{"id":429,"date":"2011-09-22T22:36:00","date_gmt":"2011-09-22T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/famous-last-words-ill-write-my-novel-when\/"},"modified":"2022-04-20T14:20:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T04:20:37","slug":"famous-last-words-ill-write-my-novel-when","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/2011\/09\/famous-last-words-ill-write-my-novel-when\/","title":{"rendered":"Famous last words: I’ll write my novel when…"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

I was watching Grand Designs<\/i> the other night when, unusually, I found myself shouting at the television.<\/p>\n

I have been known to shout at the television in the past, but not generally when genteel Kevin<\/a> is doing his thing.<\/p>\n

The reason for my vociferous response?<\/p>\n

A nice man was building a nice house in France. Part of his reason for creating said house was to install a writing room.<\/p>\n

Said room was at the top of the house with a wall of windows showcasing a view of rolling French countryside.<\/p>\n

It would be, he said, the perfect place in which to write His Novel.<\/p>\n

I remembered a conversation I once had with Australian novelist Allison Rushby about a similar man with a similar dream on that other genteel show Escape To The Country<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n

“It doesn’t matter what’s out the window,” she said. “You’re either going to write it or you’re not.”<\/p>\n

Which is pretty much what I found myself shouting at the television the other night.<\/p>\n

I then went on to expand on the topic while The Builder watched me, slightly bemused.<\/p>\n

When I ran out of steam, we resumed polite watching.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’ll write my book when…”<\/strong><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the end of the show, Kevin returned to the house, seven years after it had been built.<\/p>\n

The man’s writing room was now comfortably furnished with not only his desk, but an exercise bike, some boxes, several piles of newspapers, bookshelves, a keyboard, a pile of bags…<\/p>\n

He had<\/i> written a book.<\/p>\n

A guide to buying houses in the French countryside.<\/p>\n

I am not disparaging the nice man’s dream, nor his efforts. But every time I hear someone say “I’ll write my book when…” it makes me wonder if they’ll ever actually get round to putting the words on paper.<\/p>\n

When I dream of my perfect writing life, it involves a little weatherboard studio, open and spacious, with big French doors opening onto a little verandah.<\/p>\n

There are big, blowsy, old-fashioned David Austin roses involved.<\/p>\n

The room is always free of clutter, clean, white, fresh. Small boys are conspicuous by their absence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Write where you are<\/strong><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

If I waited until this place materialised, I would never write anything. So I sit in my cluttered (all my own fault, I know) office, with my family happily rumbling around me.<\/p>\n

I love having a look at other authors’ writing spaces \u2013 Instagram is great for that.<\/p>\n

Some of them have beautiful views. Others work at the dining table. Some are out in a paddock. Others in offices that would not look out of place in an accountancy practice.<\/p>\n

For the most part, they involve a desk and a chair and a wall.<\/p>\n

To me, it’s not the place that makes the writing special. It’s the writing that makes the place special.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait and you can find out <\/strong>more about me here<\/strong><\/a> and more about my <\/strong>online writing courses here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Join Write With Allison Tait<\/a>, my online writing community, for inspiration, motivation and information.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Or check out So You Want To Be A Writer<\/em> (the book), where my co-author Valerie Khoo and I have distilled the best tips from hundreds of author and industry expert interviews. <\/strong>Find out more and buy it here<\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was watching Grand Designs the other night when, unusually, I found myself shouting at the television. I have been known to shout at the television in the past, but not generally when genteel Kevin is doing his thing. The reason for my vociferous response? A nice man was building a nice house in France. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5],"tags":[714,723,726,713],"class_list":["post-429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pink-fibro-life","category-writing","tag-author-life","tag-how-to-write-a-book","tag-make-time-to-write","tag-writing-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nFamous last words: I'll write my novel when... - Allison Tait Author<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""I'll write my novel when..." 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