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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 09 2012 at 6:45am | IP Logged
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This is her actual desk. She wrote masterpieces on this.
Hmm... no post its, no files, no in-boxes, no binders, no cup overflowing with pens and pencils, not even a drawer....
Makes me wonder what I could get done if I wasn't fooling with so much stuff, you know?
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Martha
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Comparatively speaking, her entire life probably seems minimalist to us. No tv, no radio, limited books to read, no daily outings and errands...
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Martha
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lapazfarm
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Excellent! 
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margarita
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Thank you for this! Yes! Yes! Yes!
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stefoodie
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Well, no children either.... but yes, a good goal to shoot for :)
Edited to add: the uncluttered desk, I mean, not the "no children" 
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stef
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CrunchyMom
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stefoodie wrote:
Well, no children either.... but yes, a good goal to shoot for :)
Edited to add: the uncluttered desk, I mean, not the "no children" |
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And I'm sure she kept paper somewhere. 
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Lindsay
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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TxTrish
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| Posted: July 09 2012 at 5:18pm | IP Logged
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I bet she had lots of stacks and piles within a 5' area around it on the floor.
Oh, wait - that's me!
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CrunchyMom
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It occurred to me, too, that this was not the only desk in the house, just her desk where all she did was write letters and novels. She never ran a household. Others were making menus, shopping lists, managing bills and accounts and likely had their own desks. We have to have a space or spaces to juggle all those things.
Just so you don't feel TOO bad about coveting post it notes
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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TracyFD
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She (Jane) amazes me, even without a household and children. Did anyone see Susan Branch's blog post where she visited Austen's house and realized she had to dip her quill pen every 2-3 letters?
Wouldn't be interesting to see a list of author/illustrators with or without children? I just know someone here could come up with a list off the top of their head!
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 09 2012 at 8:29pm | IP Logged
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What a delightfully diminutive desk!
CrunchyMom wrote:
It occurred to me, too, that this was not the only desk in the house, just her desk where all she did was write letters and novels. She never ran a household. Others were making menus, shopping lists, managing bills and accounts and likely had their own desks. We have to have a space or spaces to juggle all those things.
Just so you don't feel TOO bad about coveting post it notes |
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This was my first thought as well. She wasn't homeschooling, lesson planning, menu planning, managing the home, etc....from this little desk. Just writing those amazing novels! I am blown away at the thought of her having to dip her quill pen every 2 or 3 letters! Astonishing!
I thought I'd add another favorite desk of mine from a writer we enjoy so much: Louisa May Alcott's desk:
I have been smitten with it for years. She called it her little "shelf desk". Her father built it for her in their Orchard House. Isn't the view just delightful....sitting there at that little shelf, in front of the windows, enjoying the breeze and the view out the window as scope for the imagination?
Here's a wider view of her entire room and you can see her little shelf desk there in front of the windows:
Now....this could just be me (  ) but I can see room for a few selective post-it notes and other pretty desk accoutrements on the little shelf desk. 
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CrunchyMom
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TracyFD wrote:
She (Jane) amazes me, even without a household and children. Did anyone see Susan Branch's blog post where she visited Austen's house and realized she had to dip her quill pen every 2-3 letters?
Wouldn't be interesting to see a list of author/illustrators with or without children? I just know someone here could come up with a list off the top of their head! |
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Yes, it would.
And I didn't mean o imply that Jane was any less amazing for not having a household or children, just that it would affect her needs in the desk department. Wow, ever two to three letters!
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Lindsay
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Maria Rioux
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| Posted: July 10 2012 at 6:10am | IP Logged
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And I was thinking how much more Jane could have accomplished had she not been hampered by pens that require dipping every 2-3 letters, if she could have quickly googled this or that for her research/authenticity meter, etc.
I will agree that orderliness is universally helpful, and to that end have been ruthlessly decluttering/detaching/reorganizing. We're generally pretty darn orderly, but now I think I may have reached the level of being anal about it. ;)
God bless, Maria
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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 10 2012 at 6:42am | IP Logged
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Jane Austen's House
Here is a link to the wonderful blog post from Susan Branch that Tracy mentioned. What a treat to tour her house- I would love to go there!
Even though Jane didn't have children, she did help manage the house. Her family kept a large garden, and her sister kept bees. True, she didn't have the interruptions of modern life- answering machine, UPS man coming to the door , Target luring her away to look at office supplies- but writing was something that was a big part, but not the whole, of her life and duties.
From looking at her house, it doesn't really look like there even would have been room to be cluttery and over-stuffed, but maybe I'm wrong. A house on display is different from a house being lived in.
As I look around my own house, I realize that I don't even have one free flat surface. Everything has something on it, even just a picture  .
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SeaStar
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Then there is the Standing Desk of Earnest Hemmingway
He stood while he wrote... interesting idea, and possibly would burn more calories .
I hate to admit his clutter in this picture makes me feel better
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CrunchyMom
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SeaStar wrote:
Then there is the Standing Desk of Earnest Hemmingway
He stood while he wrote... interesting idea, and possibly would burn more calories .
I hate to admit his clutter in this picture makes me feel better |
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Lots of famous people used standing desks including Jefferson, Dickens, and Churchill.
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Kimct
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 9:15am | IP Logged
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How do we know what these writers desks looked like when they were actually working there? Maybe they were cluttered.
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JennGM
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Kimct wrote:
| How do we know what these writers desks looked like when they were actually working there? Maybe they were cluttered. |
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LOL. I keep thinking of the description of Jo writing from Little Women -- terrible mess. I wonder if Louisa was describing herself a bit?
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WithAllMyHeart
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I use a standing desk- it's called my kitchen counter, or the top of a bookcase or dresser, or anywhere I can get my stuff up high enough where my children can't grab it and destroy it...
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Becky Parker
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Same here Jennifer!!
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asplendidtime
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Oh my! Thank you for sharing! It feels so serene! Dh said "Looks uncomfortable!"
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: The minimalist desk of Jane Austen
