The Writer's Desk - Kate Mildenhall

The Mother Fault author Kate Mildenhall shares with us the details of her writing desk, and the objects that inspire and motivate her as she writes.

1. Essentials for writing - coffee in my special cup, paper and pen, a bunch of books to dip in and out of - these ones are all connected to my next project. I’m new to the wonders of a second monitor and start my early morning writing session with the manuscript on one screen and my journal document where I  collect thoughts, links, lists, daily word counts on the other.

2. My next book is set in the 1930s and I’ve been speaking to my grandmother lots about growing up in Northcote in the 30s and 40s. I’m keeping photographs of both my grandmothers on my desk for this book - they are touchstones for this project.
 

3. I’m addicted to books about creativity, process and craft - lately I’ve been reading The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. I kick off my writing session with a couple of pages from this and it never fails to open up some new possibility or direction for me.

4. We deliberately lined my new writing studio with pinboard so I could cover it with images and notes for whatever I am working on. I wrote The Mother Fault in a Tony corner of the lounge room in a makeshift space. I am absolutely luxuriating in the space and intention of this new space and surrounding myself with the new project. These are all images I’m using as jumping in points for the new project. It’s incredibly helpful to have a whole wall dedicated to a timeline to keep me on track!

5. My girls always send me off on a writing retreat with little love notes. If I am away from home I stick them above my writing desk. They remind me that I have to make the most of the time I have away from them and they make me work harder.