David Hewson's diary: Creating an office for writing

David Hewson's diary: Creating an office for writing: "I was being interviewed not long ago by a charming chap who closed the questions with an earnest glance.

'Tell me you write with a pen and paper,' he pleaded. 'Not on a computer.'

Desk2 Oh no. Oh, no, no, no. The first book I ever finished (unpublished, thank God) some twenty five years ago was produced on a typewriter. Two thirds of the way through I wanted to change the protagonist's name. The pain... Technology's important to me for one reason alone: it saves time. I edit continuously, often writing 200,000 words to get those final 120,000 you see in a book. Anything that cuts down that workload is to be welcomed, which is why I give great thought to what I use and how it fits into my habits.

Recently I redesigned my office and what's in it completely. Here, for the record, is what happened to the place where ninety per cent of my writing life occurs (though not the thinking part, which is often outside, on a mower or down a country lane with the dog).

If you're thinking of creating a home office for writing, this is what worked for me."