30 September, 2007

Where Writers Write

Check out this fascinating series by the Guardian on writers’ rooms—each piece features a photograph of a writer’s writing space with a couple of paras by the writer on why they like their room the way it is. It gives us a brief moment of intimacy with the writer, and it can be quite something when a writer whose work you like says something like:

I have worked at this desk for the past 47 years.

That’s a huge part of his life that JG Ballard shares with us, as do all these writers, as they take us behind the books for just a moment.

And ah, I so agree with Graham Swift’s thoughts on untidiness:

I’m somewhere between neatness and total mess, with an increasing tendency towards enlightened disarray. I’ve come to the conclusion that the best system is just to shove things into piles and remember where they are. It’s surprisingly reliable and saves all the time and bother that goes with being more methodical.

My room is always in disarray, and now I can rationalize and call it enlightened.

And did you notice how red is such a dominant colour in so many of the rooms? Hmm.

(Link via email from Gaurav.)