On The (Temporary) End of My Office

Now that it's out my wife and I are expecting Baby #2 in November, I can talk freely about how the expansion of our family means the impending closure of what is currently my office, as it will cease current operations as a shrine to all things Star Wars, my work, and an impressive collection of movies and books, and will become - once repainted and redecorated - our daughter Maddie's big girl bedroom. Most of what is cluttering up the inside of my office now (previously mentioned books, Blu-rays, and lightsabers) will be boxed temporarily (until we either move, or the nursery becomes the office/guest room in another two years).

And, really, I'm totally cool with it.

Many writers talk about having "their space" whether it's an office out of a spare room in their house, a desk shoved into the corner of a basement or attic or laundry room, or even just taking their laptop into the bathroom with them (gross). It's generally agreed upon by many writers that one so dedicated should manage to find an escape into that quiet, coveted corner in which to close the door and create.

To that I say: it really doesn't do much for me. I don't like to escape (and never think of it that way), and even when I do use the office for work, I never close the door anyway.

Quite honestly, as long as I can find the time in a day to write, I'm happy. I can create almost anywhere. As it is, I wrote much of the first draft of Mystery Garden (my novel out next year) during my lunch break at work - and I eat at my desk, so there are people and students in the room when I work. Once I get into the groove of the story, I can shut almost anything out. At home, I write during my daughter's naps over the weekend, and usually I'm on my laptop downstairs at the dining room table, not in some private closed off space away from my family. What I do works for me, and certainly I don't believe it makes me any less dedicated to the craft.

When we were moving into our house in June of 2014, my wife let me have choice over whichever room to become my office, so I can't say it doesn't effect me at all to lose what's been a place dedicated to all things me for the last three years - and I do have visions of what my "perfect office" would look like - but, more or less, the biggest inconvenience I feel is finding a place for some of the stuff to go. But find a place, or places, we will.

So, in about a month, all of the current furniture will come out of that room and I'll start painting. My wife and I will then decorate Maddie's bedroom, and then the munchkin will move in. All the while my writing will go on. And life, as well, will go on, very happily.