… when we are in Spain, with a basic Acer laptop and a Malm desk from Ikea at Malaga. This morning the sky is grey though rain is not forecast until the weekend. So I will take the opportunity and spend the morning sitting outside on the terrace, wrapped up in a sweater and scarf and supplied with copious mugs of tea. 
I’m copy-editing the manuscript of Ignoring Gravity at the moment, ready for the launch of ‘Britain’s Next Bestseller’ on March 28. I enjoy copy-editing, that must be the journalist in me. We used to proofread our pages so much that by the time the magazine was published, we didn’t want to read it ever again. It is a truth that other people’s mistakes shine out of the page, but it’s impossible to see your own errors. So I’m pleased to have other people copy-editing it too. To read more about Ignoring Gravity, click here.
After reading for a couple of hours, I’ll take a break and give my eyes a rest. I find weeding is particularly mind-clearing and is often followed by a productive writing session. 
The room where I write here has two windows. The smallest looks out at a fig tree where early on a summer morning I may be lucky enough to see a shy golden oriole, but not yet for this wet chilly spring has deterred them. The leaves are not fully filling the trees, and that’s where the orioles prefer to hide. The larger sliding window admits onto a small terrace ringed by pots of herbs – mint, parsley, dill, chives, basil – and lots of red geraniums, and overhung by an enormous rose bush studded with red blooms. I still find it amazing that geraniums continue to flower here, all year.
The bookshelves throughout the house are piled with fiction – read and to-be read – plus gardening books, guide books about Spain, books about birds, wild flowers, insects, reptiles, Spanish history, Spanish novels, and my Spanish language text books and notebooks which I should re-read more often than I do.
To find out more about ‘Britain’s Next Bestseller’, and how you will be able to pre-order your copy of Ignoring Gravity on March 28, click here.
5 to remember
básico/a – basic
el portátil – laptop
el escritorio – the desk
la oportunidad – opportunity
un jersey – a sweater
Notes on a Spanish Valley 
I proofread and edited for quite a few years. Now I just write. Someone else proofs my stuff, as I don’t tend to spot my own errors, like you said. The downside to having spent years on this job is that I get quite irritated with blogs that are full of spelling errors, even if the content is good. Shame on me 😉
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Errors on TV news sub-titles really annoy me. They’ve only got about 10 words to get right! SD
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YES! Despicable! 😉
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🙂 SD
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I have an Acer too! And today have just bought a second hand desk – somewhere for me to do my drawings without having everything on my lap. Nice to see where you work 🙂
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Thx. This is my second Acer and it does me just fine, no need for anything fancy! SD
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I love that you can work outside in February! Spain has so much to offer a writer.
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With a woolly jumper! SD
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If I write outside I need to use pen and paper. I find the glare of the sun makes using the computer difficult, especially for reading, even in a shady area.
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Agree, I can’t work on the laptop outside. I enjoy pen and paper though, more contemplative somehow! SD
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So sweet. Sandra. I love “exploring” other writers’ ateliers.
I shift around a lot. I have a stand-up desk at home–it’s spent the winter in the living room, overlooking the sunroom. It doesn’t make sense to heat my office when I’m home alone during the day, anyway. I write in the sunroom as much as I can. But I also love writing in cafes and, when it’s warm enough, I write from the front seat of the car. Sometimes the backseat 🙂 And yes, I love to write outside in fine weather. Sunglasses, big floppy hat and the right tilt make laptop work possible outside, but it’s also a wonderful excuse to connect with my pen and paper.
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I write in cafes too, by hand. I love a new notebook! Never tried a stand-up desk, I wonder if that would ease my aching shoulders? SD
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Sandra, I noticed immediate relief in my strained neck and shoulders with a standup desk. I highly recommend it!
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Doesn’t standing give you lower back ache though? SD
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Not me personally, but I have to be aware of my posture and take breaks. I’ve found the opposite to be true-my stomach and back are so much happier. I practice yoga, so I’m pretty attuned to my slouching or when my hips sway out. I also walk around a lot more when I work at the standing desk, which is all kinds of good for the body, and that releases my hips and back.
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It’s so good to be able to picture where you write and what you do to refresh your brain/eyes!
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It is a lovely quiet place to write, but there are distractions too: getting up to make another mug of tea, my husband calling my outside to spot the vultures fly over, our neighbour Pablo arriving for a morning cafelito. SD
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