given minute. My friends, especially my writer friends, are more than used to this, which only proves what fabulous friends I have.  I'm not sure if it was being my mother's only child (family tree explanation at another time), but that dancing to the beat of my own drummer? Yeah, I have an entire Scottish tattoo banging on in my brain. No wonder I became a writer. It's the only way to keep the voices happy.  As I was finishing my latest novel (1 day ahead of deadline--go me!), I couldn't help but wonder as I looked around my writing space that wow, there's a lot going on, and yet...it's all me.  Remember those "search and find" puzzles in Highlights magazine (yes, I'm showing my age--I loved Goofus and Galant--take a guess who I preferred).  Don't believe me? Check this out.


Uh-huh. That's my writing space. It's located in the breakfast nook of my kitchen (dishwasher white nose is my favorite thing!).  There's my bee collection (cause my critique group is called the Tiny Killer Bees--a blog for another time <G>), there's my Tinkerbell collection (most of the ones here are gifts I've received) and then there's my Barbie collection...each doll you see represents a different character in my books.  And then there's a photo of The Avengers telling me to write, my "quantity first, quality later" reminder, and enough sticky notes to supply a small college campus. Not enough to blow your mind and make you wonder how I can think in the chaos? How's this?

Ah, the editing table.  This is post-edits: that stack of paper you see in the center of the table--that's the book, face down having surrendered to my red pen. My notebook for this novel (every book gets one) is on the chair on top of the first 100 pages of draft #1, a stack of written on Post-its that could rival the aforementioned one, and my poster board of useless knowledge--I found a fabulous fashion site on Facebook where I can shop for my heroine's outfits, otherwise known as a TIME SUCK! There's also a photo of my grandmother and uncle, both of whom have passed on, but were two of my earliest cheerleaders when I decided I wanted to be a writer.  Controlled chaos (notice the lack of a cat--she took the day off).  I bet you're wondering how, out of all this, a book (multiple ones at that) might be produced.  Guess what? I have no idea. It just happens.  It's my magic space, my magic space and it serves me well and, with the completion of this novel (and I head into the next starting today), it's waiting for me.
Sam and Dan (if you watch Supernatural, you know who of I speak) watched over the laptop as took takes a much needed break. Wonder Woman was there for backup along with Tinkerbell.  I can rest easy knowing it's all waiting for me to begin again.

Now it's time to tell me...what's your favorite part of your writer space? Is there a photo that keeps you going, a knick-knack you look to for inspiration? A special gift that brings a smile to your face when you see it?  Share! I'd love to know...

and prove to myself I'm not the only quirky one out there.  Thanks for reading!


Comments

  1. Oh, wow, I am so smiling.
    My life is organized chaos, too.
    I hear voices in my head, too. Lately, it has been Jason Aldean.

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    1. Glad I could start your day off in a good way, Pamela. :) Organized chaos rules, right? At least for now, LOL. Thanks so much for posting...and say hi to Jason for me (he's a cutie!)

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  2. Anna, you are never alone when you write! How cool. I love the bookshelves I inherited from my mother in law. They were made by her brother and now hold all my books including the keepers.

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    1. Hi Leigh! Ahhhhh, bookcases. I don't think we ever have enough and having them passed down, even better. I have a glass lawyer case that I use for a certain author's first editions, too! And definitely never alone, LOL. Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

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  3. Anna, great post. I used to be more organized than I am now. As I look around my work space I'm horrified by the mess. I always have a map book out, and Fodor's books on the area where I'm setting a book. And tons of notes I've written scattered about in no specific order. I have photos of my kids and grands. A floor fan, and papers, papers everywhere. At times I have to move the fan or they blow all over. You really have a nice space so keep doing what you're doing.

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    1. Hi Roz! Great to see you here. :)

      I'm hoping I get a bit more organized as time goes on, but I'm thinking if it hasn't happened now...

      I would bet, however, you can find what you need when you need it . Thanks so much for posting today.

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  4. Anna, this made me smile, too. Fabulous writing space! My writing space is in my bedroom sitting on my bed, propped up with two pillows behind me. We have a lot of people stopping by our house, so in there I can sort of "hide out."

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    1. Hi Carol!

      Wow--I envy those of you who can write in/on bed. I've tried and it just doesn't work--I always feel like I should be reading, LOL. But having that cave must be a Godsend when you're invaded . Thanks so much for popping in. :)

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  5. I am so chuckling about this writer space. I don't feel bad about mine anymore, especially after reading the comments that my friends, Pam and Roz have the same "tidy mess". I read once that a creative person does have a messy desk. A neat desk belongs to a non-creative person. I loved that article and think of it every time I feel guilty about the mess. smiling

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    1. Hi Sandra! Great to see you here today. :)

      You're so right--the idea of an empty/neat desk horrifies me, as if I'm not doing something right, LOL. I'll take the quirky chaos anytime.

