Inspired by author Rebecca DeMarino’s Facebook photo of her very messy (but no doubt productive) desk, I present to you what happens when even a neat freak author is smack in the middle of writing her current work in progress.

Under the book and notebook are layer upon layer, pile upon pile, of Very Important Notes To Self that I will eventually look at again…

As Rebecca said, plenty of time to tidy things once the book is finished. Until then, I work amidst a constantly shifting collection of research books, print outs, paper scraps and post it notes. So far it’s worked for me, though I long sometimes to see the top of my desk.

Beyond the clutter are a few of my favorite corners of my work area, which comprises about a third of our living room:

Love my southwestern inspired desk!

I keep the research for the current WIP on this sideboard, at a right angle to my desk. Actually this is only most of them!

I like to arrange my work space with 18th century visual inspirations, like this powder horn.

Part of the reason my desk grows so cluttered over the span of time it takes to write a novel is that I cannot keep my notes on computer file. Out of sight, out of mind. If they are sitting right in front of me, snagging my eyes daily, I tend to forget they ever existed.

If you are a writer, does your desk resemble mine, or are you able to keep it neat and clean while in the throes of novel writing? Perhaps you’re able to let your computer manage all those notes and research materials. If so, I often envy you!