Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Typewriter Shed

Here's a theme song for this post.
Posted by Strikethru
Labels: ,

24 comments:

Ton S. (I dream lo-tech) said...

I just want to say, it's great to hear from you again!

July 25, 2012 at 10:13 PM
Strikethru said...

Thanks Lo-T!

July 25, 2012 at 10:23 PM
Dwayne F. said...

The typewriter shack is a great concept like the Ham shacks of old. Except without the radio equipment... and other technological things.

It's good to see that familiar Robot font, again.

July 25, 2012 at 10:44 PM
Scott Kernaghan said...

I like your thinking. And if you find enough Unicorn horns to make your own, I'd love to see it... and perhaps borrow it... and move in... and...

Oh, never mind. But I get the feeling you're part way into thinking about how you could make this a reality.

Oh, and great to see your site jump up the blog roll again!

July 26, 2012 at 1:23 AM
Anonymous said...

Do it! You won't be sorry. Didn't have a spot for a shack but I took a similar approach when we set up my office in the smallest room in the house. Room for the typewriters, writing materials and research stuff, my desk and lamps. No computer, phones, TV, radio, etc. It works. (I learned afterwards that David McCullough's writing room is similar in nature.)It's intimate and lets me focus.

Welcome back.

Jeff The Bear

July 26, 2012 at 3:05 AM
Monda said...

Never google the thing you love.

That said, there's been a rash of writing-space craving lately. A very good friend of mine is converting a travel trailer into a writing getaway. We don't do ice-fishing shacks in Arkansas.

Go make your shack, gal.

July 26, 2012 at 5:18 AM
notagain said...

Welcome back! Simple is the way to go for a shack.

July 26, 2012 at 5:18 AM
Art said...

Hi lady! Great to see you again!

Totally found these for your perusal... not quite BHG...

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/06/19/famous-libraries-studies-writing-rooms/

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/07/27/famous-man-caves/

July 26, 2012 at 7:23 AM
Richard P said...

What a fascinating line of thought you've begun here, and what interesting additions people have made. (I love the "man rooms" -- which could just as well be woman rooms, of course.)

My own fantasy is to rent a little house on a foggy beach for a month and live there with a typewriter.

July 26, 2012 at 7:47 AM
Mike Speegle said...

Genevieve has long yearned for a crafting shed, herself. Every time we drive by Lowe's with their tin gardening shacks she sighs wistfully.

I do support the idea of "a room of one's own," as it were. Sometimes you need to be alone with your thoughts, no matter where that may be.

July 26, 2012 at 8:11 AM
Michael Clemens said...

I've had the same dream, especially after reading Neil Gaiman's regular posts about his writing gazebo that's *just* out of reach of the home wi-fi signal. He regularly posts jealousy-inducing photos of his dogs lounging around as he's out working in the shed.

I've got shed dreams of my own, too. Since I've gotten used to my standing desk at work, I realized that I actually need very little space -- just enough room for a thermos of coffee (iced in the summertime) and space to throw a carriage side to side. In the meantime, I'll have to settle for locking myself in the bedroom with a pair of earplugs.

July 26, 2012 at 9:17 AM
MTCoalhopper said...

Oh, shucks! Art beat me to it. The image which formed in my head was that of Jack London, in the Art of Manliness article.

The personal space suits the person. It sounds like your objectives are modest; leave the distracting architectural masterpieces to the pretentious folks who have nothing to say.

July 26, 2012 at 9:21 AM
Joe V said...

Great to hear from you again. We have a Man Cave in our backyard, a little 8-foot square shed that's more than adequate for writing and listening to music. Hope you get yours soon.

July 26, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Winston said...

Funny you should post this. My stepfather just built a shed on the homestead--although his is to house his riding lawnmower and keep the tools in one place. He bought some big secondhand windows and built it where he could see the pond. He made it just under 100 square feet so he didn't need to pay for a building permit.

It came out charming. I thought, hmm, I'd like to go and write there.

