Tag Archives: writer’s office

Office Renovation: “Before”

In the midst of all my deadlines, I’m currently embarking on a project to renovate my home office. This has been a dream of mine for ages. On my wish list: lots more storage, a comfy chair by the window for reading, a big corkboard for storyboarding, and a pretty, feminine color palette.

I’m chronicalling my renovation adventure here on my Desk Diary, starting with this “before” picture:

Never enough storage!

If you’d like to see more “before” pictures, check out my renovation boards on Pinterest

Next to come: the rip-out phrase. Wish me luck!

The View From Up Here

A writer’s office is a special place. For me it’s the only place I can actually write. I’ve tried taking my laptop (a) outside to the deck and (b) to my local coffeeshop…but I only end up with (a) a sunburn, and (b) a caffeine high. No pages. No progress on the story.

So…I need my office. Between projects I like to organize, file and dust. The place can look quite lovely. While I’m deep in the writing process though, the clutter mounts and chaos reigns. But one thing I can always count on to look good is the view. Here are a couple photographs I’ve shot from the deck right outside my office.

In the fall all the leaves in Calgary turn gold, with just a few special splashes of red and orange. My office also faces downtown. One morning I caught the moon hanging out with the skyscrapers. This is still one of my favorite photos.

Pretty inspiring huh? But guess what…when the words are flowing, I don’t even look out my window.

When the story is jammed, however, I appreciate something else about my office. It’s right next to the kitchen…