A little over a year ago I repainted my office. I call the room my writing studio around home because office sounds far too stuffy and expectation-ridden. The room was a hideous mustard color when we moved in, and I painted it a light pink, going for a pink-and-brown theme. It was a stressful room that was never conducive to writing, only to increased anxiety. I needed a change, but as many things in my house, projects get started but take a long time to get completed.
I wrote about the color scheme for the room on Facebook, which I wanted to be light and relaxing but not too cold. I went with a light, warm blue, bought espresso-stained furniture, and my accent color is orange. I eventually realized my writing studio was painted to match the Chicago Manuel of Style, 16th Edition. So there’s that. Haha.
I have glass bulletin boards on my wall to jot down information I need to keep straight about my characters. This is what it looked like while I was working on Silver Scars. Now I have four characters on my boards, but I’ve used them sparingly. I don’t have a ton of space, so I’ve been hoarding the space I have rather than using it for its intended purpose.
Well, that has changed. While my closet doors have several quick reference writing guide stuck to them, I’ve had a very naked wall since before I painted. I used to have a bulletin board where I posted character inspiration and fun memories, but it was easily overwhelmed and filled quickly.
I finally hung two large bulletin boards on one wall and am considering putting my old one on another wall. For a visual organizer like me, this is a must have. I can now look up and see the birth order of Jude’s siblings, even though I haven’t written about any of them aside from sixteen year old Henry. I can glance at my Lay vs. Lie chart and not have to slow down when writing to hunt down the correct word. I can get inspired by art and settings and good times I’ve had with friends.
When my daughter walked in the studio yesterday, her reaction was, “Wow! It looks so professional in here.” Which was the whole purpose of creating a writing studio in the first place: this is my profession.
