In this new series for the blog, I ask writers to share their writing space with us. First off is Debi Alper…
Living with a partner and two teenage sons in a two bedroom flat means that space is at a premium. Mostly, it’s between my ears but I have carved out a small area in a corner of the bedroom. I work on two laptops simultaneously, which is not evidence of my multi-tasking skills so much as a sensible use of the time it takes for things to download on my ancient workhorse laptop. I bought it with my first advance from Orion. Even though the letters have rubbed off the keys, it has a kind of battered charm. I can’t bear the thought of parting with it. The desk is a cheap self-assembly job from Argos. That means the bottoms of the drawers have fallen out and the one filled with hanging files doesn’t close properly. There are two metal file boxes in front of the desk. One has all my completed manuscripts in it and the other contains work files. (I have a very bad habit of over-committing myself so I’m active on a number of time and energy-consuming committees as well as organising my 96 year old father’s affairs.)
On the wall behind the desk, there are family photos, a calendar, some postcards and a cheque in euros from the Library Council in Ireland for PLR. The cheque would have cost more to pay in to my account than the amount it’s made out for, so I stuck it on the wall instead. The lovely people at the Library Council emailed me when they saw the cheque hadn’t been cashed and they paid the money directly into my account instead, bless ‘em.
To the left of the desk, there’s a display stand that I found abandoned outside a shop. It makes a useful storage place for stationery items. On the top, I have some hunks of amethyst and quartz and above that there’s a corkboard where I keep bills and other bits of crucial info. Unfortunately, the whole lot, including the stand for the landline, is resting on another rickety chest. This one contains all my jumpers so when I need to get at one, I have to take everything else off the top first.
The view through my bedroom window is of the row of garages at the back of the flats. But there are trees too, as well as a good chunk of sky. There’s a black and white cat who sits in a window in one of the houses behind the garages. I like to think that he and I have a special understanding.
Debi Alper is the author of six novels, the first two of which, Nirvana Bites and Trading Tatiana, have been published by Orion. Her books are contemporary urban thrillers set among the sub-cultures. Over the years, she has worked as a charity finance officer, a photographer, farm labourer, life model and wig maker. She wrote her first novel as a direct result of being in a local writers’ group and still writes in long hand, typing up her words in chunks.
After her second novel was published, Debi gave up the day jobs to focus on her writing. These days, much of her time is spent helping other writers to perfect their novels through critiques, mentoring, Book Doctor sessions and creative writing workshops. Debi lives in South London with her partner and their two teenage sons. She sometimes feels like a tiny island of oestrogen afloat in a sea of testosterone and smelly socks.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Debi and Michelle,
This is a lovely series and I look forward to my slot.
Debi, I really enjoyed reading this and seeing your desk. It’s such a relief to see the clutter, my writing space is equally cluttered. Boxes on boxes, piles of papers, general awkwardness in getting at stuff etc. etc.
My PLR cheque was about €4 if memory serves. Like you, I didn’t bother
I lived with 3 men too until my daughter was born – light relief from the ‘sea of testosterone’.
A lovely read – thanks, ladies.
Nuala x
Ah, the glitz and glamour of this writing life …
I just moved to Ireland and I wish I could have brought some furniture with me from California. There is a company called Crate & Barrel that sells stuff for the home, including furniture. I had this funky computer desk from Crate & Barrel that leaned against the wall–kind of like a ladder! I haven’t been able to find anything like it in Ireland, but it is a great solution for someone who needs a computer work surface and has little space in their home. It is called: Sloane Espresso Leaning Desk. It looks like they ship internationally so I’ll probably have to order one.
Great to see where you work Debbie… it’s SO hard in a house in this country, to find space for something like a dedicated writing area. I’d guess most of us are holed up in an under-stairs cupboard or sandwiched between the wardrobe and the chest of drawers. I’ve got a beauty – after years of writing wherever I fetched up, in campsite kitchens, overnight ferries, hammocks and hostels, I FINALLY have a dedicated area! It’s a shelf I built over my sister’s old digital piano, which she refuses to let me get rid of. It sloped, so a flat shelf made more sense. I covered it with an old throw from a long-dead sofa and before you could say ‘surprise rodent’, it was covered with hamsters. Yup, the missis had been every bit as keen to find a dedicated space for another Rotastak as I had been for a writing desk. Guess who won? Well, at least I have company when I write. One fat hamster called Hedgehog and a tiny diabetic runt called Lickety-split. And if I’m really lucky, they’ll escape and leave little wet footprints across my keyboard… and a line of fascinating gibberish on the screen!
Tony
I love these sorts of looks into where all the creativity etc takes place – and this is a particularly good one. I love the 2 laptops and the PLR cheque!
I’m one of the lucky few to have seen Debi’s workspace firsthand, as well as partake of her legendary hospitality! Lovely to see it again – two laptops? One for werking and one for not werking
A very good way of not getting distracted by t’internet – good plan!
Lovely series to look forward to and I realise I am not the only one living surrounded by chaos, noise and testosterone. In winter my house is so cold I use the laptop in bed but in summer I can transfer to the piano room if my daughter is not playing music upstairs. Mostly, like many of you I imagine, I live in my head.