SHOW & SHARE--Workspaces--Anne E. Johnson

Anne E. Johnson

Where the Magic Happens

by Anne E. Johnson

I can’t really call this my writing space. Almost all my first drafts are born of pen meeting paper in the corner of a coffee shop, on a subway seat, or on my living room couch. This picture shows my revising and editing station. However, as any writer knows, that’s the stage when the magic in a book is uncovered and allowed to flourish.

Yes, yes, it’s a mess. Insert famous quote here (attributed to Einstein) about the importance of clutter to the development of genius. But in this junkyard are buried countless comforting items and features that keep me seated and working for hours at a time. 

Inside info? Why sure! Here are two elements of my workspace philosophy:

The “desk” itself is not a desk. My ancient laptop sits on a sewing machine table from the 1940s that my great grandma used for its original purpose when I was a little kid. It’s beat up and even squeaks a little, but I love it. 

Perpendicular to that, forming what’s called an “ell-shaped desk” among hifalutin types, is a truckload of notes and manuscript pages (and a box of Kleenex for when a sad scene makes me cry) dumped onto an aluminum TV-dinner table. 

For an extra chuckle: the long cardboard box you see behind the computer contains a “real” desk that simply needs assembly. That box has been sitting there for years because I won’t give up my sewing table.

I need company, protection, inspiration, humor, and comfort while I’m working. Therefore I keep myself surrounded by a bevy of friends: 

For company and support, there’s a picture of my husband. 

For protection against the lethal brain drain of negative thoughts, there’s a poster and action figure of The Wolverine. 

For inspiration when the idea factory threatens a strike, there’s an ever-changing gallery of creative people I admire. At the moment I’m watched over by playwright Terrence McNally, painter Keith Haring, and dancer/director Tommy Tune. Of course, I’m inspired by books, too, but we own over a thousand; only a tiny percentage of them are stored near my work station.

For humor, there’s a giant plush pineapple, a clock shaped like a chicken, and two friendly monsters named Nerdyworm and Plum, painted by a company called Kudu-La.

For comfort, especially in the winter when the office gets very cold, I keep a pair of fluffy pink slippers in front of my chair.

Visit Anne's website to discover all the magic she creates!

Twitter-- @AnneEJohnson
Facebook-- https://www.facebook.com/anne.e.johnson.9
Blog-- http://anneejohnson.blogspot.com/

Another Transformation

One of my biggest obstacles is being unorganized. The total chaos in my writing room hinders my production, and it's downright depressing. I'm on the verge of being featured on that show about hoarders.

Previously, my work area consisted of a computer desk and a regular desk. Since I didn't have the forethought to take pictures of 'before' the transformation, please bear with me.

The computer desk kinda-sorta looked like this:

And the other desk kinda-sorta looked like this:

Yeah. The effect wasn't pretty. They sat side by side against one of the walls. It seems like a whole lot of space, but I still had no room on the desktop to work. Crazy, huh? AND I had nowhere to put all of my books. I have a whole lot of books. 

I came up with the idea of a long worktable with two bookcases at each end. I recruited my hubby for the task. 

I should have taken photos of the room before I emptied out both desks, but it happened so fast, I didn't have time to think. The desks were removed from the room, all of my stuff (office supplies, reference books, magazines, and desktop doo-dads) was piled on the floor and the remaining furniture, and before I knew it, the worktable was built and installed!

(Sorry about the sun glare) This is my writing room from the doorway.

The octagon is a stained glass window. The worktable is built along that wall.

The futon, piled with an assortment of 'stuff' and the closet. The closet is another story for another day. We won't get into that right now. Besides, I can't reach the darn thing.

My bulletin board, TV, and sewing machine table (also piled with 'stuff')

The table is ten feet long by thirty inches wide--more than enough space. (I hope) I DO have a tendency to want to fill empty space...

The 'L' shape on the right hand side is the perfect space for my printer. 

Considering my husband is an automotive mechanic by trade, I think he did a really nice job. Don't you?

After spending the day in the room, banging into things and knocking 'stuff' over, my husband made numerous comments about all the 'stuff' I have. While I sputtered and explained, I took a good look around. I DO have a lot of stuff!

Visions of the A & E television crew knocking on my door has convinced me that I need to get rid of some things. At the very least, I need to hide it better. 

I'll keep you updated...