I often get asked about where I write from and what my office looks like so I thought I'd show you.
I don't have an office but I do have a corner in my bedroom that serves this purpose. As you can see from the photo it's pretty tidy and organised. There's a good reason for that. I hardly ever use it. With two young kids to look after I find it more practical to use my laptop.
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| Me at my desk |
So now I've shown you what my desk area looks like, let me show you where most of the work actually gets done. My kitchen table....
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| Where the action takes place |
When not being used as a kitchen table it doubles up as my work station. I can easily keep an eye on the kids playing from there meaning I get to grab more time to get little jobs done. It also gives me more space to lay my work out. When I'm working on illustrating a children's picture book for example it can be useful to have the sketches in front of me as I do the digital drafts. Also handy when working on big projects like organising Promo Day as I have more room for the folders and planners.
Sometimes I take my laptop out on my balcony to work in the sunshine and occasionally I'll take my tablet out and about and work from a coffee shop or park.
What's your work area like? Do you have an office (or corner) or do you prefer to be more mobile?
Being a writer is awesome! I really mean that too. I love my job. From the creative side of things to the marketing side, I love it all. Here's just a few of the reasons why, for me, being a writer is awesome:
- I can work from anywhere. As long as I have my laptop or even just some paper and a pen then that's enough to get the job done. My house, coffee shops, the beach... anywhere I want.
- I get to be with my kids. This, for me, is a one of the most important reasons why I love my job. I get to be a full time mum and work. I can involve my kids in my work too. As a children's author and illustrator it's great to be able to test story ideas and draw pictures together. They are an excellent resource! ;)
- I can work in my PJs. I know it's a bit stereotypical but I DO often work in my PJs. I have no dress code to follow and therefore can wear what I want. If I don't feel like getting dressed no one is going to care. I can wear comfy slippers on my feet, a track suit, jeans and a top... no need to look smart or wear a uniform.
- I can choose what I work on. I can write non-fiction or escape into fantasy worlds. The choice is all mine. For freelance work I can select what kind of articles I want to write too. Creative freedom, Bliss! :)
- I get to have fun with marketing. Being a writer gives me a valid excuse to be on social media sites so often. It's part of the job to market my books and build my author brand and social media is the perfect place to do it.
- I pick my own hours. I can give myself time off when I want or need a break. Time out for tea and cake... don't mind it I do.
These are just a few of the reasons why I love being a writer. What do you like about your job? Are you a writer too? What perks are on your list?
Today I'm taking part in a blog hop. The theme for posts is "Life as a Writer".
My life as writer started when I was little. I was always making up stories and absolutely loved all the creative subjects at school. I remember when I was about 8 or 9 years old being given homework to make a book about an endangered animal. Mine was a non-fiction about panda's (one of my favourite animals). The whole book was in the shape of a panda head and the cover art was his face.
I also remember another similar project where we had to write a picture story book. Mine was about my pet rabbit "Bumper". In the story she ended up having an adventure in the washing machine.
I enjoyed these projects so much I started doing my own just for fun. My very first picture story books and the start of a life long love affair...
Having been told when I was younger that I'd "never make a living doing that kind of stuff" I had various different jobs over the years including a bit of everything from working in clothes shops and restaurants to credit control. I was even a tour guide for the Colosseum at one point.
In 2006 my life changed. I sent off my first article to a newspaper and got accepted. They printed it in the very next issue. This was when I realised I COULD do this job. It was also when I realised I had been doing it for a while anyway... you see I had already worked for a company that published books for the dental industry and gained hands on experience about formatting, proofs and the general publishing process. At the time I was working for the Department of Neurology at the main hospital here in Rome and a large part of my job was to help write research articles. I already had quite a bit of experience.
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| Rocking the #1 spot on the best sellers list |
Having tried various genres over the years and published a couple of non-fiction books I moved my focus to children's picture books after my second son was born in 2011. It seemed so natural. I was always making up stories for my kids anyway and we often had drawing sessions together. The final nudge was when my eldest son (at the time 4 years old) as me why I hadn't written a book for him yet. I figured he had a good point and so created Out and About at the Zoo. The book proved to be a huge success and made it onto several best seller lists and received some fantastic reviews. This has motivated me to continue in this market and my new rhyming children's picture story book Fairy May will be officially released on 1st February 2013.
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| Fairy May will be officially released on 1st Feb 2013 |
I can now confidently say I'm a writer and I love my work. Whether I'm writing freelance articles for clients, blogging or working on a non-fiction or children's picture book I'm happy. Not everyone can say they love their job as much as I can and for that I feel truly blessed.
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