Sherri Cornelius

I've been a busy little beaver the past few days, trying to get my writing space up to snuff. It's moved around the house periodically as I try to find a suitable spot, and every one of those places has been unfinished. Back when I had children in the house all day, I made a spot in the upper level of the wasp-infested, uninsulated barn so I could write at night while the hubs was home. I built a wall to keep out the wasps and keep in the a/c, but I never sheetrocked. Since the littlest baby went to all-day kindergarten last year, the shed office didn't get much use. Instead, I put a chair and a tv tray in the corner of the bedroom. Totally in the way and uncomfortable. I wrote at the kitchen table, on the floor, on the couch...each one a no-go.

Finally I moved into the eye sore which is my porch room. My favorite desk is still in the shed, way too big to fit in the 6'x10' space, so I set a board across the top of my wobbly tv tray, and that's where I finished BVA. Ridiculous, really, how I dedicate only the barest of resources to my writing space, using only whatever detritus isn't in use somewhere else in the house.

I refuse to go another year as a writing vagabond, so last week I decided to get a real desk to fit the space. I declared I would find one just the right size at a garage sale, ugly enough to be cheap, but sturdy enough to last, with drawers, a top where I could spread papers next to the laptop, and if I was lucky, a keyboard tray.

First garage sale, I found it, keyboard tray and everything, for ten bucks.

[caption id="attachment_1918" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="It's ugly, but it has good bones."][/caption]

It was meant to be. The lady who sold it to me breaks out when she comes in contact with fragrance, so she uses no air freshener or anything. It smelled like wood, that was all. Hallelujah! (The little drawer thingy off to the side smells like cigarettes, unfortunately. It's been airing out for three days in the sun.) Then I lucked out and found a beautiful blue-gray color for $3 on the oopsie shelf at Lowe's. I had some old knobs from another dresser, so I spray-painted them silver, and this is what I ended up with:





It took a little work (and it still needs another coat of paint) but it's perfect for the space. Did you notice something in the background? That's right, this room is also unfinished. Sigh. My next goal is to somehow get some sheetrock home from the store and patch those holes. Even better, I'd like to tear it down to the studs and make sure it has great insulation and a smooth finish and no leaks. We'll see what happens. Meanwhile, I have a great desk on which to compose my next masterpiece. I'm using it right now. I love it.

[caption id="attachment_1921" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Mitzy tried to help line the drawers."][/caption]

We had an actual thunderstorm yesterday, with no snow, no sleet, no frozen water in any form. There's something so comforting about thunder. Extra comforting this time, because maybe it signifies the crazy white stuff is gone for good. Maybe? Please?

I went up to the office for a while yesterday. It doesn't get much use since my kids are all in school. I miss it. Although, while I was up there yesterday something was irritating my eyes. I think it's the stinky chair. (I tried to find the posts about the office and the stinky chair for the new readers, but I think they're on the old blog.) So that chair has to go, and then we'll see. It makes sense now why I've always felt sleepy up there. Some subtle chemical irritating my eyes. I've only been up there 2-4 times since I eliminated fragrances.

The writing went very well yesterday, though, despite the irritation. I've been feeling pretty crappy about this book because it I was cutting and cutting, watching my word count drop and drop, and that is the most depressing damn thing in the world. Yeah, yeah, I was cutting bad stuff. Whatev. But yesterday I saw an ENORMOUS plot hole, and I think I can make up all those cut words and then some! It's a huge opportunity for expansion. I'm excited again. And I'm still close to being done.

Gotta go get ready for my doctor's appointment. This is my yearly assessment of thyroid level, but I think I should also tell the doc about the old injury to my hand. I have the money but that won't be true in a couple of months. It's probably to late to do anything about it, but it can't hurt for him to look at it.

Last night, organized full-time writer/editor that I am, I made a to-do list and set it right on top of my laptop, which in turn was sitting on the little makeshift work station tucked into the corner of my living room. (I do have an office, but for those of you just joining us, I built my office into the loft of my barn-like outbuilding. It has a/c, but no bathroom. I only use it when everyone's home.) My usual laptop spots are the dining room table and the couch. The problem with working at the dining room table is that is also where the laundry is done, and the other computer, and the kids' tv, and generally the busiest room in the house. The couch is uncomfortable for long periods of time, and the good tv + Wii is there. Other times I've tried to work in these two places, I feel...I don't know, just antsy. Distracted. It may be a Pavlovian response, where sitting in the places I usually play makes me want to play.

So anyway, I stole a tv-tray and got a spare--and, alas, uncomfortable--desk chair, stuck them beside an outlet in the living room, and it works beautifully. I'm sitting right against the couch, but since I'm not actually on the couch and facing a wall, my brain is quite happy working. I'm figuring out how to be a writer--that I need to have several projects open to switch between; that if I start feeling antsy, I'd better get up and do something else; that a pen and paper is my friend. So far as a full-time writer/editor, I've finished my long synopsis project and sent it to my first readers, finished a critique for my brother (the story can be found on my new page, The Sax Man), corresponded with the two authors whose works I will be editing next, and started editing the first of those works. The house is also cleaner, since I'm slowly getting caught up on the summer clutter.

My micro-chore merry-go-round method is working out so far. Reminding myself to take it slow and do a good job, don't freak out, it'll all work out in the end. Can you see the glow surrounding me? It's the glow of accomplishment. Come, bathe yourself in my glow, take a piece home. I can make more.

I felt so lethargic yesterday, really and truly crappy. I figured I wouldn't be able to write a coherent sentence, but I needed some office time, so at seven o'clock I dragged my ass and laptop up the stairs. I was going to take it easy, probably do some free writing, maybe lie back in the stinky recliner and let my mind wander, definitely listen to some music, which I can't do while I'm seriously writing.

I released the pressure to justify the office time with measurable progress. I typed in some notes while listening to Yahoo! radio. Opened the document containing my plot bullets and wrote a few sentences. And a few more. I looked up at the clock and saw an hour had passed, looked down at my computer screen and realized I'd accidentally written the entire one-page synopsis.

Coming out of the zone, I wondered what had happened to my music, but I'd turned it off at some point. Going over what I'd just written, I saw I'd also cleared up a few problematic names, and filled some long-standing plot holes. Accidentally. Don't even remember doing it.

That's so effing cool.