Then the neighbors complained it was too close to their property line and some "wetlands" (a 100 year old cranberry bog completely grown in with trees). Stepfather had to cut down a bunch of tree branches, then put the shed on rollers and pull it to the other side of the yard behind his truck.

The man is 76 years old and could probably kick my ass.

July 26, 2012 at 11:13 AM
Bill M said...

Great to have you back with another post! The shed idea is great. Looks like you have plenty of room and if you are really budget conscious even one of the metal kits from Lowe's, Home Depot or other supplier could serve you (or other quite well). Instead of a radio shack, a typwriter shack. Again, you have a great idea.

July 26, 2012 at 4:41 PM
Rob Bowker said...

Good to read you Cheryl! From the top of your post I conjured a bathing hut - a shed on wheels with steps which were drawn to the waterline where ladies in full bathing attire would descend into the sea while preserving their modesty from onlookers. I think, if I had a typewriter shed, it would have to be on wheels.

July 27, 2012 at 2:35 AM
speculator said...

Here's my version of a writing shed:

http://laviegraphite.blogspot.com/2011/05/to-quiet.html

For me, the outdoors is always preferable, but that's not always easy here in Maine.

I'm entirely with you, regarding the glossy-magazine interpretation of a writing space. These are photo ops, and not made for practical use. It's like the self-help tidal wave. All those authors are so affluent, well-travelled, and suntanned they make me skeptical. How about a "self-help guru" from a gritty New England mill town?
Nah!

July 27, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Art said...

You know, something that could be a really cool project, especially on a budget, is to do a writing shed of found objects and materials. It's amazing how much stuff people leave lying around, if you're looking for it. Maybe you could persuade your neighbors into letting you take some of their "trash" off their hands, and using it to build your shed. Off the top of my head, if you came up with the lumber for the walls, and a couple of sheets of corrugated tin for the roofs, all you'd be putting out money for would be a couple of door hinges, nails and screws, and maybe some more structurally sound wood, depending on how sturdy you're looking to make it... I like this idea...

July 27, 2012 at 3:15 PM
Ken Coghlan said...

I believe that I will eventually use my typewriter room for writing as well as storing machines. It is real hot up there right now, however, and it is one of the only rooms in the house that is sans-ceiling-fan.

Awesome idea. If anything comes of it, please post pictures so that we can all be jealous!

July 27, 2012 at 3:22 PM
Strikethru said...

Typewriter people are the best kinds of people.

Joe, I think you've posted about the man cave in the past, going to have to look that up...

Now I want a writing shack worse than ever! Love the idea of trying to make one, would be a glorious disaster.

Im sincerely hoping to see a meme starting here whereby writing shacks begin to pop up across the typo sphere like some primitive village...

July 27, 2012 at 9:44 PM
Lindy said...

I'm so happy to have stumbled on your blog. I feel like I've reached Nirvana! Please don't stop writing! I'm now inspired to write more with my typewriter. (Her name is Beulah Hildegard Francis.) I had ideas to type up posts with her before, but haven't done so YET.

I often daydream about having a place to escape to in the backyard to write. I've considered a garden shed, a treehouse, a vintage tear drop trailer, and a hole under the ground. I even went on Pinterest looking for dreamy places...it was a beautiful experience.

I haven't given up the dream. Hope you don't either!

Lindy
KreativeHaus.com

December 10, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Chris B. said...

Really love this blog. I can spend hours reading it. I am going to find more time to read your archives. I don't have a typewriter shack, I have a typewriter garage, but it gets the job done.

December 21, 2012 at 7:45 PM
Carol Leigh said...

Oh, sure. I just found you this morning. Enjoyed your writing. And then I see your last post was in January. January! Where are you? I am bereft.

March 17, 2013 at 8:23 AM
Anonymous said...

I have a Hemes Baby portable typewriter with case in good condition ---know anything about this type-Wayne

April 5, 2013 at 1:28 PM

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