WHAT DOES YOUR BOOKSHELF SAY ABOUT YOU? by Victoria Cornwall

I have spent the last month undertaking a big clear out of my home. The things I no longer needed (or liked) were either sent to our local charity shop, recycling centre or thrown away. It was hard work, cathartic and a good time to identify what material things really mattered to me. One of the things that had a good sort through was my bookshelf.

I am a Poldark fan. Many years ago I bought the complete series which were twelve books in all. Over time, and after several readings, the pages have become yellow and dogeared. The first six books were very special to me as their covers had the actors from the 1970s TV series on them. However the remaining covers were mismatched, some of which displayed people who, in my mind, had no resemblance to the characters in the books. It was time to treat myself and buy a new complete set, preferably with the up-to-date, gorgeous covers which display the actors from the most recent adaptation. They would look neat on my bookshelf, thought I, make a perfect stylish set and show I was a big Poldark fan. It also accurately reflected my hobby of reading quality fiction with realistic historical facts. The size of the series would show any visitor that I am a serious reader (yes ... I have read all 12 books folks!) and I know a good thing when I see it (it's a classic after all!). This got me thinking, was I trying to project an image of who I wanted people to think I am or would the bookshelf silently show the real me?

I began to wonder if all bookshelves told us something about the reader. Could a chaotic, mismatched, overloaded bookshelf point to someone who is disorganised and unwilling to part with material things? Or did it tell us that the owner just loved books and wanted to keep them to read again and again?

If a bookshelf is arranged alphabetically or by colour, is the person organised and efficient or painfully controlling with too much time on their hands? Are books arranged by genre preferred by people who like to compartmentalise their lives, or does a variety of genres show that their owner is open to trying new things and will have a broad outlook on life?

By now my mind was in overload. Does the actual type of book chosen for display tell us something? Crime, fiction, autobiographies, travel ... there are certainly lots to choose from. Are we showing the world our innermost soul or the sort of person we aspire to be?

The "coffee table book" is a good example of the latter. It is usually large and expensive, with a lot of pictures, specifically designed to be looked at rather than read. Needless to say it is usually placed where people can see it easily, such as a coffee table. Is the owner really saying, "I am a good host as I have provided a book for you to look through while I prepare you a drink" ... or is it less about the guest's comfort and more about the owner wanting the guest to know that they are stylish and can afford a luxurious quality book that they don't really need.

Of course the books that don't make it to the bookshelf are just as telling. Reading an erotic book, but hiding it in the bottom drawer rather than displaying it on a shelf would certainly show there is a part of one's life the reader would rather keep private, despite the enjoyment it may give. Yet if the erotic book did make it to the shelf, it would show that the reader exuded confidence and had a "take me as you find me" attitude. This attitude is admirable, although one's reaction to viewing such a bookshelf might depend on the book ... and the number of them. Too many and too jaw droppingly kinky, one might just be tempted to run ... unless you are into that kind of thing. In that situation you will be delighted to discover you have found a kindred spirit who might enjoy dressing up in black studded straps and leather chaps too.

Does an array of fiction or travel books show that the reader is looking for an escape? Perhaps "real crime" books show a forensic, inquisitive mind? Do self-help books show someone seeking to take control of their lives or are they mere followers of yet another fad? I am intrigued to know the truth and will look at other people's bookshelves a little more closely next time.

Did I bin my original precious Poldark books with the original actors on the cover? No, I did not. My reorganisation and expensive purchase may hint that I am organised (the new book series is complete and in perfect alignment), stylish (they do look pretty and photogenic) and  show my interest in historical fiction with a strong romantic thread, (which is my preferred genre and the type of book I like to write myself). However, sitting neatly beside this spanking new set will be my six dogeared original Poldark books, which I like to think shows my soft nostalgic centre and undying loyalty to something that once played a big part in my teenage years.

Sometimes something which is losing its colour and curling at the edges is every bit as special as something sexy and spanking new ... at least that is what I remind my husband as I celebrate another birthday and spot yet another grey hair in the mirror. 

Victoria Cornwall

What does your bookshelf say about you?

SPRINGING INTO SPRING

The theme for our joint blog this time is spring cleaning our desks and our writing.

Victoria has this to say abut spring cleaning:

I don’t usually wait for spring for a spring clean of my writing space. I tend to do it between projects. The “before” photo shows my desk in the middle of the editing phase of my third book in my Cornish Daughter series. My editor’s report and my "Editing Day" mug is within easy reach and I have been making some scribbled notes as I go. Previous to this, I wrote lying on my son’s bed, but the editing phase requires focus and room, so I moved off the bed and reclaimed my old desk. The after picture is my desk ready for a new project. A nice chamomile tea is waiting for me in my "Writing Mug". All I need is some inspiration and a bar of chocolate.

