Yes, I'm with you on the tea front, Emma. Always that over coffee when I'm working. I always seem to opt of coffee when I'm meeting with people though. It seems more sociable somehow.

Nik.

always at my desk in my bedroom, curtains shut, light on, tv off, lots of pacing the room thinking... and sometimes some writing

Dee - one of the treats of my current novel is that I've got a wonderful excuse to visit lots and lots of castles, and the tickets count as an expense. And yes, Bamburgh's hard to beat, though it's got quite some competition up and down that coast.

Nik, yup, tea it is. I need it constantly, and simply can't drink that much coffee. Though I've just bought an espresso/capuccino machine, and there is something very wonderful about a really strong latte, halfway through the morning's work...

Emma

I always think about sunny outside places as ideal for writting but reading through other peoples ideas, I have found I am like alot of other people and like to write ideas in different places but do most of the actual writting at home. I love beaches and have got alot of inspiration from time spent in Jersey and trips to France while there. Hopefully they will be used in short stories in the future.

The Northumbrian coast was my childhood stomping ground, so I know the area and its castles well.

I think we’re all leaning towards the sunny outdoors because writing is such an indoor sport – and it doesn’t help that summer is so late this year – but I find I feel more energised by bad weather; storms, lashing rain, heavy snowfalls – as long as I'm not actually out in it.

I have a dream of my favourite writing place. In Morecambe Bay (yes, I know, I keep yarping on about the place, but bear with me) there’s a tall block of flats. It sticks out like a sore thumb among the more restrained Victorian houses, and it’s built like a brick shithouse. I've no idea what the flats are like inside nowadays but, about 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit one on the top floor – about 12 storeys up. I was staggered by the view across the bay to the mountains of the Lake District. Every now and then, I think about what it would be like to live there and sit at a desk with that view, in all seasons. From up there, you could see such a diversity – mountains, gentle countryside, the sea, a busy tourist resort – and yet be detached from it, remote, observing.

So that’s my top one. Not very ambitious, I know, but with a bit of luck and a following wind, achievable.

Dee

Dee's description reminds me of a block of flats I once saw in Southport, although I doubt if I'd be able to see the Lake District from there. I read novels and short stories with a strong sense of place and I find that different locations suggest stories to me. I like stately homes more than castles, though - furniture and portraits are inspiring. When it comes to writing I'm like most people - the same desk in the same room, with some very low classical or Chinese music in the background and quantities of herbal tea in a big glass cup like the one Stephen Fry uses in the TV advert.

<Added>

Sorry, forgot to add my name.

Sheila

I'm with Emma on this one. Love hiking, note taking, and all the inspiration of both countryside and nightclub. To write it all down I prefer a red lit, darkened room with absolutely no interruption, a stack of research books and the occasional sandwich.

JB

You can take inspiration from anywhere, can't you? As long as you're in the mood.

I'm liking the sound of the red-lit room. Very atmospheric.


Nik.

Burnsall Bridge in the Dales in a great spot for improv.

Dee, have tried the Starbucks in Borders opposite the showcase cinema off Junction 27, M62 as a spot? At night all those neon signs give off a very different atmosphere.

Hi David, long time no see!

No, I haven’t done that one. I'm trying to avoid bookshops in general at the moment because we’re supposed to be moving soon and I promised only to buy essential books before then. I did make a surreptitious trip to the J27 Borders and came out with two monster expensive books on professional cheffing – which I think are absolutely essential for my research but, nevertheless, I've had to hide them under the bed…

Dee

Good for you, Dee. We all need to make guilty purchases now and then.

Just thought I'd drop in a note to say - I enjoyed reading through this conversational thread. You all made your experiences so visual.

My favourite writing place is anywhere that I can find the "emotional space" within which to write and/or create/imagine. Most often it is in a coffee shop (short pieces only). Someone once suggested to me that it wasn't the coffee shop, it was the caffeine in the coffee. Somehow I don't agree. There is something about that kind of space, it opens up my creative flow.

We don't have any castles in or near Sydney but we have a wonderful coast and sandstone escarpments overlooking deep valleys. However, when I'm in the landscape I'm not settled. I don't like "weather". I don't think I've sat on the top of a hill looking out for a long time if ever. My creative processes only work in an ordered, warm environment. Just talking about sitting on a hill looking out has got me thinking, what a nice thing to do. I'll add that to my "must do" list.

Best wishes,
Di2