Guardians of My Lair

Many writers have a lair in which they write. A Fortress of Solitude. A Bat Cave. A secret (maybe they just wish it was secret) place where they can hunker down and get lost in the world of their creation. The crafting of the secret lair usually takes years of collecting the most critical of items so that your writing mojo is not only protected but enhanced by the space in which you work.

Today, I've decided to grant readers a special tour of my secret lair in which I work. But be forewarned: there are things here that may frighten you into turning back before the tour is over. Don't worry. I will protect you ... this time.

First off, to greet any visitors that enter my lair is a white ceramic mask of a shrieking Jack Skellington. This was a Christmas gift from my younger brother several years ago and has always resided by the door to my office. This mask is used to immediately scare away any negative vibes that might be trying to enter the office and attack me from behind as I work. The mask has done an excellent job so far.

Next, we come to my work space itself. I love my large desk, which is a hand-me-down from my parents when they decided they no longer needed such a large area to work at. I was more than happy to take it off their hands as it now houses a large collection of my most important research materials AND can hold two computers comfortably. Yes, there are days when I will find myself working at two different computers at the same time. Those are usually not good days. Directly beside my large monitor are my essential reference guides: dictionary, thesaurus, quotation book, Chicago Manual of Style, and my Character Naming Sourcebook. Despite having two computers at my disposal, I also keep at least one legal pad and pen handy. Sometime, I just need the feel of paper beneath my hand or something easy to capture that quick, random thought before it flutters away.

Directly above my monitor is my second layer of guardians: my gargoyles. This is the gang, with Fred as they leader in the center. They watch over me as I work, protecting me against self-doubt and occasionally writer's block. They also keep the positive mojo flowing as they work in tandem with Jack at the door. As a way of saying "thank you," I am working on a way to fit them into a book as a biker gang of gargoyles, but don't tell them. It's still a surprise.

My third and final guardian is my loving cat Demona, who spends most of her time prowling or just laying on a corner of my desk. She just patrols the are to make sure that everything is proceeding as it should. She is also my keeper, making sure that I am staying on task and not goofing off on the Internet too often. I have a second cat named Harley, who will occasionally patrol the floor and curl up beside the desk, checking for anything that might attack from below.

And finally, one of my favorite little spots is in the far corner of my lair is a picture that I picked up at Disney World a few years ago. The saying below is by Walt Disney and states: "It's kind of fun to do the impossible." Accurate statement.

So, what's necessary for your work space? Do you have any guardians of your realm protecting you as you work? Is there anything that you can't live without when you sit at your desk or in your private spot to work?