18 May Office Space
At one time I meant to have stenciled “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here” above my office door. They’re the words in Dante’s Inferno carved above the gate to hell. It might be a bit morbid–made complete by the ever-favorite shot of a piano about to crush me Wiley E. Coyote style (a too-apt depiction of fear in my life) in the corner of my bookshelf. But considering my time shut up with commentaries on Satan as I rewrote Demon and all the tough things that seem to accompany the writing process in general, it seems about right.
Don’t get me wrong. I love this room. On my desk sits a cold cup of coffee, trip itineraries and an assortment of pens in a celedon vase. Propped against my lamp: The Jewish Study Bible and Velvet Elvis. On the other side: a book on conspiracy theories and secret societies, and The Blood of Flowers. There are enough crumbs in my keyboard to feed a household, and the trashcan is full of junk mail and empty potato chip bags.
On the wall to my left: a Raina Gentry print (right) titled It’s All in Her Mind. I fell madly in love with it while browsing an art gallery in Jerome, Arizona. A purloined “do not disturb sign” from a hotel in the U.K. hangs on my door. I have a thing for stealing the grouchy ones.
Poking out of my bouquet of pens and highlighters are two scraps of paper: one printed with Isaiah 30:21, the other a 
snippet of an e-mail from friend Randy Ingermanson: “If you do anything significant on this planet, you’ll get criticized for it. Heavily. You’ll also get thanked by many people.”
Heather Gilbert
Posted at 20:53h, 21 MayI love the artwork! I used to have an office, but then it turned into a bedroom for our foster (now adopted! Whoo!) daughter. So now I write on a small loft above the TV room. It’s not very private, but I do look out at the sky and the tops of trees, so I like it. Your office is lovely.
Dustin Frueh
Posted at 18:56h, 19 MayTosca, I am in awe of your space. It’s totally epic! Thank you for sharing.:) And that piece of art!!!! ????
Robin E. Mason
Posted at 03:43h, 19 Maymy space isn’t very office-y, more like nest-y, which is fitting for a robin…. i’ve my pen collection in a spring green flower pot, a disarray of notes and folders and projects on a table and/or next to me on the love seat. my Bible and devotional book are on the table, too. there’s a bench-turned-end table that my dad built where i park the laptop when it’s not in my lap. printer and bookshelf are not far away, with an array of books in an array of genre. all this is nestled in a niche in the end of the living room.
now when i build me dream house…..
tosca
Posted at 06:12h, 19 MayI love nest-y… that sounds so very nice! And my dream home has one of those Scooby Do secret doors…
Jaleesa Gibson
Posted at 20:58h, 18 MayI would kill to have a space of my own. Well maybe not kill, but I might steal candy from a baby if it meant my own quiet area. Right now I live at home with my parents and siblings and grandmother, 6 in all plus me, while I work and go to school full time. Sure I have my own room but its overrun with bookshelves and I’m embarrassed to say my personal library has begun to spill into the family room. I write at my family’s dining room table which unfortunately is a gathering place in our home. So I get up early every morning just to grab the 2 hours of quiet time right after my brother goes to school, my dad goes to work and my mom heads back up to her room to get ready for her day. I wipe up the crumbs from my brother’s breakfast, make my coffee, push a growing pile of newspaper advertisements to the side and begin writing. It’s not my ideal space but once I get lost in the story it doesn’t matter anymore. Thank for sharing your writing space with us!
PS. I love the door hanger maybe I could get one to hang around my neck when I sit down to write….or for various social situations.
tosca
Posted at 06:11h, 19 MayGetting up two hours ahead of the rest of the family–that is dedication, Jaleesa!
Jenny
Posted at 20:01h, 18 MayWonderful!
tosca
Posted at 06:13h, 19 MayThank you!
Jase Rosenburg
Posted at 17:19h, 18 MayI don’t have an office. I can write almost anywhere as long as I’m in the dark. The place I’ve done most of my writing however is sitting up in bed in the dark. No lights at all but my computer screen. I love the distraction free atmosphere. I put on some music and let the muse out and we get down to business.
tosca
Posted at 06:10h, 19 MayLove it! I’m like you, except that I need light… and no music. 😀
Angie Murphy
Posted at 16:26h, 18 MayP.S. I LOVE your office! Angie Murphy
tosca
Posted at 06:13h, 19 MayThank you! It’s a great, quiet place, though it’s also the hottest room in the summer and the coldest in the winter. :/ Your offices sound warm and beautiful. Love the pictures and genealogy stuff (my mother is a lifelong genealogist, so you see a lot of that in my upcoming novel!
Angie Murphy
Posted at 16:26h, 18 MayTosca, I actually have 2 offices. One at home and one at work. The work office is at a large Baptist church where you will find normal equipment such as my computer, printer, calculator, inbox, etc. I am the finance secretary there. I have 2 tall filing cabinets and of course a coffee pot on a desk behind me. My desk is cherry wood (love that!) and my walls are painted a light mustard color. I am surrounded by pictures of my family and sentimental nick-knacks. My home office is what I call my study or library. There are windows circling the room. One side I have blocked off by numerous book cases filled with my favorite books.! I also have 2 tall filing cabinets filled with family history information and publications I once did for genealogy purposes. I am an avid jigsaw puzzler and have 2 tables set up with puzzles always going. Helps continue to keep my mind busy! lol. I have pictures of my family members throughout the office. My computer, printer, calculator and the normal office equipment are nearby. I do work from home for 2 other churches in addition to the one I work full time at. This is my favorite room and my hide-out! 🙂