Five Things I Need in Order to Write

I wonder what five things Shakespeare would list—or Jane Austen or Edgar Allen Poe? They’d probably narrow it down to a pen and a brain. Allowing for changing tastes in literature, the craft of writing is much the same as it’s always been, but the mechanics of it have changed so dramatically I suspect the writers of the past, seeing my writing space, would be speechless. I’m speechless, imagining what it would be like to write a whole novel by hand with a quill pen. I’m glad I’m writing in the modern world. With that in mind, here are five things I need in order to write:

1. A Computer with Internet Access

While my books are set in contemporary time, I include loads of history—natural since my protagonist is an antiques and antiquities expert. I love history, and my upbringing in the antiques trade helps me because I absorbed so much from my parents. But I certainly don’t know everything. That where the computer comes in. My WIP involves the unearthing of a fourteenth-century body. That means my research for this book involves medieval England. Right up my street. What objects would an archaeologist find amongst the ruins of a medieval church? How were plague victims buried? What impact did the Hundred Years’ War have on families? Fortunately, I can find answers. One of the mysteries involving Shakespeare is how he was able to acquire extensive knowledge in such wide-ranging disciplines as geography, history, classical literature, botany, medicine, mythology, and religion (to name a few). There’s no evidence he ever read a book or wrote a letter. Yes, I read reference books on my current topic, but I also have instant access to information online. Thank you, Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn.

2. A Separate Keyboard and Mouse

I’m a really, really fast typist—so fast that words and ideas seem to travel directly from my brain to the computer screen. For some reason, though, I can’t type easily on my computer keyboard, and I definitely can’t use that dumb mousepad thingy. I need a separate full-size keyboard and a mouse. And not just any keyboard. I wear them out so frequently I’ve been known to purchase several at a time. When my last favorite keyboard was discontinued, it took me a while to find a new one I liked. The touch has to be just right. Not sure what I’ll do when they discontinue this one. Quill pen, maybe.

3. Something to Look At

Okay, this isn’t really a requirement. At home in Ohio, my desk faces a wall, and I still write. But at our cottage in the Wisconsin Northwoods (where I am now), my desk faces amazing views of the forest and the lake. A canoe glides past on the lake. Loons call to each other. Mother ducks herd their little ducklings and teach them how to dive. Deer, otters, eagles, and foxes stroll by. Storms whip up the lake. Rain lashes the windows. Right now it’s gently snowing. When I need inspiration, all I have to do is gaze out the window. This really is where I write best—peace and quiet, natural beauty, and few distractions. If I ever have a chance to redesign my Ohio office, I’d make sure my desk faced the woods. Hmm. It’s an idea.

4. A Dog

I call Emmie, our four-year-old Shih Tzu girl, my co-writer. She loves nothing better than having me at my desk all day while she supervises. We got her during Covid, and my method of training was to keep her with me at all times. I carried her around (she’s portable), and every hour or two would take her outside to do her thing. While I was working, she slept on my computer desk. She weighed five pounds then. Today she’s a whopping thirteen pounds, but she still thinks she’s small enough to sleep on my desk. Sometimes she gets in the way. I don’t mind.

5. A Deadline

Yes, I’m a world-class procrastinator. Any distraction will pull me away from what I’m supposed to be doing. If I’m supposed to be writing, I get sudden urges to weed the garden or reorganize my spice cabinet. If I’m supposed to be weeding the garden, I feel like doing laundry. In college, I was famous for waiting to study or write a paper until the very last minute. Once I waited so long to write a major English paper that my roommates stayed up all night with me, proofing and typing while I wrote. These were saintly women. Today, I do have a deadline. The manuscript for my sixth full-length Kate Hamilton novel is due to my editor on February first. It’s amazing how much writing one can do while in a mini-panic.

We’re all different, aren’t we? What do you absolutely need in order to write?