Tayari's Blog: A Room of My Own or Just One I Can Borrow

Posted by TayariJones on July 28, 2007 07:51 AM
Filed under The Writing Life

I don't know when I became such a whiner and a diva. I wrote my first novel, Leaving Atlanta, in two places-- on a wobbly picnic table crammed onto my tiny porch overlooking a parking lot and in a corner of a walk-in closet. Despite my humble beginnings, I am now looking for a ideal spot to do my work.

(I should say that I am only an entry-level diva. Maya Angelou , a more practiced diva, writes in a 5-star hotel. She takes all the paintings off the wall, and orders up a bottle of sherry, while her driver waits outside. I am thinking more of a clean space. 4 walls. Maybe access to a coffee machine. No phone or email. Perhaps a water dispenser and flowers once a week?)

Here are the options:

  • My very own apartment. After all, I am paying a grip to live up in here; modest though the accommodations may be, I might as well use every inch of it. I do have an extra room, but it's not open and inviting like my studio at MacDowell. Also, my neighbors can be sorta, well, LOUD.

  • The public library. It's within walking distance. I am a writer, not a sculptor, so it's not like I have to drag a lot of equipment around with me. The downside is that the library is not always open and I can't leave anything there for another time. But the upside is lots of reference materials.

  • Random coffee shops. There are many in this area. But is it right just to sit and sit and sit? I am not going to drink fifty cups of coffee to earn my keep. Also, people come in and are loud sometimes. AND, I am a bit of a chatterbox. I can distract myself talking to strangers.

    The last options are rented writing spaces. There are two in NY that I know of.

  • The most famous is The Writers Room
    For more than twenty-five years, The Writers Room has offered writers a tranquil, creative setting to pursue their work. A non-profit organization, the Room offers subsidized workspace that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. As testament to the productivity of the place, in 2005 there were more than four dozen fiction and non-fiction publications and several films optioned and plays by writers put into production.

  • Maud has just posted about The Mercantile Library's "Writers' Studio"
    The Merc offers each writer a private desk, a personal locker, an up-to-date reference library, comfortable chairs, electrical outlets for portable and laptop computers, wireless access to the internet, and a refreshment lounge located on the premises.

    All writers in residence at the Merc also receive a complimentary Library membership. A Merc Membership gives access to one of the best fiction and mystery collections in the country, all our mainstream and literary periodicals, use of the Reading Room, and advance notice and free or reduced price admission to all of our terrific programming.

    As you can imagine these things cost money. The Merc will run between $100-130 a month and The Writers Room is about $120-150 a month.

    Whatever I decide, I need to do it soon. I don't want to lose the momentum I gained at MacDowell!

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    There are 3 comments on "A Room of My Own or Just One I Can Borrow". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

    Comment #1, by carleen [TypeKey Profile Page]

    Try your kitchen or dining table. I have a home office, but it's small and cluttered and my kitchen is less small and less cluttered. Put on a pot of coffee (or not), put some flowers on the table, light a candle, or use a lamp--good lighting helps--and stay as long as you like. For your neighbors, get some of those noise-reduction headphones.

    July 29, 2007 01:17 PM

    Comment #2, by Martha Southgate [TypeKey Profile Page]

    I've been a member of the Writer's Room for more than 10 years and have written three novels there. I'm pretty sentimental about the place, though it's imperfect (smallish desks, not much of a library anymore since our wonderful volunteer librarian Al Lane died). Even with these caveats, I'd recommend it highly.

    You could also check out Paragraph, the new kid in town, which I hear is nice. I haven't been over there though. And there's the Brooklyn Writers Space, but I imagine, living in Jersey, that coming over to Brooklyn doesn't appeal. Good luck in your search.

    July 30, 2007 08:18 AM

    Comment #3, by Niche [TypeKey Profile Page]

    Paragraph is another writing room. I was a member for a while and I really liked it. It's on 14th street.

    July 30, 2007 11:55 AM

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