You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?
I will do this writing prompt as an exercise, but know that readers and writers don’t stop. There is no perfect place to read and write, because what makes someone good at either is being able to do it anywhere…. thus the reason I use a tablet and keyboard for everything rather than my desktop. I want to be able to get better whether I’m in my living room or in a restaurant… but I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos on construction, so here’s what I’d do if I bothered to stay in one place.
The perfect reading/writing space for me is a cabin, and I’d like to build it myself (with a group of friends if they’re into that kind of thing). I wouldn’t like it to be very large, but I do want it to be made of the best materials, like rock wool insulation (my house burned down when I was in sixth grade, and it’s almost fireproof). Depending on how long the build I could create and still have people show up, I’d like to do two stories, but a root cellar and a first floor, not a full two-story house.
Where me being a writer comes in is that my desk would probably end up in the root cellar, even if I built myself a whole ass office. I want the place that has the least amount of sensory input, which is why a root cellar would be preferable to an office on the main floor.
The fictional character that’s been with me so long we’re roommates is Carol, and because of our past conversations, she would like a word. Carol works for NSA, so basically her perfect office is mine. When I’ve written about her before (“A Christmas Carol”), I’ve talked about how her husband, Roger, is a contractor and asked Carol where she wanted to live. They built their house into the side of a mountain, so Carol’s office is in a basement….. but only technically. She’s got a basement office in the Blue Ridge range, therefore also equipped with a stunning view. It is not lost on her that whether she is bathed in light or shadow is dependent on where she’s standing, which she feels is an accurate metaphor for her work.
I do not know that I could afford a piece of land like Carol and Roger’s, but the idea is cool. But let’s just pretend that I only have grass and trees. A regular cabin is fine to start.
So, we’ve got the resources we need except the things we need to buy. Instead of buying the lumber, I go ahead and buy all the tools to process cutting down my own trees. Everyone within a 10 mile radius will come to me for milling the trees they’ve cut down in their own yards, so I’ll make it back, or I can just sell all the equipment when I’m finished…. but I doubt I would do that because eventually I would see outbuilding opportunities….. 😉
I also want a stone floor, but in this weather I’d like a heating system for it. So, we’ll put one of those underfloor doohickeys in that connects to the hot water and keeps it running so the stones don’t cool down. But in terms of “stone,” I think I actually want polished concrete. I’ve seen so much of it done that there’s a wide range on what it would look like completed.
But for now, we’ve got the materials for framing, insulation, and the floor. Let’s make sure to add some drywall and fancy hardware for the inevitable doors. I’m not sure what I would like in terms of hardware, and Carol shops online all day. She’ll handle it.
(Because that’s what they do at NSA, right? Sometimes I even eyeroll at myself.)
My office tends to be very plain. I would like a desk and chair that are both too comfortable to leave, and outside of that, I don’t have expensive tastes. I don’t even really have expensive tastes in furniture, I’ve just had a $50 “gaming chair” and an Aeron and I’m going to tell you there’s quite a bit of difference after having sat in each of them for years.
So, I’d want to get an Aeron from a used furniture dealer because they’ll last a hundred years. I don’t need new….. and a big ass desk, because an Aeron won’t fit under anything small. If the room is large enough, I’d like to have the Aeron ottoman and another small chair behind me so that I can use my ottoman when I’m not using my desk and I also have room for another person to sit (but that chair cannot be comfortable enough to invite people to stay long term….)
If I did not put my desk in the root cellar and made the whole first floor my office, I’d like a wood-burning stove. That way, I could make coffee quickly in addition to staying warm. 🙂
The only thing I would take time to do on paper that I won’t here is mark where all the outlets go. As a tech person, I have to have a lot of them….. but what I’ve noticed is that I don’t necessarily need a lot of power. I mostly just need a lot of places to charge small things.
It would be nice to have electricity, even to be on the grid. However, I know that realistically I could get by on a jackery and a cell phone connection if that’s what was available.
I just don’t know that I’d ever bring these plans to fruition, because it’s unlikely that I’d find land like this near the Metro. That’s okay, though. Maybe someday I’ll get lucky like Carol and my husband will be a contractor, too. I could even say that. “Are you a contractor? My fictional character is married to a contractor and I’m jealous of her, soooo…..” Because that would make me sound completely stable.
But here’s what I know to be true. In order for Carol to live in that house with Roger, I had to think of it first. So, is Roger really that important in the whole scheme of things?
Yes, you’re right. He does fix everything.
Hmmmmmmmm.
I obviously need more than one thinking chair, here.
Stories That Are All True 