Thursday, July 15, 2010

Corner of One's Own

So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.  - Virginia Woolf

And such is the mission of the blogger.  The evanescent thoughts that flit through a scattered brain - the half-ideas that seem to be the tip of the iceberg of Something Good:  these are the domain of the online writer.  The writer of things that may last just a few hours - but a writer nonetheless.

In Virginia Woolf's mind, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."  The blogger might not create fiction, might be writing the ideas that skate somewhere between truth and fiction, and as such she might be obliged to make do with a (just a little bit of) money and a corner of her own. 

Here's my corner:


What do you find in a Corner of One's Own?

:: my Mac (much loved but as-yet-mysterious) ::
:: blankets, warm with memories and woolly smelling ::
:: an ancient apple-picking ladder from a once-upon-a-time farm ::
:: my well worn mini-Moleskine notebook (1 of 3 on the go) ::
:: iPod shuffle ::
:: pretty folders. because who can pay bills out of ugly ones? ::
:: a favorite painting by Jeremy Satterlund - a friend & incredible artist ::
:: a banged up old table repurposed for My Corner ::


:: my wedding picture, and my grandmother's.  Two very different weddings, two very similar women ::
:: my collection of pens - black ink preferable, rollerball required ::

I choose to ignore the stack of papers to sort on the *other* side of the desk.  I'll ignore the laundry piled in stacks on the table behind me.  I'll ignore the morass of electrical cords snaking out from under the desk.   I'll celebrate the small spots of happy in my corner, and I'll write.  Today, I'll write.

*******

Speaking of writing - maybe even [gasp!] fiction - why don't you head on over to check out The Red Dress Club?  It's a new site for writers looking to take chances, regardless of the state of their Room.  (Or Corner.)

9 comments:

Cheryl said...

My "corner" is my Mac desktop, which is on the breakfast counter and surrounded by so much clutter - and one betta fish - it's a miracle I can even find the keyboard!

Cheryl said...

Oh! And thanks for the shout-out for TRDC!!

Lori-=Anne said...

Your corner is inspiring - no wonder your posts are so good! Mine? Oh. Well... I can't actually see the surface, and have moved my laptop over to the kitchen table because balancing it on the pile would just be foolhardy. Virginia Woolf would tsk tsk me for sure.

kirsten said...

You guys are funny - you don't think I totally shoveled off the desk before I snapped photos??? And there is a REASON that the left hand side isn't in the shot. Like, a foot-high piled up reason.

Missy said...

I want a corner like yours! I know you *say* you cleaned up for the picture, but even messy your corner would be better than mine. No matter how clean I keep things, a corner of the kitchen counter, surrounded by kids, is just not, uh, peaceful.

Great piece!

agschneider said...

Of course Virginia was talking as much about psychological/emotional space as she was physical space. Your painting and picture and other artifacts testify to your claiming both in your corner. Your grandma Bobby shared with me an enthusiasm for Piet Hein, a Dane who wrote little aphoristic poems called Grooks (in Danish, Gruks). All the talk here about the chaos in our respective corners (I have managed to mess up more than one myself) puts me in mind of his Grook titled, "Oh Bother"

What with one thing
and another
people bother.

With a third thing
and a fourth it
isn't worth it.

Half or more of the fun of Grooks, though, is the line drawings he did for each one. I'll see if I can scan the one for this Grook and email you the file.

katdish said...

My corner is actually an entire room. On one side I keep all my painting & craft supplies. My writing corner has a wall of bookshelves, a red couch, my computer and the presence of my dog, Buddy Love.

It used to be the kids play room, but since they're older, I claimed it for myself.

hezro said...

Very nice! I have a big ole desk which I totally <3...but it gives me all the more space for a huge pile of stuff to sort through! *sigh*

Keda said...

it's true. We all need a corner. I have a room, but like yours, there are always little things that need to be ignored. And I wonder what will happen once my daughter starts discovering the 'rest of the house'. But when you are a writer at heart, you write because you must and a spot to call your own can make the rest of the world fade just enough for you to get the words down on screen/paper.

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