Writers don't need much
space to write.
The late, lamented
Annie Dillard spoke in "The Writing Life" about working on the book
in a study, originally sold as a prefabricated toolshed, that measured eight
feet by ten feet. The size of the structure didn't hamper her production.
Though I have a choice
of spaces in my house, I do most of my writing at a desk shoved against a wall
in what used to be the dining room and is now an extension of the living room.
My back is to the window, and the only distractions are those I allow.
Recently, I visited
Mark Twain's study on the campus of Elmira College in Elmira, N.Y.
The study is a tiny
one-room, octagonal wooden structure where Twain spent many productive hours.
The gazebo, as Twain
called it, was constructed in 1874 as a gift from the writer's sister-in-law,
Susie Langdon Crane. Originally located at nearby Quarry Farm, where Twain and
his family often spent summers with Susie and her husband, Theodore Crane. It
was moved from this original location to the college campus in 1952 to ensure
its preservation and accessibility. It is now part of the college's Center for
Mark Twain Studies.
Unfortunately, our
visit was on a weekend, and the center was closed.
Under the gazebo's
peaked roof, Twain wrote some of his most loved books, including "The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", and
"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court".
In his wonderful
biography, Ron Powers quotes Twain as telling a friend, "On hot days I
spread the study wide open, anchor my papers down with a brickbats & write
in the midst of hurricanes, clothed in the same thin linen we make shirt bosoms
of."
I could imagine Twain
working away in this comfortable, small structure with its wide windows
providing a view of the countryside and equipped with a table, chair, and a pot-bellied
stove.
His wife, Olivia
Langdon Clemens, was a native of Elmira and an 1864 graduate of the college.
For those who admire such things, statues of Twain and Libby grace the campus
of the college.
Of more interest to me,
the Center for Mark Twain Studies hosts events throughout the year, including
lectures, workshops, and an annual writing contest.
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