June Theme: Writing Spaces (Holly Schindler)

I pride myself on my ability to churn out a fairly high daily word count. When I’m really in the zone, I can knock out a good five thousand words (or more) a day. Part of my ability to churn out such a high word count is because I’m a full-time, home based author (and have been, since the spring of ’01, but only because of incredible, incredible, incredible financial support from my family). And part of my ability to churn out the words is that I’ve done a pretty good job, over the past ten years, of learning to work—well—almost anywhere.

I do have a home office, where I spend a good deal of my time…and because I’m a bit of a flea market, antique store junkie, my office is filled, like Brian’s, with a good deal of muses, like Griselda here:

(I swear, the word "muse" now instantly brings this print to mind...)






And I’ve got quite a few funky tchotchkes in the mix, too:

Here, my four-leaf clover hangs out among some Enid Collins box bags that I've discovered are truly impossible to carry as purses, but great for holding office supplies.

My favorite office item's an old enamel sign from a bookstore...

If I had my druthers, though, I’m with Dia in that I’d write outdoors…Even under a tree in the backyard is preferable:

My favorite outdoor space is the park by the Finley River in Ozark:

I also do a good deal of writing on my AlphaSmart NEO. The thing has zero Internet capabilities, runs for months on AA-batteries, and is really durable; I can take it anywhere, knowing that it won’t run out of juice, and I’ll never get distracted. I so love this thing—I’ve had it for years, and I’m not quite sure what I’d do without it.

Here’s a glimpse of me and my NEO—and Jake, my Pekingese / constant companion: