Thanks for inviting me onto your blog, Libby. At least I think so – I have just spent the last twenty minutes tidying my study for the photograph! Hm, still doesn’t look very tidy, but it’s certainly the place where I’m most focused and productive!

Caroline’s Writing Space

So, my writing day… I’ve hardly done anything at all over the summer as I’ve been happily distracted by having my three daughters at home. No more excuses, though; my eldest has now moved to London, my middle is back at university and my youngest at school, so my plan is to get back into the writing zone!

Typically I start the day waving Emily off to school. Then I feed the pesky cats and make a huge cup of Yorkshire tea. I head to the study, sit at my desk (which looks messy, but is actually very ordered) and fire up the laptop. I reach for the first letter in my in-tray, then look at the top item on my to-do list. I read an email next, then go back to the tray. I bet you wish you hadn’t asked! I play these silly games to make admin more interesting. Or maybe I’m just odd!

Of course most items on the to-do list are crossed off and put on a new list (that counts as DONE, doesn’t it?) but when I’ve finally cleared the admin decks, I open the latest manuscript and start work. Though what is ‘work’ exactly? It isn’t necessarily ‘writing’. In recent months it’s been more editing, amending and polishing than creating new sentences. And when I do go back to new writing, I have to spend far too much time reading the novel-so-far to remind myself what it’s about! Then, of course there’s thinking moments, or minutes or hours. The bath, a run or the car seem to be the best for that, but when I’m in the study I gaze at my bookcase. Top shelf, books to be read and photos of those I’ve loved and lost. Next two are mainly poetry collections interspersed with lovely cards and recently read novels I haven’t yet squirrelled away in other rooms. I do love this bookcase, not only because it gives me inspiration for character’s names, but because my own novel is on it, a dream finally come true! Coincidentally it’s sitting on top of three other books by fabulous Avon HarperCollins authors, including you!

So back to the zone. Ah yes! Plenty more Yorkshire tea, an early lunch (a toasted chicken and gherkin wrap is the current sandwich de jour), then back to the laptop for another couple of hours until Emily comes home. Then I continue to work fitfully until I realise it’s my job to make dinner. So I peer in the veg basket and gaze in the fridge, hoping my creative endeavours will extend to cooking…

Thank you, Caroline, for sharing your writing day with us. Beneath the Skin, Caroline’s debut novel is available here.