An Update on my Desk

Yesterday, I was reading an article over at Novel Spaces about personality types: going by the replies of other writers I worked out I was probably not your typical writer and I am definitely not a “Judging” personality type. (Unless we’re talking politics where I am happy to offer my judgements, especially ones that include the words “Labour,””Farcical” and “Over my dead body.”) The author of the article, Julie Luek, describes the judging personality as thus:

Judging (J)—Enjoy a planned, organized lifestyle. High amounts of loose ends and unplanned interruptions will disrupt a judger’s sense of calm. They’re great with checklists and love the sense of completion of getting a task crossed off. Deadlines and a clean, organized workspace are comforting.

This statement brought back to my mind the topic of my desk which has cropped up on this blog several times before. In my post I am a Fraud! I admitted to trying to hide the truth about my desk. More recently, I posted a picture of my new desk which I had inherited, via my aunt, from my grandfather. It is a Victorian style roll top desk which is very big and very impressive and, at time of my blog posting, scrupulously clean due to the fact it had just come back from the restorers. Anyway, in the light of  the article at Novel Spaces I’ve decided to post an update on the appearance of my desk. When I posted the original picture of my messy desk some people were pretty shocked. However, it is no problem to me: I may be an untidy person but I actually don’t have any problem working amongst mess and I usually have an idea where everything is – although I admit after taking the photographs below with my mobile phone I then couldn’t find it on my desk even though I was pretty sure I’d left it there (as I’d not been out the room) – in the end I rang my mobile on the house phone and duly found my mobile – on my desk. It may come as no surprise that I am frequently ringing my own number.

I did think about doing a photographic close-up of that teetering pile of stuff on the right so you could see how I have cunningly constructed it so it doesn’t  fall off. However, I decided  even I couldn’t suffer the embarrassment of a close up shot because it is a major piece of construction containing about 50 items from mere letters, a tin of air (to blast the dust off my keyboard) and  a jar of nasal rub which I couldn’t risk collapsing  by getting too near to it.

Anyway, whilst I’m on the subject of my desk, here’s a glimpse of another part of my “study” (the other sections have an environmental health warning on them.) I’ll be honest, I don’t actually do much “study” in the true sense of the word – except of some rather dubious Google images. Luckily, part of the privilege of being a writer is that I can legitimately Google anything and justify it as research. I want to remain a writer forever, obviously.

Again, I have another pile of artistically created belongings on the top shelf.  It is teetering quite badly now. I hope we don’t get an earthquake otherwise a lot of stuff is going to come down on my head. By the way, there’s even a chocolate fondue set and half  a wooden skull in amongst all that stuff. If you can spot them you can have a free copy of my  book if it ever gets published.  Don’t say I’m never generous. So that’s it this morning folks, but if you’re religious – and even if you’re not – please say a prayer or send some positive thoughts over to my friend, Marie, at Nourish who is seriously ill. The power of the mind is great. Let’s use it.