I Write this Sitting in the Kitchen Sink by Nikki Salt

Where do you like to write?


“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.” Dodie Smith’s famous first line in her book, ‘I Capture the Castle’ got me thinking. Where do you like to write? Does your perfect writing space inspire you? Prevent you from being distracted? Give you peace and quiet? All of these things? None of these things? Perhaps, like Cassandra, the kitchen sink is the only place with enough light to enable one to see.

Another favourite author of mine; Shauna Niequist, at one of her book launches, admitted she writes in cafes because the quiet of her home sends her to sleep and she’d be too embarrassed to snooze in public. I suppose she’s right; falling asleep, head lolling and mouth drooling on one’s laptop can’t be a good look.

Mark Twain Editing in his Bed

Sir Walter Scott wrote on horseback, Agatha Christie wrote in the bathtub, DH Laurence preferred to write outside under the shade of a tree, John le Carré wrote on the train. A good friend of mine travels so much, she does most of her writing on trains, planes and in taxis. Once, I wrote in an aquarium (a lovely experience as long as it’s not too busy). Another time, I wrote a couple of chapters in a church surrounded by lit candles. Atmospheric but cold.

So, where do you write? Perhaps you’re one of those fortunate writers that create scenes in exotic locations and ‘must experience it for real, darling’ or climb mountains in the Himalayas so one can describe the highs and lows and the adrenaline rush that accompanies such a feat.

An inordinate number of people write in bed; Edith Wharton, Marcel Proust, James Joyce, Michael Morpurgo and (I’m no longer ashamed to admit) so do I!

Comments

  1. Nikki! One of my absolutely favourite novels and one of the greatest first lines ever. I am in bed in an elderly dressing gown surrounded by empty Lemsip sachets sipping tea with my lovely husband and talking about yesterday. He just said "My stuck ballcock causes constant seepage." This caused me to wheeze and cough. He's referring to the upstairs loo, so writing there today not an option for me. I write in bed when I'm tired or ill, but mostly on the sofa with my laptop perched on my knees. Cafes are good and I do a lot of writing on trains. On Friday I wrote a blog and a half in Fran Hill's house looking out over a graveyard. I threatened her with moving in as I found it so inspirational. A lovely blog for a Sunday morning. Thank you Nikki.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hate silence so am much happier writing either in noisy cafes against the background of chatter, clinky plates and cups and the roar of the coffee machine, or in friendly pubs, or if I'm at home, I have the radio on in the background. When I was teaching full-time, I'd take my marking into cafes as well, spending hours in there and getting much more done than I'd ever achieve in school or at home.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I write sitting at the dining table. I have to clear my laptop and any other writing related stuff away at mealtimes. The bonus is probably the best view from our house, which I usually forget to look at because I am concentrating!

    ReplyDelete
  4. writing a book is an intensely creative process. Your creative juices may burn out, occupational hazard. We all need time to rejuvenate every once in a while. I try to do very boring and mundane stuff like book marketing to reignite my passion for writing. I bang on bookbub's doors to take in my book and having 100+ reviews helps, so use usabookreviewers.com I also do my own interior formatting, hate it :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful post, Nikki! You make all those places sound appealing to write in :) Having written all over the place, I now have the space and time to write in my absolute favourite place ever - my own little study lined with books (on wallpaper as well as on a bookshelf) with a view of trees. The trees are very tall and only once, on a hot summer day, have I ever seen them still. But I am now inspired to try the kitchen sink, a cafe and a horse. Though I will need to ride one first...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment