Let's Talk Books (Rooms of Their Own) by Brenda Leyland

 

 

TITLE: Rooms of Their Own, Where Great Writers Write
AUTHOR: Alex Johnson
ILLUSTRATOR: James Oses
PUBLISHER: Frances Lincoln, London (UK), 2022
HARDCOVER: 192 pages, $29.99CAN Amazon.ca
KINDLE: $17.32CAN Amazon.ca
SUBJECT: author biography, creativity, work spaces

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"Any spot is good for daydreaming so long as

it is in an obscure corner and the horizon is vast."

Victor Hugo

I was immediately drawn to that enchanting illustration on the front cover of Rooms of Their Own, Where Great Writers Write. I wanted to be there—sitting at that desk with its familiar old typewriter in front of that lovely window.* With the click of a button, the book was added to my shopping cart.

In his collection of fifty well-known authors, Alex Johnson focuses on the writing spaces where these famous people worked. He researched details that pique our curiosity of the writers behind the books, transporting us 'to the heart of their writing rooms'. Bios at the backs of novels are usually so brief, there is no way to get a feel of the person who wrote them. Alex Johnson, with well chosen particulars, fills in the blanks for us.

I love these kinds of books. They give me a sense of connection to the individuals who wrote the works that inspire me. I love to envision what they place around themselves, what items spur them on, what they do to keep creativity flowing. Sometimes I'm inspired to try something in my own writing space. Maybe like doing what Michel de Montaigne did: writing his motivational quotes directly on the walls, well, he actually had his quotes on the ceiling above his head.

Margaret Atwood writes her novels wherever she happens to be - in a plane, at a café, lying on her bed. Maya Angelou often booked into a quiet hotel to write. D.H. Lawrence considered the outdoors amongst the trees his writing room. And E.B. White spun out his tales from his writing shed on Allen Cove, Maine, sharing his sea-facing spartan room with a mouse and a squirrel. So many others I wish I had time to tell you about, include authors like: Isabel Allende, W.H. Auden, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Hilary Mantel, Dylan Thomas, William Wordsworth, to name a few.

The engaging essays in this book are paired with some wonderful sketches done by illustrator James Oses. With his pencils and paints he gives us charming glimpses of the rooms and spaces where the authors worked. Below is one picture that caught my eye; I actually got to visit this writing room several years ago.  

 

 Vita Sackville-West's writing room 

My husband and I, during our trip to England, visited Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens where well known gardener and author Vita Sackville-West once lived. Her gardens were breathtaking, but the place that most intrigued me was her writing room in the tower overlooking the gardens. She'd climb the narrow stairwell to this room where she created a wonderful place in which to write her novels and garden books. Something about standing in that space made me feel alive, a little in awe, certainly inspired—as I saw her books on the shelf, her chosen pictures on the wall, and how her things were arranged for her comfort and use.

If I had a bucket list, it would include visits to other famous or not so famous work studios of creators I admire, people like Charlotte Brontë, Emily Dickinson, Beatrix Potter, and Mark Twain. And, yes, their writing rooms are included in this collection. In the meantime, I am savouring this book. And I happily recommend Rooms of Their Own to you. 

Alex Johnson, author of several other books, is also a journalist and blogger. He is married with three children and lives in Herfordshire, UK. You can read more about him HERE.

James Oses is a London based illustrator 'specialising in drawing and painting from life'. You can learn more about him HERE.

*Note: The illustration on the front cover (top) is Sylvia Plath's writing room at Court Green in North Tawton, Devon.

Inspired by the beauty of God's world around her, Brenda Leyland writes from her home in northerly Alberta, Canada. She loves writing on her blog It's A Beautiful Life and occasionally posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Daily Rituals (Mason Currey), Book Talk by Brenda Leyland

 

TITLE: Daily Rituals, How Artists Work

EDITOR/AUTHOR: Mason Currey

PUBLISHER: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013

HARDCOVER: 278 pages, $34.60CAN on Amazon.ca

KINDLE: $15.99CAN on Amazon.ca

SUBJECT: rituals and routines, writing, art creativity, historical essays

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"A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove

for one's mental energy and helps

stave off the tyranny of moods."

Mason Currey

Today we wrap up September and our writing prompt on daily creative rituals. How fitting then to end the month with a closer look at Mason Currey's book Daily Rituals, How Artists Work. I got my own copy some years ago on my sister's recommendation, and it's one I like to keep handy for quick inspiration.

Currey has researched the routines and habits of 161 creative people from the past and present and from all walks of life: authors, musicians, filmmakers, painters, philosophers, scientists, cartoonists, and so on. It includes well-known individuals such as W.H. Auden . . . Mozart . . . Louis Armstrong . . . Søren Kierkegaard . . . Ben Franklin . . . Pablo Picasso . . . Joyce Carol Oates . . . Agatha Christie . . . Toni Morrison . . . Charles Schulz . . . to name a few.

Flip the book open, start at the beginning or anywhere, read a random few pages. You'll probably stop when you come across someone you recognize and admire, of which there will be more than a few. The entries are a mix of short anecdotes and direct quotes. They give an entertaining and illuminating insight into how these individuals used their sometimes brilliant, occasionally quirky, often mundane routines to push through their hurdles and stall-outs. To give you an idea of what to expect when you pick up this small book, here's a peek at two authors (since we're writers here) whose routines struck a chord with me:

1. TONI MORRISON. Having read her classic The Song of Solomon for the first time this past summer, I was most interested to know what this Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature had to say. Ms. Morrison worked fulltime as an editor at Random House, taught university literature courses, and raised two sons as a single parent. Yet, she made time to write bestselling books, Nobel Prize winning works. So, how did she achieve this level of success in these ultra-busy, less than ideal writing circumstances? Here's one thing she said:

"When I sit down to write I never brood. I have so many other things to do, with my children and teaching, that I can't afford it. I brood, thinking of ideas, in the automobile when I'm driving to work or in the subway or when I'm mowing the lawn. By the time I get to the paper something's there—I can produce." p. 61-62  What a great use of her time.

2. ANNE RICE. Now I won't seek out some novels she's written (gothic horror, for example, is not my cup of tea), but I did feel a kinship to what she said about her routines: "I certainly have a routine, but the most important thing, when I look back over my career, has been the ability to change routines." p. 216

According to Anne, the routines changed depending on what she was working on. For some novels, she wrote at night to escape distractions and interruptions. For others, it worked better for her to start late in the morning; first reading the newspaper, checking Facebook, and answering e-mails—there you go, readers—then writing into the afternoon with breaks to stretch legs, gaze out the window, and sip her Diet Coke. Ms. Rice said it was not about being strict; her routine would emerge naturally, without conscious planning, when she began a new book. According to online info, her books have sold over 100 million copies—obviously her varying routines worked for her.

Along with How Artists Work, Mason Currey has authored Daily Rituals: Women at Work. He is currently writing his next book scheduled to come out in 2023. Mr. Currey lives in Los Angeles.

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A SIDE NOTE: In our September prompt, Sandi Somers mentioned Karen Stiller's blog post in which Karen had reviewed Mason Currey's book. I didn't know about this when I first asked Wendy for a spot to review a book that was a great fit with the theme. It turned out to be the same book but since I had my blog post started weeks ago, I decided to go ahead and share my own thoughts. So, fellow InScribe writers, if this 'coincidence' isn't a spur to find the book and read it, I don't know what is!

Inspired by the beauty of God's world around her, Brenda Leyland happily writes from her home in northerly Alberta, Canada. She blogs at It's A Beautiful Life and posts on her Facebook page.