Read the introduction to Will Come the Words: writers & their creative spaces.
Originally from Philadelphia, SANDRA SHAW HOMER has lived and written in Costa Rica for more than 20 years and became a citizen of her adopted country in 2002. She was a guest speaker at my writers’ retreat in Costa Rica in 2012.
What I like about my space
I have worked in noisy offices, shared spaces, and makeshift spaces (including on top of a refrigerator in a freighter cabin!), so in designing this house on a promontory overlooking one of the most beautiful lakes in the world I wanted a work space that would be more than functional — I didn’t want to have to get up out of my seat and go someplace else to find beauty and inspiration. I wanted my room to be beautiful in itself, so it’s partitioned by shoji screens, there are French doors opening to a veranda overlooking the garden and the jungle beyond, and I have surrounded myself with objects that give me joy — gifts, art, old photographs, things that awaken happy memories.
I have always drawn inspiration from the natural world, and having it right outside my door — including the monkeys in the trees — helps me to connect to those inner spaces so necessary to the creative process.
What I write here
In my work for several non-profits I have done all kinds of writing here, but recently it’s been my Costa Rican memoir-in-progress, Evelio’s Garden, essays . . . and wrapping up my first travel memoir, Letters from the Pacific: 49 Days on a Cargo Ship (now available in paperback and as a Kindle Book).
My favourite writing quote
Current favourite: “Any work that aspires, however humbly, to the condition of art should carry its justification in every line.” ~ Joseph Conrad
Peek into more writers’ creative spaces.
But the essential question is, Have you found a space, that empty space, which should surround you when you write? Into that space, which is like a form of listening, of attention, will come the words, the words your characters will speak, ideas — inspiration. If a writer cannot find this space, then poems and stories may be stillborn.
~ Doris Lessing