Where Do I Write?

Guest Blogger: Bekka Black

Thanks, Janice, for giving me a place to talk about writing on the week that my latest novel, iDrakula, is released from the coffin and into the world. Coffins would be a tough place to write. No light.

When I write, I do need light. And some peace. But not too much. I grew up with four siblings and it seems like even now we constantly have house guests or extras around. So, I like to write anywhere that no one is poking me, talking to me, waving their arms, sitting on my hands while I type (you know how you are), talking loudly on the phone, asking for food, handing me papers to sign, standing around with bandaids or pressing medical issues, or just in general expecting me to interact with them. This means I usually need to leave the house.

The good news: I can write any place I’m not being actively bothered. I’ve written outside at my blue desk staring at the ocean, at cafes, in airplanes, in airports, on friends’ couches, at the beach, in the closet, in a snow cave (that one’s hard to do for very long), on the subway, and in the bathroom at night (hotel room with roommates). I started iDrakula on a plane and wrote most of it in my bedroom with headphones on and my husband pushing flat food under the door for me to eat.iDracula

Right now I mostly write at Starbucks. I put on my headphones, sip my chai, and drink up the air conditioning. I like to write where it’s chilly enough to need a light jacket or a long-sleeved shirt. In Hawaii, that’s not easy. I like to write in the corner with my back against the wall so no vampires can sneak up on me. I like to go out into the bright, warm sunshine when I’m finished so that I can remember that, as real as it seemed while I was writing it, I actually made it all up and the real world is much warmer and fuzzier and gentler (yes, I know that’s not really true, but it’s what I like to think, so don’t burst my bubble).

My favorite place to write: from deep inside my head, from that place where you can’t hear any noises no matter how loud they are, where you don’t notice people walking by, where you don’t even realize that time is passing. As long as no one pokes me, I can get there almost any where. On good days.

How about you? How do you get to the magic place?

About Bekka Black: After a childhood often spent without electricy and running water, Bekka escaped the beautiful wilderness of Talkeetna, Alaska for indoor plumbing and 24/7 electricity in Berlin, Germany. Used to the cushy lifestyle, she discovered the Internet in college and has been wasting time on it ever since (when not frittering away her time on her iPhone). Somehow, she manages to write novels, including the award-winning Hannah Vogel mystery series set, in all places, 1930s Berlin. The series has received numerous starred reviews and the first book, A Trace of Smoke, was chosen as a Writer’s Digest Notable debut.She lives in Hawaii with her husband, son, two cats, and too many geckoes to count. iDrakulais her first cell phone novel.

5 Comments:

  1. Pingback: Tweets that mention Where Do I Write? -- Topsy.com

  2. I write in the early morning hours after the kid and the man head off and before I leave for work. Then the house is quiet and all my own space. I get great ideas in the tub, TMI I apologize, but it’s true.

    Congrats on iDracula. Best wishes on its success. Love the cover!

  3. Hey Janice,

    I guess I didn’t miss the interview. I was thinking like Blog Radio podcasting and all. Great article above though. Enjoyed!!

  4. I write in the car.
    I write in the kitchen.
    I write in the bathroom.
    I write in front of the TV, at the dinner table, and in bed.
    I write in my office, cluttered as it is; the room of my own.

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