To a certain extent, we are all products of our environments. Try as we might, it is impossible to completely close ourselves off from the world around us, and to varying degrees the people and objects that occupy the space around you will influence your actions and your writing. Though it may not be possible to travel around the world when you need to immerse yourself in a new setting, the way you decorate your writing space can certainly have an effect on your creativity.
Not sure where to start when it comes to setting up your home office? Take a look at the writing environments below to get an idea of what has inspired some of history’s most successful thinkers.
Jack London
To write classic nature novels such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, Jack London removed himself from urban society and holed up in this rustic cabin.
Image Source: http://www.thewilliambrownproject.com/2010/07/call-of-wild.html
Henry VIII
The notorious king kept himself organised in style. This decorative box is one of the few surviving artifacts from his writing desk.
Norman Mailer
This American author battled vertigo and so designed his Brooklyn apartment to resemble the inside of a ship, with the hopes that this intimate architecture would somehow combat his symptoms. Even cooler? The home was for sale a few years ago, and you can find the photo below as well as a full real estate listing here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/04/17/realestate/20110417deal_ss.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0#8
Bram Stoker
In 2012 Bram Stoker’s writing desk was restored to its former glory for auction, and it is not hard to see how it might have played a role in inspiring his classic horror novel Dracula.
Image Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2226630/Historic-desk-Bram-Stoker-used-write-Dracula-goes-auction.html
Jane Austen
Jane Austen wrote three of her best-loved novels at her home in the village of Chawton, keeping things simple by drafting Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion on this small, wooden desk.
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