Last week, I was in New York City for the Society of Children's Bookwriters and Illustrators' Winter Conference (SCBWI).  It was a blast meeting with other writers, my agent and my editor. Unfortunately, I was so caught up in all the fun and excitement, I completely spaced taking a lot of cool pictures for my blog this week.

I highly recommend attending either (or both) annual SCBWI conferences.  If you want to get a real taste of all the amazing action, check out the SCBWI blog and I hope to see you in LA in August.

In the meantime, let me show you around my home office.

First up, my plot board...

I recently redecorated my little writing loft and this is my prized addition.  This plot board is a wall feature designed by my carpenter, who was inspired by my desire to have movable images and plot notes to support my writing process.  The board is made up of metal strips with marbles inside, based on the order system in a restaurant.  The marbles hold pieces of paper, or anything else, up on the wall by simply sliding it under the strip. Plot points, conflicts, characters, chapters, and images can be easily moved and rearranged.  I love it!

I'm looking forward to the new additions to the shelf this year!

Of course, I have LOTS of books in my office, but this is by far my favorite shelf - My very own Muses shrine!  I also have a little inspiration over my favorite writing chair and, if you look closely, you can also see a calendar right there over my printer with DEADLINE printed in all caps.

Finally, I must admit I am rarely writing alone.  There are usually two chocolate labs somewhere under foot and this guy...

A framed, color copy of a book cover make for affordable (and inspirational) art

Stu is waiting for his starring role in Book 2.

I've been on tour this week, meeting fans in LA, Georgia, North Carolina and Boston, so my work space has consisted of lots of hotels, airports and airplanes. Here's where I'm working right now, right this very second:

Home is where the laptop is.... or something.

Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Tahereh Mafi and me, in Decatur, GA.

I do have a home office, though. If you'd like to see it, please head over here. 

Hope y'all are having a great week. (I picked that up in my travels... along with some great memories.)

As a lawyer in real life, I spend long hours at a desk doing a lot of legal writing.  I started writing as a way to get out of my lawyer head for a little while and just play, so I work hard to keep my novel writing separate from my legal career.  The weekdays (and nights) are reserved for legal work, while most weekends are reserved for my stories.  When I sit down to write, I don't want it to feel like work. So I don't write at a desk. Ever.

My writing space is a corner of the couch with access to a plug and a power cord, a reclining seat, and may or may not include a Saint Bernard.  It's cozy and personal and relaxing.  I can write while my family watches football and never feel too solitary.

Occasionally, I need a change of scenery or take my laptop on an adventure.  I write in coffee shops, on airplanes or alongside writing friends.  The picture on the right is from the Muses 2011 retreat in Estes Park, Colorado.

This week though, my writing space has expanded even further.  My current project takes place in New York, and I spent a few days visiting some of the locations where my scenes take place.  Armed with a camera and a small note pad, I started documenting sights, smells, and people, catching little snippets of detail that will make it into some of my pages.  I've never researched a place in this way, and I have to say that it energized my writing in ways I never expected.

I had already written a scene where my character runs down Park Avenue and stops in front of a skyscraper.  In the scene, she sits on the marble steps and debates turning back the way she came.  I went to the building I had in mind when I originally wrote the scene and sat on those very same steps, feeling the cold concrete seeping through my clothes and trying to find something interesting about the place.  Then I looked across the street and saw exactly what I was looking for.  In the courtyard of the building across the way was a 20 foot tall bronze statute of a mouse. The mouse had stitched eyes and sharp claws raised to attack.  A few feet away stood a small marble bench, right in the path of the mouse. The image of my character sitting on that bench, staring at the mouse's claws, was far more interesting to me than the one I had originally created.  I crossed the street and snapped this picture.  Guess where my character runs to now?

I loved this guerilla style of writing.  Finding snippets of people, places and images that were far more interesting than anything I could imagine on my own.  So it looks like my writing space has just gotten significantly larger. 

Look out world.  Have camera, notebook and laptop, will travel.

This is my desk.  Today, my husband is using it because he's working from home.  It's really quite tidy at the moment.  I love it because it looks out over our back garden, and I can watch the scrub jays hiding acorns, the hummingbirds visiting the feeder and the dog in his favorite sunny spot.

