Many writers and poets write their stories and poems in very boring offices. Some write in exotic locations, on tropical islands or on their private jets. Roald Dahl wrote most of his stories in his garden shed. He liked the peace and quite. In fact he was so particular about it being his special place he didn’t even let his illustrator, Quentin Blake, visit his shed.
I’m often asked by people where I write my poems. I’m happy to tell them, although I do wonder why they ask. Do they think that writing in a similar place to a well-known writer will confer some of that writer’s magic upon their poems or storytelling?
I’m lucky, I guess. I have a special room that I built in the west wing of my mansion. It faces south and looks out over my own private beach. It’s very calm and peaceful.
In my writing room I have a big writing desk and all the latest computer wizardry. I even have a computer that writes poems for me if I’m really stuck. As well as a super spell-checker, I have a rhyme suggester, a simile builder and a metaphor maker. Oh... and an alliteration assembler.
I have several drinks machines and food dispensers for when I’m thirsty or feeling a bit peckish. If I fancy a strawberry and toffee ice cream, a chuckleberry ice cream or a Knickerbocker Glory I just press a button and out it pops.
If I get stuck with a story I press another button and a giant TV and cinema screen comes down from the ceiling and I watch very old films from the 1960s.
It’s very peaceful in my room as I've said. If I get fed up with the sound of the ocean I can have sounds from the tropical rainforest piped in directly from Brazil via my personal satellite.
And if I've written three or four really tough sentences and am feeling a little weary I can have a lie down on my luxury mega-king size bed or play snooker or Scalextric with one of my celebrity friends, like James Carter, Philip Ardagh or David Beckham.
So as you see, my special writing room is not that different from that of any other writer. And I wonder if you have a favourite place to write?
