I always thought a proper writer would have a wide, expansive mahogany desk with a high-backed chair. More than likely in New York City, with a view of Central Park. And something *artistic* and *interesting* hanging on the wall. 


Nathan Fillion optional, but much preferred.

Well, I have since become a Proper Writer. With a book coming out and everything. And I have yet to get my executive desk overlooking Strawberry Fields, and Nathan Fillion doesn't return my phone calls. 

But here's the desk I DO have:

Excuse the blurry picture! I had to use my cell phone for these.

Things of note:

-Maps of England and Europe in the background of the desk

-iMac--the ONLY way to write :P

-A Laini's Lady hanging from the wall

-My pen holder is a gargoyle

-I have a silver penguin to the lower right of the screen--after all, I *am* being pubbed with Penguin/Razorbill

-My two favorite pictures--My parents and I at my wedding, and my husband before he was my husband--hang out on the left side

-The shelf on top hold ARCs, manila envelopes, and lots and lots of legal pads. I think with legal pads.

-You might notice that the desk is exceptionally clean. 

-That's because I'm not using it.


That's right! This is my writing desk...and I'm not using it. Like, at all. Because this is the writing desk, and I'm not currently writing. Currently, I'm REVISING. And revising takes a lot more room.

When I go from writing to revising, I need a change of scenery. So, I go to the kitchen. The table in the kitchen is the one I inherited from my grandmother, the one I used to eat Thanksgiving at throughout my childhood, the one I signed my agent and publisher contract on.

And now it's my revising table.

I move my desk chair into the kitchen during revisions. I need the cushion for the long hours of butt-in-chair!

Here's what I need to revise: 

-Printed copy of my manuscript (bound at Staples, after a suggestion from Mandy Hubbard)

-The copy of my ARC to fact-check for the sequel

-A HUGE jar of peppermints

-Legal pads and Sharpie pens. They are my thinking tools.

-Oh, yeah--and the laptop.

Here's a close-up of where the biggest part of revision comes from:

 -I had to turn the page--I'm work on the HUGE plot twist right now and didn't want to ruin it for you. But, as the text suggests, "Imagine lots of scribbled notes here"

-I do all my brainstorming and revision notes on paper, then take it to the screen. Ironically enough, I write the entire rough-draft on the computer without using paper (unless I get stuck)

-That's my huge jar of peppermints. It's huge. And minty-fresh.

Also note the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON dvd. That's playing on constant repeat whenever I'm not working on writing. Such as now. 

Occasionally, the legal pads don't cut it. My brain stalls out, and I've got nothing. At time like this, I poke the demon awake:



Meet Sirius. He goes from asleep to RAGING BALL OF EVIL in 2.3 seconds. Quicker, if rawhide's involved.

So, when I get so stuck that peppermints and legal pads don't work, I whistle. And off we go!