Comfy Spot

I love this picture up at the Tattered Cover Bookstore (where it's at in Denver) blog of Agatha Christie and her typewriter. I like to imagine she's dreaming up great stories in that photograph, but she's probably just posing for the camera, dying to get it over with.

Still. There's something cool and magical about an author's writing spot, that place where they made stuff up. I'm sans comfy spot at the moment due to an impending move, evicted from my office, so no desk and chair. Right now, I'm sitting on the floor at my cheapo coffee table, with calendar, notes, pens and piles of research books strewn all over the floor. And I kind of like it that way.

It really doesn't matter whether you have a fancy library-ish office like Agatha Christie, or if you're writing on a notepad while taking the subway. The magic happens inside your head anyway.

Still a cool picture though, right?

Ink

My writer pals know: it takes a lot of work and patience to get to be a published writer. Tons of rejection, self-doubt--all while we look to that day when things finally come together.

Twitter pal Don Lafferty posted this link of literary tattoos the other day, which reminded me of my idea of celebrating my Book Deal Someday. I was going to get a tattoo. The Dixie Chicks did it for each of their albums, and I thought that was cool. And I'm a cool chick that way, right?

Well, uhm. Yeah. As it turns out, I'm not really all that cool of a chick--I'm more of a chicken, honestly. I celebrated my book deal with beer and pizza, at home. And I liked it that way.

When you're waiting for that day when you can count yourself among the published, you think it'll be all different once you're there. But it really isn't. I'm still working, just like before, writing, plotting, and wondering if it's any good. And I'm still not all that adventurous. Still not cool enough for a tattoo. I leave the adventure to my guy Lincoln Baker, while I sit in my office, cat on lap, snack at the ready.

I'll save that tattoo for when I sell a million books or something. I'm sure I'll be much cooler by then...