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  6. I have a card on my wall that follows me every time I move from one house to another - one with a kitten clinging with one paw to a tree limb. It says "Hang in there." You’ve probably seen the picture because it became very popular. My former roommate and friend from college sent it to me when I first started writing. I’ve always treasured the sentiment and it reminds me to never give up.

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    1. Hi Marion! And OMG! I have a poster of that cat in my other "business" office--and it's been with me everywhere I've lived (although I've been in this house for about 25 years ). It's definitely a daily boost for me, too. Thank you for stopping by to post today. :)

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  7. I'm semi-organized. Usually I spread out on the dining room table where I sit and write, enjoying views of my backyard. Right now I'm writing at a small table in the bedroom because we have a remodel going on. My view here is a closet door. Not quite the same. LOL

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    1. HI Tara! great to see you here. :)

      Well, you can always pretty up the closet door, right? I probably have an extra pic of the Avengers somewhere for you I can send, LOL. But the great thing about being writers--we can write just about anywhere. Or maybe that's not the great thing . Hope the remodel goes fabulously!

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  8. My view is an open closet (built out not in) and on one of the shelves are file folders of completed and rejected stories. They prove I can write and finish even when I have no idea what I'm doing.
    On my desk I have a 8X11 sheet of paper with quotes and pics taped on it that I cut from a calendar. Quotes like:
    'Dare to dream, then watch what happens'
    'In your heart you hold the key to every dream'

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    1. Hi Marcie!

      LOVE the idea of having your rejections displayed like badges of honor--because that's what they are! Love your quotes..might have to add those to my stash of inspiration. I have a few inches of space left on the wall.

      Thanks so much for coming by today.

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  9. Oh Anna, you crack me up! You may be quirky, but I wouldn't want you any other way :)"
    My writing space is wherever my laptop and I want to go. Sometimes it's the kitchen table, sometimes it's the couch. On rare occasions when I need to keep everyone away, I will go into my office and sit at the desk. I tend to write the most late at night when everyone else in my house is sleeping, so it makes it easy for me to be wherever I want to be!

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    1. Hey, Amy! So what I'm hearing is your laptop decides where it wants to be used. *Snort*. Mine is pretty much chained to that desk (it doesn't even go on the Internet--sometimes I think it's whining and pouting).

      I so wish I was a late night writer! But alas, my brain shuts down at about 6 p.m. unless deadline is looming. Maybe my laptop and I need to have a chat.

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  10. You're quirkiness is better than caffeine...well, almost (we all know how much I love caffeine). As for what I love about my writing space, it's my footstool. I have a big corner desk and for some reason, it begs for a footstool beneath it.

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    1. Hey, Mel! You of all people have had plenty of experience with my quirkiness...and you're still my friend! Love the idea of a footstool--might have to add that to the space, if for no other reason than to improve my posture.

      Thanks for posting! :)

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  11. Anna - seeing your space is such a comfort! I'm not tidy by nature (how do you do that, Tara?) and being a writer only worsens the messiness condition. My office is very small but with a window onto the Columbia River. One of my favorite things in it that hinders rather than helps the process, is a pair of binoculars so that I don't miss anything.On my wall is a quote by Mark Twain - "Loyalty to petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed a human soul." An inspiring thing for me to remember as a person, and as a writer, too.

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    1. Muriel--you might be the only person I know who writes with a pair of binoculars nearby, LOL. That's awesome! I don't think I could do that with my neighbors as close as they are . I love the quote. Thanks so much for sharing.

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    2. Hi, again! Just want to clarify that I don't watch the neighbors with my binoculars, but the river. Always something going on there.

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  12. Oh, goodness, I write all over the house, especially on my deck when my my office gets too cluttered. I have a friend who told me once that he'd read somewhere that people who could stand clutter were well adjusted...and that I am very well adjusted. :-) Love your post!

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    1. Thank you, Patricia, for saying we're well adjusted. Whew! and thanks for posting today. :) I wish I could write anywhere--my brain seems shackled to that space (but at least it's a nice space, LOL).

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  13. I love your post, Anna. (Remember . . . I couldn't resist previewing it!!)

    Having read all the other comments, I am almost afraid to admit that I tend to be organized and (gulp) prefer an orderly, neat work space.

    Having said that, there is something very appealing about your work space! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Kate, you're always such a great cheerleader for the blog. Thanks for all promo on Twitter about it. :)

      Tidy and organized has its place...just apparently not in my world, LOL.

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  14. I write in my office, which is very nice--it's also an unholy mess. And I like it this way. I am a fan of quirky!

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    1. all hail the unholy mess, Liz! :)

      Thanks so much for stopping by today and posting. Great to see you here...hear, hear, quirky!

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  15. Love the post. What a fun space. Seems like it would be inspiration-making. Mine (just my laptop) seems so boring by comparison. I guess I'm just virtually quirky. ;)

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    1. Hey, Abigail! Great to see you here. :)) Sometimes I worry I'll get a bit overloaded on "stuff", but as I'm starting a new book soon, the pictures and notes have already begun to multiply. Need to get on a computer filing system, right? :) Thanks so much for posting!

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