I also love it because it's close to my wall poster featuring the lineage of the British monarchy from William the Conqueror.

 And I can easily reach my glass jar full of chocolate-covered espresso beans.  Which is empty at the moment.  (see note about husband using desk space).

But it's not always comfortable.  A couple of years ago, I had a terrible time with carpal tunnel syndrome.  Last year at about this time, my rotator cuff began giving me fits, and when I stopped moving it (because it hurt!) I got adhesions between bone and tendon and ended up with a frozen shoulder.  All because of the way I sit at the computer.  After nine months of physical therapy, I can finally get my arm up over my head again, with only a minimal amount of pain.  But I needed to change the way I sit and write.

So I got another desk.  I switch back and forth, moving and taking breaks in between.

This desk is smaller, has a smaller and lighter chair and is arranged at just the right height for my short stature.  It gets great light from two windows and I can keep an eye on the neighborhood cats from here.  Notice that I have moved both of my storyboards to sit next to it.  Also notice the LEGO on the floor.  

But neither desk has a lot of elbow room.  Sometimes, I need to spread out.  I need to get out all my research books, my book bible that includes timelines, character studies, editorial notes and photographs.  I have my printed and bound copy of Book 3 to revise by hand and a pad of paper on which I scrawl everything from word count to kissing scenes.  Plus index cards.  I never go anywhere without my index cards.

When I'm really working, I tend to take over the entire house.  I've been known to work at my kids' desks, too.  I'm thinking about getting one of those standing desks for the kitchen.  Or maybe a treadmill desk.  Or maybe both.  All I have to do is move aside some of the LEGO, right?

"Sheesh, Bret again?! He's supposed to be on Friday," you say. "Where's Donna?"

Well, Donna and Talia have been galavanting around New York City these last few days as the world of children's literature descends on the Big Apple for SCBWI's winter conference. She and I traded days this week so she could give y'all a full report on her adventures.

Anyhow, this week's theme is "My Desk/Where I Write," sooo... I wanted to give you a quick tour of "where the magic happens" for me. The main space where I write is this big A$# desk that carves an office space from our oversized formal living room. I got this desk from a consignment store when we found out the baby was on the way and I knew my writing would soon be happening at home. This desk is so massive I have to believe that Donald Trump owned it at some point. I fully plan on making my children schedule appointments with me.

1. iMac: I'm an Apple guy, through and through. I love my 21.5" iMac. The screen is a good size and it faces in so that I can face out which is good for a couple reasons...first, I can see people coming and going. And second, nobody can sneak behind and read over my shoulder. 
2. Coffee Cup: I'm very, very partial to this double-wall, vacuum-sealed traveler from *bux. It conforms to my hand perfectly and (most importantly) keeps my coffee HOT for hours. Since the baby came into our lives, I make a big french-press pot in the mornings before I write. I use the darkest roast I can find and drink it black (as God intended). 
3. Bankers Lamp: This antique used to be Grandma Anna's and while it provides the Trump Desk a touch of class and a lot of light, it provides a reminder of a lady who was one of the biggest supporters of my writing. 
4. Vertical Organizer: My wife is a stacker. Now, her stacks have definite organization to them, but they can take up a lot of space - especially on the Trump Desk. So this nifty thing keeps my workspace (relatively) clutter free. 
5. Family Portrait: A visual reminder of what life's all about. I love having my cheering squad reading over my shoulder. 
6. Painting from my Mom: My mom is a scientist and part-time painter, which is where I think I get my engineer/writer combo from. She gave this to us as a wedding present and I love bears. So this is both sentimental inspiration and art for the office. 
7. Johnny Jump Up: This little contraption has allowed me to finish a scene countless times. I can keep a watchful eye on the lil'guy and not feel completely guilty about writing because he loves bouncing, swinging, and spinning in this contraption that I think of as the Best-$20-I-Ever-Spent.
8. (Not Pictured) The Dogs: Our two Lab Mixes are often curled up behind the Trump Desk while I work...as they are right now, as I type out this post. They make sure I feel supported and that I take plenty of breaks to give them pets. 

So there you have it, the magic that I surround myself with in hopes that some of it rubs off on me and my work.