By Debby
Mayne
My husband
and I recently moved from Florida to South Carolina, and we downsized in the
process. Our children are grown, and my husband officially retired from his
position as a financial advisor. As we searched for the perfect
"retirement home," my husband kept asking, "Are you sure you
don't want an office?"
I've had
offices in the past, and they served their purpose when I relied on my old
desktop. But for the past four years I've had a laptop that can go anywhere,
there was no point in paying more for a house just because it had an office. I
thought I'd share my opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of a home
office for a novelist or freelance writer.
Here are
some advantages of having a home office:
·
You
can have all of your supplies at your fingertips.
·
The
familiarity of the same room, same chair, and other things same can be comforting to some people.
·
You
can announce that when the "office door" is closed, you're at work,
and no one is allowed to bother you unless fire, blood or protruding bones are
involved.
·
The
home office is a great tax write-off.
The
disadvantages include:
·
You're
sitting in the same position all the time, looking out the same window, facing
the same walls, etc.
·
If
you become too comfortable in sameness, you can lose your freshness and edge.
·
Sitting
in the same chair is hard on the back.
·
People
always know where they can find you.
Things I
like about not having an office and being mobile with my laptop:
·
When
you have back issues or other health problems that are exacerbated by sitting
for too long, you can move your laptop around to different chairs, your kitchen
counter, the breakfast bar, or even a board balanced on your treadmill.
When
the urge strikes to visit your grandchildren, it's easy to take the work with
you and do it after they go to bed.
·
You
can check your email and do administrative tasks without isolating yourself
from your spouse or family while they watch football games or other sporting
events on TV. (Exactly what I'm doing right this minute.)
·
Wherever
you are becomes your office—from your La-Z-Boy recliner to a choice table at
Starbucks.
·
When
the weather is nice, you can go outdoors and sit at the cute little patio table
or kick back in the chaise lounge.
_______________________________________________________________________
Debby
Mayne has published more than 30 books and novellas, 400 print short stories
and articles, more than 1,000 web articles, and a bunch of devotions for women.
She has been a managing editor of a national health magazine, product
information fashion writer for HSN, creative writing instructor for Long Ridge
Writers Group, and etiquette expert for About.com. Most of her stories feature
strong, southern women who overcome all sorts of obstacles. She is currently
working on "Belles in the City," a 3-book series of Christian
romances with southern heroines who move to New York City. She also writes
southern-set, quirky, cozy mysteries under her maiden name Deborah Tisdale. Her
social media links are Website: http://debbymayne.com
Blog: http://debbymayne.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment