Monday, May 31, 2010

Poolside writing

There's something soothing about writing poolside. The scent of sunscreen and chlorine hangs in the air, kids are laughing, everyone's having fun. This is the pool where I write during the summer:


It's the Ridge Top Swim and Tennis Club. Sounds a little more chi chi than it really is. I wrote more than 15 pages there since Sunday.

I'm usually not the kind of writer who needs a particular place or atmosphere to write in. Most days I grab my laptop and sit on my couch in my living room and knock out my five pages in between taking my daughter to her various activities. Or I sit in my office on my desktop (now that we've bought a new keyboard it's so much nicer because the keys aren't sticking) with the cat in my lap. Eloise isn't normally a lap cat, but anyone who works on the desktop usually doesn't have to wait too long until she's sitting right there with you, purring away.

I don't listen to music while I write, because I don't hear it. And it doesn't matter if my immediate area is clean or messy. I zone everything out and just write.

But that pool club has a certain magic for me. I wrote SHOT GIRL, THE MISSING INK, and about half of DRIVEN TO INK at the pool, sitting under the gazebo or lounging on one of the deck chairs. Since I'm almost done with INK FLAMINGOS, I won't be writing too much of it there, but it's nice to be able to wrap it up in my favorite place.

If you're a writer, do you have or need a special place where the words just flow better? And if you're not a writer, is there a special summer place that inspires you?

3 comments:

David Terrenoire said...

Depends. Notes, outlines, sketching in scenes I can do anywhere. But the heavy lifting has to be in a quiet, non-public place where I can swear. That could be my home office or a hotel room, it doesn't matter. But if you ever see me in a Starbucks on my laptop like those other douches, I'm not writing. I'm most likely looking at porn.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...bed seems to work best for me! Of course, that's only because I still haven't finished setting up my office from when we moved (last June). I admire you for being able to write anywhere. I do best in dark, secluded, silent places. Not that I find those all that often...

John

Eleanor Kohlsaat said...

I write best alone at my desk without distractions, though I've honestly tried not to be so high-maintenance about it. I, too, always have at least one feline office assistant. They're the best! :)