Tuesday, October 4, 2016

I Do My Best Writing In The Dark


I'm a sensitive gal. Sensitive to light, that is. I don't do well in "properly lit" rooms for long stretches. Over bright and too white? I'm out of there. Lighting in my home is best described as "soft" or "moody." During the day, the shades are raised to dog-height. At night, it's bright enough to see the dog before I trip over him, but no so bright that one could see the cracks in my plaster ceilings.

All that is to say, I do my best writing in the dark (and often after dark, but that's a different post).

This is my den, where I do most of my writing. Yes, I sit with my back to the wall of windows with the black-out curtains drawn in the center to eliminate glare on my screen. The side windows filter the harsh morning sunlight to a tolerable level. The lamp on my side table has a 25-watt amber bulb for a gentle glow during the night sessions.

Yes, my writing chair is a twenty-year-old futon. When the dog was younger, he used to sit beside me. Now he only does it when it storms. (That's his pillow at the end there.)

What's my view from the futon? Motivations: my bookcases (aspirations), my Master's degree (determination), and a painting from the 1890s done by my great-grandmother (legacy). It's an unchanging view because I'm easily distracted. It's an unchanging view because my goals haven't changed.

5 comments:

  1. heh - very interesting. kind of my polar opposite!

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    1. LOL, in pretty much every aspect from your uncovered windows and desert vistas to the treadmill desk.

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  2. I'm not sure my eyes could handle the computer screen in the dark for any length of time, but my brain likes the allure of the moody, secretive writing den. (:

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    1. LOL! The 'Dimmer' app is my best friend. Darkens the screen past the system norms.

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