THE WRITER'S NEST - Beth Bartlett

 Good morning, everyone!

Unless I've scheduled something I forgot about (hey it's been a month!) this will be the last official post of 2021. 

Today, we are visiting the Writer's Nest of my friend and author, Beth Bartlett. You met her on Tuesday and again yesterdy, so let's jump right in to seeing where all that freelance money she earns is generated!

Him Beth! Thanks for joining me in the studio today. 

Describe your writing nest?

It’s a comfy space tucked in the corner of my wildly cluttered office. My desk is a thrifted one, it’s shaped like a giant book, it even has a title and author on the spine. I love it. I also have a TV as a screen to reduce eyestrain. Pop culture and geeky stuff is my hobby, so I have a lot of nerdy bits and pieces, and lovely little things my husband has made for me. Behind me are posters and signed art from the people and events in my life. The sun comes in through a window to the side, making it a bright, encouraging space for me.

See the book spine? Isn't that the coolest thing you've ever seen in a writing space?!

What is it about this space that inspires you?

Part of it is the natural light, part of it is having room for a bookshelf. The third component is the collection of doodles and drawings and prints. The energy of nature, the energy of friends and loved ones, together. 

Has finding your space been an evolving journey? How so?

I have written articles while sitting in cars with my (now departed) Netbook, at restaurant tables on my phone, on park benches, in libraries, you name it. I always thought the trick to finding the best writing space is to carry most of it within you. After working on the 2022 Writer’s Planner, I realize that planners and journals are so much easier to create in a stable setting with a desktop computer so I can see each space and line up close. But when I play with fiction, I need to be very relaxed. So I pop open the laptop and occasionally write in bed, with a cat snuggled beside me. I’ve learned to accept that certain places evoke different mindsets in me, and to work with that.

Anything you would change?

I love the desk and my office, but it’s in town, located in a business that my husband and I run. We live in a very small place in the woods. My ultimate writer’s nest is a simple computer desk, in a small home office of my own, art on the walls and a window with the sun shining through, in a house we have yet to build. 

What advice would you give to someone looking to build their own nest?

Surround yourself with things that comfort you or excite you, or both. You don’t have to have something straight out of a magazine spread to create, you just have to feel that it is yours. If something resonates with you, include it. Your nest can be a nook in the living room, a full office, or a night stand. When Erma Bombeck began her career, she wrote newspaper columns on a makeshift desk consisting of a plank balanced on two cinder blocks in her bedroom. Work with what you have, make it what you want, and when you sit there, you’ll feel that delicious creative energy flowing through you.

Great ideas, Beth. Thank you so much for being here. Hope to see you in real time soon!

You'll find Beth by clicking on the following links:

WEBSITE   TWITTER  INSTAGRAM  TIK TOK

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best

~Angela