Living in a Geekster’s Paradise

Yeah, that isn’t my desk in the picture. It merely serves to illustrate the dramatic difference between my workspace and the places most people choose to call “home.”

Sure, the color scheme varies, but I’ve stumbled through hundreds of variations on the SAME theme: a desk with a laptop, a mug, and a few pieces of art. Everything’s precise — I’m guessing a ruler gets involved — and camera-ready. It looks perfect in a magazine article or as a reference for an interior designer.

But as an actual place to WORK? It makes me shudder. And not because the photo usually sports the world’s most uncomfortable chair.

Those workspaces lack personality. Where’s the minutiae any reasonable writer collects? (For crying out loud, there’s never ONE notebook, much less several stacks of them) They’re an imaginary ideal created for the adoring masses — or possibly to score points with mathematician friends.

They definitely don’t bear ANY resemblance to my writing room.

Even before becoming a freelance writer, I knew the oddly-shaped room in the house belonged to my writing. It was too small and awkwardly placed for a spare bedroom. I didn’t need a reading room when the den served so well as a library (does anything compare to wall-to-wall, built-in shelves?). And the cats had laid claim to everything in the house; they didn’t need space of their own.

Nope, the room begged to house my prize desk and desktop computer. (Don’t laugh — desktops work every bit as well as laptops) Sure, it took a little ingenuity to finagle the monstrosity through the door. But once it settled into the corner? The room looked complete.

Writing — ANY writing — is an act of creativity. It requires the influence of your muse. You can’t engage your imagination in a setting of geometric precision. (My apologies to any artists out there working in such mediums) I wanted the room to reflect the mind and personality infusing my words.

This is why you won’t find photographers knocking down my door to capture the space.

I’m Geeky and I Know It

My workspace represents ME — in all of my geeky glory. It’s the dwelling place for my favorite fandom mementos. Because where else would you need those bits and bobs than where you work?

You won’t find impressionist paintings or conversation pieces on the walls of my workspace (painted the perfect shade of Neptune Blue). Nope. I turned to better sources of inspiration:

• Cast photos and show posters from my days in college theatre — complete with treasured signatures
• Work by my favorite artists, featuring everything from the Gotham City Sirens to a goofy dragon waving a tiny sword
• A Ravenclaw crest (because — well, that’s obvious, isn’t it?)

Tucked on the shelves, you’ll find stuffed animals and toys that run the gamut from realistic to fanciful. The whale shark from my dive at the Georgia Aquarium rests atop the printer while a tyrannosaurus Deadpool roars under one of the monitors. Zoidberg shares the dictionary with a military-camouflaged Tentacle Kitty. Spider-Gwen stands watch from the top shelf beside Wicked Glitter. (My favorite of the My Little Demon collection, purchased when my husband declared “no glitter” during the wedding planning process).

Covering every “black box” surface of my workstation is stickers. Those colorful, delightful throwbacks to my 80s childhood. Grogu (“Baby Yoda” to those who haven’t made it through Season Two of The Mandalorian) and Karen Hallion’s stunning character work transform my tower, terabyte drive, and monitors into a geeky paradise. (In case you wondered, my laptop’s equally decorated; sometimes a girl needs to work away from home).

Then there’s the crowning jewel of my workspace. The one element I can’t function without (just ask her): an eight-pound black and white cat. Tonks spends the majority of the day parading across the desk. There she knocks the crocheted version of my logo (okay, so it’s based on her, but still) off the monitor stand and swipes fairy stones. When she gets bored? She curls up on the baby blanket-covered chair that sits beside the desk.

You got it: we bought a chair specifically for her. (Not tax-deductible as a business expense, as it turns out).

Love Where You Work

Oh, sure, I have the tools of a competent writer, too. Whiteboard calendars adorn my wall, complete with colored markers. With them, I keep track of everything I need, so my business runs smoothly. My double monitors? They allow me to work efficiently at all times. And when it comes to notebooks… Well, as a true writer, I may need to enroll in Notebooks Anonymous.

But I refuse to confine myself to a picture-perfect workspace. Having Harley Quinn over my desk doesn’t affect my productivity in the slightest. My writing room reflects my personality and brightens my day when I sit down each morning.

Looking at camera-ready workspaces? They put me in the mind of torture. How could I get my brain functioning in a regimented environment? Give me the delightful hodge-podge of baby dragons and Baymax.

Maybe I won’t find myself featured in the spread of a magazine for my refined taste. And perhaps I end up apologizing for Tonks’s intrusion on Zoom calls all the time.

But at least my workspace fuels my fingertips with the words I need every day. (Not to mention scoring me plenty of geek points).