After writing my first three novels at our kitchen table and the next few books from a corner of the living room in the small duplex where we raised our four children, I was thrilled to get my first dedicated office when the kids started leaving for college and we bought our first home. I’ve now had three delightful offices in which to write, and each one holds special memories for the books I wrote there.
My current office in our home in Missouri features a daybed where I often nap…er, recline on a mountain of pillows to work on my novel-in-progress. This room also gives us an extra guest room when all the kids are home for a visit. Our oldest son slept there this Christmas and it was wonderful having him and the other kids there. But it was good to get my office back too, especially since I’m on deadline most of the winter with two different projects.
If the weather allows, I much prefer writing on the screened porch overlooking our beautiful wooded backyard. A little piece of heaven on earth! And thankfully, the weather seems to cooperate more often in Missouri than it did in Kansas. We were even able to sit out here several days in December when the kids were home!
After the kitchen table, this was my first “office”—a table in the corner of our living room (and you’ll see that farmhouse table served as my desk for many years to come until it made its way to the screened porch in our current house. That table is cracked, scarred, burned by an unattended candle, but it has such great memories for me. I’m glad we found a place for it here!)
I was surprised to note how many items from this photo are still in my current office!
My first dedicated office when we lived in the tiny town of Moundridge, Kansas, started out looking like this composite photo:
By the time we moved eight years later, the wallpaper had come down and the office had “grown up” into this:
I had the prettiest outdoor writing space at that house, thanks to the gorgeous native prairie garden Ken planted there. It was ever-changing through the seasons and offered so much inspiration. Alas, the deck wasn’t covered and was often too hot or cold or windy or wet.
This was the light-filled office in our house in Wichita, Kansas. My dream office. I loved this colorful space and wrote many a book there, including my five-book Chicory Inn Novels series.
This was my outdoor writing space at the Wichita house:
For me, where I write has such an influence on my concentration and creativity. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to carve out some wonderful spaces—both inside and out—from which to tell my stories.
What is your creative outlet? Do you have a special room or space where you like to create?
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I finally have my own “office.” My first four manuscripts were written at my kitchen table. I have since taken over my youngest son’s room since he is getting married in March. I also enjoy writing outside when the weather permits. I didn’t realize how wonderful it would be to have all my writing resources in one place. I was so used to getting up from the table and walking to the other end of the house to find a reference book when I wanted to investigate something. Your offices are much prettier than mine, but in time I have some lovely hand-painted signs my daughter made to put up on the walls. I also have an old futon my dog uses while waiting for me to get done writing.
Love this, Rebecca! And how neat that your daughter made signs for your office. So special to be surrounded by things that make you think of those you love!
I also wrote my first several books in the middle of the family room in the middle of family life. Memories! Thanks for stirring mine up today, Deb.
It was fun to have mine stirred as I wrote this too. Love that we have that in common, Lynn.
Love the evolving office plans! I currently write at our RV table, as we are living in this for a bit. I prefer more space, but alas…kitchen it is. I enjoy going to other places to write, and I really enjoyed a writing retreat at a cabin. Where I ended up writing at…the kitchen table! Happy writing!
Haha! I love that full-circle kitchen table writing desk story. 🙂 And, like you, I’m doing some writing at the RV table too. Bottom line, I like the variety of writing different places at different times.
All so, SO beautiful and inviting, Deb! How multi-talented you are.
Awww, thanks so much, Julie!
Thanks for sharing your life with us: Moving, kids growing & leaving, evolving offices. I find it fascinating. I’m so glad you share your talent (writing) with us. Please, be comfortable, creative and continue writing what’s on your heart.
That felt like a blessing, Donna! Thank you so much!
Your current screened porch is my dream writing space! I love to write with a view, lots of light, nature sounds, etc.
If you ever come and visit me, I promise I’ll let you write out there as LONG as you like! 🙂 It’s my dream too! Thanks, Becky.
I love seeing all of your writing spaces and decorative ideas. Just beautiful! Keep on writing!
Thanks so much, Betty. That’s the plan…for as long as God continues to give me story ideas and the creativity to write them!
I’ve loved all your offices. Sweet, cozy befitting your personality. Funny the timing of your post. We are in a purge phase. We thankfully remodeled our basement in 19’ to update and because it has housed many guest in our 19 years it is set up for potential guests, Small Group night and hubby’s new office space as a retiree.
I’ve had a designated office for several years but always becomes the “catch all” when we need somewhere to cram things. So today I’m cleaning out the office closet. I have Estate papers from two relatives along with years of tax filings. And mounds of papers from my study of “writing”.
Now, I hope hubby is up for some high ceiling painting. I’m ready to ditch burgundy walls for a ‘beachy’ color.
OOooh! A beachy color for walls sounds perfect for a writing room! I love it!
I got my first dedicated office space after my daughter was married a year ago. It’s so wonderful! I tease that the biggest mistake I made was putting a sleeper sofa in the room. At some point I’ll look up from my screen and my family will be sitting on the sofa. LOL I always know it’s time to take a break and include my people in my day (or cook dinner!). I haven’t ventured outside to write…never thought about it! But I’m thinking about it now. 🙂 I always love seeing photos of your home sweet homes!
That’s so funny, Karen! I definitely would look up to see Ken or one of the kids sitting in my chair, but so far in our Missouri house, I’M the only one who’s tempted by the daybed! I’d be lying on it right now, if it wasn’t covered with pages of my WIP. (P.S. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday!)
While I’d love to have a real office someday, that’ll probably have to wait a few years. My “preferred” writing space is the kitchen table (I can see the lake behind our house from the patio window), but lately I’ve discovered that my cat prefers for me to write in a living room recliner, covered with a fuzzy white blanket, because then she can hop up in my lap, snuggle up to the warmth of my computer, and go to sleep. She is pretty persistent (and insistent), so recliner it is!
Cats are the BEST writing partners! You make me eager to get one! (But we just travel too much to have a cat right now. 🙁 )
I love your new office space – it’s warm and comfy looking and a place to nap is always a good thing! I have my own studio space now after many years as an apartment dweller. When I inherited my parents home the basement got gutted and now I have a wonderful master suite, studio and storage for craft and art supplies. And of course, if I don’t want to tidy up no one will ever know because it’s downstairs. Thanks for sharing all your “historical” photos!
Your master suite sound like a perfect studio, Lynne!
Those are some beautiful creative spaces. That screened porch is especially fantastic. We have a screened porch with a good view too. From the quilts I see in your pictures, I’m guessing you or someone close to you is a quilter. I like to quilt so my quilting room is my creative space.
Just now seeing this, Sherri, but yes, my mom was a quilter. She made the one on the daybed in my office and many others, but I got my love of quilts from her and my grandmothers.