Terry says: It's All About the Work Space:

Writers by their very nature have a very distinctive and well-honed sense of place. Our desk serves as out sanctuary, the place where we pay homage our craft, so it stands to reason that spring is the perfect time to clean our desks, organise our massive amounts of paper (I don't know one writer who does not have an accumulation of notes, research material and story ideas stacked their workspace) and hope that our organised desktop will streamline our writing and make us more prolific. As you can see from the pile of stuff on my desk in the attached picture,I have my work cutout for me. I have notes to copy into my calendar, marketing content to compile, in addition to starting a new book. My books are set in the 1940s, so there is always researching and the quest for the 'historical 'kick'. (note to self: historical kick as a topic for a future blog post).

But Spring is here, and along with it the promise of new beginnings. So I embark on my annual cleaning regime, wondering all the while how I ever let the dust bunnies accumulate and promising to do a better job tending to these small details that are so easy to ignore when I'm in the middle of a project. While I work I think about the stories I will write, and when I'm finished (it really didn't take too long) my desk is clean, my vase is full of tulips and the promise of warm weather encourages me.

Wishing you all the joys and warmth of spring and her new beginnings.

Linda is very organised with her spring cleaning tactics:

I have two spring-cleaning tactics when it comes to my writing. The first is when I am giving myself permission to write, permission to not clean the house from top to bottom once a week, which is what I used to do pre-writing. To rid myself of the guilt that my house isn’t always fit for the Queen’s visit these days, I do a few of those jobs that rarely get done – bleaching the grouting between the bathroom tiles, scrubbing the tops of the kitchen wall cupboards, tidying my knicker drawer, dusting the tops of my paintings. It doesn’t take long and I know I can then happily write for months on end without worrying about any of the above.

The second tactic is when my writing has become stale. I’ve been writing, say, to suit certain magazine readerships, certain editors’ needs and wants, or doing an edit on a novel that again, is how someone other than I wants things done, and somewhere along the line I’ve lost my writing soul. At times like that I pick up my copy of Elizabeth Berg’s ‘Escaping into the Open – The Art of Writing True’. This is a wonderful book, charting how it is that Elizabeth Berg writes (in my opinion) her wonderfully emotional novels. There are various exercises to do that help us write from our souls and I open the book at random and do one or two. For the purpose of this blog post I have just selected these:-

a) The man is not crying but you know his heart is breaking. How do you know?

b) Your father tells you for the first time about the day your older sister – whom you’ve never liked – died. Write not only what he says, but what he does with his coffee cup while he tells you.

I always hand-write this exercise, sitting somewhere comfy. Before I know it I have covered six or seven pages of A4 ready to turn into a short story, or a scene in my work-in-progress.

Better get going …

Marilyn is worried:

Oh dear, I’ve been rumbled.  For while cupboards and drawers crammed with things I might just need one day keep my house respectable, my humble workspace (a small, ground floor bedroom) is my Achilles heel. So, when I heard we were being challenged to spring clean our workspace with ‘before and after’ photos as proof, I panicked. In the past I’ve resorted to photos of me writing in the sunshine, under a tree in the garden, or on holiday, a glass of vino in one hand and a pencil and notebook in the other.

While others might go for a writing retreat in Tuscany or meditate under a full moon to get their inspiration, it’s the much-loved clutter that gives me the incentive to scribble.  So, did I succeed in spring cleaning my office?  Reader, I cheated, just a little…

Lucky Rae meanwhile is having more than a spring clean:

A confession – here’s my current work area, which is nothing to be proud of! In my defence, I know where everything is and why it is placed just so. The real problem is that this chaos takes up most of our dining room table and needs to be moved each time we wish to use it, which isn’t ideal.

However, it’s the time of year for new beginnings and change is afoot. We have a small space fondly known as the playroom, which is no longer needed now our children are grown. It’s time to make more use of the space, and so began a project that’s included numerous trips to the local charity shop and tip. Mr C has done a fantastic job of both freshening the walls and transforming a cupboard with migraine inducing primary colours to a soft muted grey. And here’s my shiny new desk. It’s not quite in situ yet, as we’ve still to lay new flooring, but by the time this post goes live I should have my very own writing space. And should I ever get bored, there are still stacks of games in the cupboard to keep me entertained.

And finally, Jennie offers her abject apologises:

My office is in the small spare room downstairs and my work area runs almost the length of one wall. I did try on several occasions to tidy my desk but there were complications like this:

And at the other end:

Spring hasn't really burst forth yet has it? Maybe by the end of March when the sun shines on a regular basis the cats will depart to a sunny place in the garden and then I can spring clean my desk - or maybe not!