A chair with a view is the best start to good writing

It is March and there are hints of spring in the air.

The ground is still frozen, snow everywhere, but the sun is warm mid-afternoon. This week, I found myself standing out at the bus stop waiting for my kid with my face toward the sun soaking up the rays.

My house is great in so many ways but it lacks one thing: a chair in a quiet corner with a view to the backyard.

We don't have a window facing the backyard at the right height so it would take a massive renovation to get a perfect perch by the window. I find myself slinking away from the incessant TV sounds and looking for a place to sit quietly with my coffee, my notebook, and silence.

Hello silence, my old friend.

The roomies probably turn up the TV to drown out the sound of the typewriter.

Despite the HINTS of spring, we had another ice storm last night. This morning all is covered in a crust of ice. I don't mind winter, but most of the joys come from cozy inside activities and looking out the window at the snow squalls, which makes my lust for a chair by a window all the more intense. Seeing the chaos outside makes the inside all the more indulgent.

I'm tired of wet socks. Everyone who lives in a winter climate has to deal with stepping in a puddle of melted snow from shoes at the entrance of the house. A lifestyle choice... having wet socks. Rarely wet enough to change. Just wet enough to remind you of your lifestyle choices.

Santa Monica was a dream in this regard. When I lived in Santa Monica, there was no getting ready to go outside. You just... walked out the door. Bare legs, exposed toes, forgetting your cardigan and shrugging... who cares.

I miss my outdoor seating zones. We have a fantastic front porch, excellent side porch, and wonderful backyard... but all are outdoor seating and no fun in winter for sitting, sipping, and staring off.

To distract ourselves, we have been discussing a vacation. A possible trip to Paris. It has been way too long. There was a time I only dreamed of going to Paris. Now it is the obvious choice. The baby, the cancer, the surgeries thereafter, the stupid Lyme disease (honestly!?!?!), and pandemic have conspired to keep us huddled at home.

It is amazing how far one will go to get a chair by a window. 

Paris... a whole city devoted to chairs by windows with a view. Writing books in Paris is almost cliché, but it's because of THE CHAIRS.... BY THE WINDOWS... ALL OVER THE PLACE. People think writing books is some grand mystical thing. It has a lot to do with chairs and windows.

If you set the scene and sit there long enough, ideas are more likely to waltz in.

Ideas are shy... they need coaxing.

I wonder to myself if I had a chair by a window what books would come from it?

My books started in journal writing in cafés. They were edited at my countertop. Best to avoid views whilst editing. If you're curious about improving writing, consider the environment. You can also get the ball rolling with one of my writing courses.

I popped a new bunch of Paris Letter bundle subscriptions over at the shop. Someone who had the original set wanted more so I curated the stack into six darling little 12-letter bundles.

If you can't have that Paris view, you can slake your cravings with letters written while looking at it.

Who knows. The letters might inspire a trip to Paris and the search for that literary holy grail: the perfect window with a view.