Read Around the Rainbow: My Ideal Writing Shack

Today is the first post for our brand new webring, Read Around the Rainbow, and the topic is My Ideal Writing Shack. I was the one who picked the topic from a list because I’m fascinated with the concept of a writing shack, of a space dedicated just for me and my writing.

To be fair, I already have such a space. I have a lovely office in my house with a big desk and space for my fountain pen collection. Aside from the desk, it’s currently pretty bare, though. I have room for book cases and a comfy chair, but we haven’t gotten to that yet; we moved into the house almost a year ago, from an apartment that was four times smaller than this house, so we’ve got a lot of space to fill, and furniture for my office hasn’t been a priority for many reasons.

I like my office, it’s open and bright and airy, but sometimes the openness can be troublesome. When the hubby wants to talk to me while I’m in the middle of writing for example. Or when we have guests; my office is located next to the guest room, and my writing doesn’t stand a chance if the guest in question is my darling grandbaby; then I abandon what I’m doing in favor of cuddling with her.

So sometimes I wish I could have something more private. A little cottage just for me, with a lock on the door, where no one could disturb me unless they were invited. Something like this.

The keywords for my ideal writing shack are water and solitude. I love lakes and oceans and rivers, I love trees and open skies, so that would be necessary. No neighbors is a must. At least one fireplace is also a requirement. And I want it to look rustic, but it needs to have all the modern amenities like a proper toilet (if there’s an outhouse = no deal), running water, electricity, and excellent wifi. Because even if I like to be alone and undisturbed in my physical space, I need to be able to connect to the internet and the morning office, because writing is so much easier in the company of other authors.

The shack also needs a kettle, a teapot, my favorite teacups, and a large variety of teas to choose from. I also need a few bottles of red wine, so I can have a glass as sit outside and look at the sunset while contemplating what’s going to happen next in my WIP. I need a stash of chocolate if the story isn’t going well, and a never-ending supply of fika, because I’m Swedish and we can’t live without fika.

I need a shelf full of notebooks, all my fountain pens, and bottles of ink in all colors of the rainbow. I need a wireless speaker so I can listen to music when I need inspiration, or just a dance party break from my writing.

I also need a room for my husband, because no matter how lovely this all sounds, I don’t like to be completely alone. Especially not in a remote cottage with no neighbors…who knows what can happen?? What if someone breaks in and steals all my tea? Or my fountain pens? 😱

So maybe I already have my ideal writing shack? I have a proper toilet next to my office, I have two fireplaces in my house, lots of tea and red wine, and space for my fountain pens. (I also have an alarm system if someone tries to break in and steal them). I have a modest creek behind the house and a pool for hot summer days, so the water is checked off. Our closest neighbor isn’t very close, I can connect to the morning office, I have a room for my husband, and so what if my darling grandbaby “disturbs” me when I’m writing? A cuddle break never hurt anyone, did it?