Hoover hopes it's not going to be a L O N G writing ession...I found the vintage screendoor at a yard sale.
The view from my desk
Vicki Doudera here, catching up on all of the great posts I’ve missed from my fellow Maine crime writers and our guests. Why am I (and I suspect most of us) so far behind on blog reading? It’s SUMMERTIME, and the living is …. okay, I’d love to say easy, as in the lyrics of the old George Gershwin song, but in my case, the real answer is more like hectic.
That’s okay, because I have my fantasy summer writing spot, and I can go there any time — if not physically, then mentally.
The weird thing is that this fantasy is actually real. The photos you are seeing are of my honest-to-goodness writing cabin on a very quiet body of water only 25 minutes from my house. The little building, adjacent to our camp, was once a bunkhouse for my sons, and when they stopped using it, I turned it into my private Shangri-La, complete with musty mystery novels, an old typewriter, and a killer view.
But here’s the thing: I almost never get to write there! Either we spend time at the camp and, instead of writing, I find myself trimming trees, painting furniture, swimming or boating, or, if I am in creative mode, I just can’t get away from Camden and out to the camp. My own personal Catch-22.
Nevertheless, I love it that this place exists for me and that there is the possibility, however remote it is right now, that I can spend long summer days hard at work writing in this special spot. This summer, as I juggle real estate clients, book signing trips, three-week-old chickens and a teenage daughter, escaping to my writing cabin is a fantasy. But some day, things may be just a little less crazy than they are right now. Then I’ll sit down at that desk, gaze at that view, and let the words flow.
Do I hear the lyrics of another song?
I’ll see you, in September…
Charlene D’Avanzo 
Vicki, your writing spot looks perfect! And you will get there. I had a fantasy writing spot for decades. A house in Maine. I visited it once or twice a year, dreamed of it … and then, finally, was able to move there. It will happen for you, too. In the meantime … isn’t it wonderful that writing is a relatively portable profession?
Lea — what a cool story. Love to hear more about that at some point from a RE perspective! Thank you for the encouragement.
Okay…insanely jealous. And that picture makes me regret giving my mother’s typewriter to the Maine Women Writer’s Collection. Otherwise, I could set that up, too.
This summer, I’ve been fantasizing about creating a special summer place to write. Cupola atop the cottage? Reclaim the garage? It’s not like I don’t have an office. But my office is a balcony overlooking the living room, and all the heat comes up there, making it unlivable. I did have a little tiny room in the cottage, but last summer, that was overtaken by an elliptical machine. Not my idea of a room of my own.
Here’s hoping you get plenty of writing time in your cabin in September.
Kate
Thanks, Kate.
I say — go for the special writing spot… cupola sounds cool. Do you use the elliptical? if not, I’d reclaim that!
The typewriter is from a yard sale… so you can find another one!