The 'Room of One's Own' Needs a Name! by Natalie Anderson

A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.

So said Virginia Woolf. Well, happily hubby and I both earn, so I'm not starving :) - but for the last five years, in which I've written twenty books, there has definitely been no room of my own. We have four kids and during this period lived in four different houses (plus a couple of months homeless and crashing with family after earthquake damage to the house we had been in). And there was no 'room to write' in any of these houses - unless you count the laundry in one!

I did used to get up super early and sit just in front of the washing machine in that tiny room and tap away at the keyboard. I wrote in the car, in bed, at the kitchen table, in the car, at any cafe that would let me, in the car, I even went and spent a couple of night's at a holiday park locked up in a cabin to get a book finished once. But in recent time it was mostly the car - a portable office! My husband reckons I was the romance writing equivalent of 'The Lincoln Lawyer' - though I had no driver and only one car! I liked to go and park up somewhere scenic - either the beach or the Botanic gardens - somewhere green and with water nearby. But I've got to be honest, it was cramped (even though given there are six of us in the family, it's a fairly large car), it got hot and I got a bit sick of it.

Anyway, I'm so thrilled to finally be back in our own home in Christchurch to the wee house I just love. There still isn't a study/room to write, but what there is, is a tiny creek crossing the front corner of our section. About five years ago the council came along and did a beautification programme - gently landscaping the flow of the creek, putting in a new bridge and designing a native plant setting.

Here we are five years ago when the council put in
the new bridge. The kids LOVED watching
the digger every day so we had a 'construction' birthday
party for one of them :)

Well five years on and the plants were a bit of a jungle! But I loved them - kind of like a very mini Bot garden all of our own. And that's when I got the idea to put a teeny tiny shed out there. I'm used to the car, right?! I don't need a LOT a space - just something cute and with that view :)

So I got on the internet and found the perfect 'shed' and my WonderHubs (who loves a project) got busy...

Preparing the platform...

The platform (and little deck) is ready!

Getting the shed from the freight depot.

Unloading the shed.

My friend and her hubby came round.
I confess my friend and I went shopping -
came back two hours later and voila!!!

Making the roof weathertight (v. impt!)

Looking across to
The Far Side' of the creek.

And now - lunch is ready!

I go through the hebe bushes, down the little path, across the stepping stones over the creek (all two of them), then up onto the 'far side' to the shed. There are bright blue dragonflies whizzing round, I have a gang of six regular ducks, several neighbourhood cats, native birds drawn to the trees (and the feed I put in the trees for them), cockabullies (tiny fish) in the creek PLUS a rather large eel living between a couple of rocks that I discovered only the other day.

I do think I'm the luckiest writer in the world to have my shed. I am SO ecstatic and have become such a bore talking about it! So sorry - but let me just this week as it only went up last weekend so it is very new and exciting :) The kids in the neighbourhood all love it too. I think it's wonderfully hilarious that the reaction from writer friends and kids has been just the same - pure enjoyment :)

One very happy writer.

But I do need your help!!! My question now is WHAT TO CALL THE SHED?!?!?! My mother thinks it should be  'One's Own' - referencing that Woolf quote. Hubby thinks it should be 'Dun Roamin' - as I'm now permanently parked up. A friend on Facebook says it should be a 'Chalet' not a 'Shed', another says it should be 'The Love Shack'. What do you think???

PLEASE! I'd love you to LEAVE A SUGGESTION in the comments for a name for my shed - and be in the draw to win a copy of my e-book MELT. I can't wait to see some of your ideas!!!

Thanks so much!

~Natalie

p.s. I don't have any interior pics here today (let's face it, I've already ODed on the pics today) BUT I was going to take some this morning and put them on my Facebook page  if you're interested :)