Jane and her Portable Writing Box

A while ago I was fortunate enough to visit the British Library. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and what a thrill to be there at all. 

I made my way to the Treasures Gallery, one of many delightful free entry spaces in the UK. My goodness what an understated treasure trove. I saw vibrant medieval illustrated manuscripts, and original and famous declarations (more on those on a later post). And one small item that I reflect on again and again.

Jane Austen’s travelling writing desk.  Yes, the very same. A small, simply made varnished mahogany box with inlaid leather on the slightly inclined writing surface when opened up. A few cubby holes at the top part, spaces for an inkpot and to rest your quill. There is a pull-out drawer, that could hold a writer’s equipment such as penknife, spare quills, string, sealing wax. Correspondence. Likely even chapter drafts. Yes, this very drawer probably held parts of the famous manuscript pages of Pride and Prejudice, along with letters to and from her beloved siblings. It had been given to Jane by her father in 1794, when she was about twenty. What a gift. I imagine she treasured it always. There’s a delightful story (click here) about the time she nearly lost it forever. And for a closer look at the desk, including a 3D model, pop into the British Library’s page here.

It got me thinking.  How did one of the most famous novelists in the world write her very clever novels, using this small writing space. When you take a look at the writing desk that she used at Chawton House, this too, was very modest and delicate.  Chawton, where Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion (my personal favourite) were written. There was no vast desk space to spread out, lay out handwritten notes, character studies, research books, notebooks, cups full of pencils and highlighters, post-it notes and speech cards. No laptop to hold all her precious words and ideas, tabs upon tabs of open webpages, a Pinterest mood board. No special writing software to keep track of timelines and word counts. Perhaps she commandeered the dining table at certain times, to spread out scenes, move events around. Perhaps she used a chalkboard instead of a mood board. Perhaps her bedroom was a no-entry zone when she was working, with pieces of paper carefully placed all over the floor when she was on final edits.  Did someone once open the door and the papers all get muddled about? 

So, what’s my excuse?  What’s my rationale for not being disciplined enough to sit down and write, wherever I happen to be?  I clearly don’t need any of the peripheral ‘stuff’ to put words on paper, and craft a story a fraction as good as any of the Austen novels.

Up until recently my own writing desk was originally a small church organ.  Some clever person in years past had removed the musical bits, and the wooden shell remained.  A cubby hole where pedals would have been for feet to now tuck in to. A sliding cover, to close off everything at the end of your writing day. The desk part could slide out a little, to give extra space.  Just enough for a small laptop to fit in, but better suited to paper and pen. A shelf above, for tea caddies full of pencils and pens, highlighters and sharpeners. Books, always a pile of books on the go. The printer. It became a bit of a catch all, especially when we ended up Working From Home.  I sat at the desk, with the work PC screen towering over me, keyboard taking over from the pile of writing pads and research notes. Then we started the process of downsizing for an upcoming move. The desk has found a new home, and my temporary personal writing space is now either the bed, or the kitchen table, if the family residents are out or being quiet elsewhere in the house. For now, there is no dedicated space for me to spread out with cork boards, post it notes, collections of study books and my own notebooks full to the brim with research note taking (did I mention I’m a master procrastinator?). 

She truly is an inspiration.

Considering how little Jane Austen had, and needed, to write her wonderful stories, I don’t have much to complain about. She truly is an inspiration.

I loved seeing this writing desk in real life. Being an antipodean, viewing historical artefacts such as this is a rare treat. I had no idea when I visited the British Library that day I would see Miss Austen’s portable writing box, and it was a highlight.

Where do you sit down to write? Do you have a dedicated table, desk, a room of your own perhaps? Do you have a ritual to get started, a writing exercise to switch on that creative side of your brain? Where do you do your Morning Pages, Julia Cameron style? Perhaps you head out to the kitchen in the quiet of the dawn, before anyone else arises. Or at the other end of the day, when the dishes are done, and the rest of the house is sleeping.

However, wherever, let’s take inspiration from one of the greats, and keep it simple.

Pen (or quill, if you fancy), paper, and ‘seat’ in the chair.

And perhaps a little drawer, to keep writing treasures in. I’m rather partial to a bundle of freshly sharpened pencils and a cache of sealing wax myself.