Thanks Susan. That desk is a lot messier now. Which is a relief.

Hello Becky — one of the things in that room is a really large stack of paper with a post-it note on it that says, “send to Becky.” Believe me, I haven’t forgotten about your lovely request for a copy of my ms. xo

You know, Charlotte, so am I! Plus, all those cups of tea. And that clean fridge to put my milk in.

Deborah, You are, Herewith, an Honorary Member of Whatever We Decide to Call the Retreat Place Thing. (places wreath of daisies on Deborah’s head)

Nova, I would like to mention the weather, in case you are sway-able. Beautiful. Smells like jasmine. Clear and clean in the morning. View of the bay. You can see, you know, forever from here.

Yes indeed Jade. And I also don’t get weird, periodic “headaches” which force me to withdraw from the world, either. My favorite thing (well, I have many favorite things) about Leonard and Virginia is that whenever she handed him a ms to read he’d say, “You’ve done it again, Virginia.” Even if he didn’t actually think she had. My own husband has been known to say things like, “Man. This sounds like…. a real book.” Which is a nicer compliment than it actually sounds at first. Sometimes just being plausible is good enough.

RR–Oh, I know the panic. But I feel it in pretty much any place I go to write, if I let myself. I try not to see writing as self-indulgent or taking away from others. It’s just the thing I do. A job sort of. A really good job, in addition to the other really good job I have as a lawyer. And the other really good job I have as a mom. Many people work more than one job. And it’s good I think to have a different site for each of your jobs.

Dear Cam. Yes indeed. I am thinking, by the way, about that photo challenge.

Sylvia, there is indeed a very romantic thing about a person who loves you enough to schlep your stuff down a flight of stairs to make you happy.

Dark Orpheus, Believe me, I plan to mention that to him when he returns from the trip he’s on this week.

Dear Kate, I’m hoping that what comes of that room will be a LOT of writing! Fabulous would be good also.

Last January I spent a week in Berkeley –for several reasons, but one was to try to get in a bit closer touch with my writerly self. How lovely it would have been to have a writers’ retreat to rent. Will an east bay wanna-be from Minnesota be allowed?

And, oh my, maybe you were actually a little serious about one day opening up your room to rent to other writers as you commented on my blog… All I’ll say is I wish I lived in Berkeley, I really do. The place sounds perfect.

Happy writing in your new space!

Closely following the tears, however, was a bit of a panic, thinking about how responsbile I’d feel to really produce something wonderful in this lovely room of my own. But that’s just me all over

I do think a woman’s home always poses many distractions, whether it’s occupied with children or not, for there are always other things calling for our attention. And so the ability to pop downstairs into a room of your own, effectively putting your hands to your ears and shushing all those noisy things clamoring for your attention, will be a wonderful thing.