My inquisitive mind loves a glimpse into the writing world of other authors. Today, my good friend, Morton S Gray, shares her writing space, over to you Morton…
Thank you for inviting me to your blog to talk about my writing space, Carol. I actually found myself laughing when I thought about writing about this subject, as I can write anywhere and ironically often find it easier to write away from my dedicated writing space at home.
To give you a few examples, I have written on the park and ride bus into town, on trains, in cars (not whilst driving I hasten to add) and on airplanes. I wrote most of my earlier novels in local coffee shops. I’ve written my way through my son’s swimming and piano lessons, in airport lounges, in doctor’s and dentist’s waiting rooms and even one time when I was waiting to be taken down to the operating theatre for an operation, as I thought my feelings and fears might be useful for one of my characters at some point.
The advantage of writing when you are out and about is that you hear and see things that can act as a stimulus to the writing. I’m a terrible eavesdropper in cafes, especially if I’m searching for a new character name – just a fragment of overheard conversation can often supply the solution – e.g. ‘Our Owen is a right tearaway.’
These days and particularly during the covid era, I write mainly in my study at home and feel really very lucky to have one. It was a must for the purchase of our current house that there was separate study space for both my husband and I. He works upstairs and I work downstairs, often communicating by text message.
Indeed, during the Covid lockdown, I was in my study, hubbie was in his, teenage son was doing online lessons in his bedroom and my son and his fiancée, who had moved in temporarily (they were with us ten months in the end) were homeworking either side of the dining room table. Thank heavens for good internet I say!
My study is full of books and files and I’ve covered the walls with pictures that inspire me. I have cuddly toys, family trees and loads of pens and crystals around me. I’m forever buying birthday cards and then can’t part with them and they end up on my wall!
If you actually looked closely at my bookshelves you would be forgiven for thinking that I’m a historical fiction writer – maybe one day – as most of my books are about history particularly the English Civil War which fascinates me.
I find the main problem with working at home is that there are too many distractions, washing that needs to be done, the dog to be walked, meals to be cooked and the garden is calling me. It’s amazing I’ve ever finished one novel let alone the six published by Choc Lit so far.
I love the look of your office, Morton. Though I also like to avoid distractions and write outside my home.
Books by Morton S Gray:
The Girl on the Beach | The Truth Lies Buried | Christmas at Borteen Bay | Sunny Days at the Beach | Christmas at the Little Beach Café | Summer at Lucerne Lodge. You can find details of her books on her Choc Lit Publishing author page here or her Amazon author page here.
About the author:
Morton lives with her husband and Lily, the tiny white dog, in Worcestershire, U.K. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors.
Her debut novel ‘The Girl on the Beach ’was ePublished in January 2017, after she won The Choc Lit Publishing Search for a Starcompetition. She has now published six books in The Borteen Secrets Series.
She enjoys crafts, history and loves tracing family trees. Having a hunger for learning new things is a bonus for the research behind her books.
You can find out more about Morton and her work via: website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Apricot Plots
