Over the years I've used a variety of spaces to get my story onto paper or computer. The best thing I ever did was buy myself a laptop computer. Sometimes I want to sit in my living room and other times I prefer the comfort and outdoor feeling of my sunroom. The portability of the laptop makes it possible to work in either environment as well as on my back deck in the summer months. I can also take it with me if we go on vacation (not a regular activity for us) or if we want to go somewhere for a day or a weekend and work in a different location. That is more likely to happen and we have done just that on a few occasions. I could not do that if I only had a desktop.

I do have a desk top computer, too, that is used mostly for my story writing. I also use it for webinars and other online activities but with a two monitor setup, it is perfect for writing. I am also fortunate to have inherited a good-sized desk from a friend when he and his wife were relocating to the western part of the country. I was previously using a 4-foot table and had files on the floor with a small bookshelf, made for paperbacks, to hold a few books. Not an ideal space but it worked for using my laptop. It never would have been enough space for the dual monitor setup I have now. Sometimes things come to us at the perfect time.

I've made better use of that small bookcase and the desk, with drawers on one end, needed a file cabinet on the other end which gave me the file storage space that I needed. The desk top is covered with reference books, a plant, a lamp, and a small 5-drawer storage unit for holding pens, small notebooks, and other unrelated items. I purchased a bulletin board when I read Dani Shapiro's book "Still Writing" and she mentioned the quotes that cover her bulletin board. I don't have any quotes yet although I could post a few but I do have a couple of photos of dogs I have loved and lost. And I do have the list of books I want to finish writing this year, too.

My printer, a recent Christmas gift, sits on a low rolling cart that belongs to the computer in my studio (yes, I have yet another desk-top computer) but since I wasn't really using it I decided it would be the ideal stand for my new printer. A variety of paper, books, pens, glass jars of candy for me and dog treats for my dogs, and other miscellaneous doo-dads cover the top of my desk area. It looks crowded but neat.

Whether or not all of this helps or hinders my writing doesn't really concern me because I know that when I have a story I'm working on, all that matters is what is in my head and that I can sit in my chair, comfortable with a cushion on the seat and a child's step stool to put my feet up on, my computer in front of me, and write for as long as I want. And that is all that I really need.