I’ve long admired the writing of Tall Poppy Kimberly Brock and was very excited when she agreed to give us a peak inside. — Orly
I keep a snug little writing space. I think that’s on purpose. I like things simple. For many years, I didn’t have a space or a desk of my own. Two years ago, I cried in the store when we picked this one out and suddenly realized it was important to me in a way I’d never considered before. I was careful in my selection not just of the desk, but also the chair – I have a crush on this chair. I keep a collection of found objects that inspire me – shells, bones, feathers, driftwood, stones – on one corner of the desk. On the wall above, I keep a corkboard full of notes and photos and bits of inspiration for the stories I’m working on. Alongside that, I framed a note from a fellow creative that reminds me I have a purpose in my work. Stacked along the wall, are my favorite books, so I can sometimes pick one up and read a few lines when I need a fresh perspective or inspiration or a familiar friend. And I chose to be near a window for the light.
And now that I have my desk and my space, guess what? I rarely write there.
Truthfully, I write just about everywhere. I write at the kitchen counter while my kids watch cartoons and do homework and wipe Cheeto dust on one another. I write (some of my best, actually) in parking lots in my car. I write in my bed. I write on my back porch. I write in hotel rooms. I write at the beach. And sometimes, I really do write at this desk. But it’s sort of my finishing up spot – not my dreaming spot.
I use the desk to keep all the other writing time from spinning out into space. It’s an anchor. When I’m at the desk, it’s a little quieter. I’m organizing and outlining and editing. I love my desk for that reason, because it means I’m coming back from the reaches of my imagination – which can be a wild and disorganized place – to the simple space I created that helps me stay grounded. But it’s not really my writing space – that’s some place that’s inside me.
Kimberly Brock is the award winning author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, THE RIVER WITCH (Bell Bridge Books, 2012), for which she received the Georgia Author of the Year 2013 Award.
Read more about Kimberly on her bio page.
