The Writer’s Workspace

Multiple articles in writers’ magazines stress the importance of a designated writing space. I’ve read so many of those articles I’m tempted to say you can’t swing a cat without hitting one – not that I recommend swinging cats (even the annoying ones). But the point is, if you allow yourself an area exclusively for writing, your brain will catch on, and every time you go there, it will focus on stitching sentences together. The beauty of this concept is you can choose the place and the space that works best for you.

In warm weather, I like to set up shop outside. This year, though, I decided my “office” needed new furniture. I ordered a table and chair combination online despite the warning, “Some assembly required.” Instructions can be a challenge, especially considering a beach umbrella crank has been known to baffle me. (See Retreat blog post)

I also ordered a new umbrella and a base for it. Understandably, the umbrella came in a single box, as did the base.

What follows is a pictorial of the “Great Construction.”

The table and four chairs also arrived at my door … in one box.

How could that be? Either the set was two-dimensional, or more than “some” assembly was required.

I opened the box and this is what I found:

The chairs’ back legs were wrapped in more tape than an equestrian uses on his thoroughbred before loading it onto a horse trailer.

According to the illustration – there were no written instructions – a single curvy piece was supposed to attach to each side to make up the chair’s arms and front legs. The way to tell between them was one curvy piece bowed to the east. The other curvy piece bowed to the west. Dyslexia and I puzzled over those curvy pieces. I held one up to the light, turned it around a few times, and puzzled over it. Finally, I flipped it. Now, it looked right. To add to the fun, two different-sized screws (listed as 60 mm and 30 mm) came in the box. What do I know about millimeters? Well, one screw looked bigger than the other one. I figured out where they went, attached them to the frame with an Allen wrench, and successfully completed one side of the chair.

Now, all I had to do was attach the second arm/leg piece to the other side. This was where it got tricky. But only because I hadn’t unwrapped all the pieces. As a result, I temporarily created an abstract sculpture of a chair.

Let that image sink in for a minute. Once I realized I hadn’t unwrapped all the curvy bits, I found the correct one and created a chair that a person could actually sit on.

Next, the table:

Full disclosure: I needed help with this. There were black rubbery bits embedded in the inner edges of the tabletop that, to my great surprise, moved. I didn’t realize that until a kind helper took pity on me and assisted me with “some assembly.” Thankfully, the base came together much easier.

At last, my updated writer’s “office” finally came together.

I leave you with this:

Love what you write, and write what you love!