pantelia

I'd go right back to the farm apartment we were in last October in Poggibonsi, about an hour outside of Florence. The only noise we heard the whole time we were there, besides the farmer on his tractor, was the sound of the farm animals, and the horses clopping by.

tower

karlth:

One month? Please tell me your secret.

It so happens that I am a published, the last two books being historical novels. Just to give you a relevant example, my 600 page novel took 2 years to write and 2 to do the research (inlcuding travels to Eastern Europe, and constant hours in the libraries closeby my home).

The actual writing I did in my office on the second floor of my home high in the hills of Los Angeles. Going somewhere special to write does not in any way appeal to me..I like the comforts of home with children and grandchildren nearby...and libraries with which I'm familiar and known by the library staff,(Beverly Hills, LA Public and UCLA). This gives me the energy and the will to keep on truckin' !

Just my "druthers", based on my own history.

We're in the editing stage of my newest novel which is due out early next year...so far I've only had two fights with my editor..but she did a good job on my most recent book, so I'm rather gentle with her...sweet,fun person, a diligent editor, and now a friend (she lives in Maine..so we argue cross country)...The Age of the Computer...publisher is in Florida, their printer is in Pennsylvania, their formatter in Virginia, the author in Calif., and editor in Maine. Logistics would be impossibly cumbersome in the days of yore!

Whatever you decide, good luck!
Keep me posted...I'll help any way I can.

Stu T. ([email protected])

tower

Second paragraph typo...should be "published writer"...go get 'em Karl!
As you can see, I only adddressed the novel aspect, not the essay or the work from a remote place.
Stu

Pausanias

The only time I felt I could do some special work in particular place was on a visit to Oaxaca city. I looked over the valley and thought -- maybe there, on that hill . . . At the time I had just finished a novel. Since then there has been much political unrest in the area. Perhaps better for journalism.

Right now I'm working on a second novel and have put off all travel until May, because I think I can finish the first draft by then and I don't want the process interrupted. (It can take me weeks to get back on board.)

So the place I go to write a novel is my home office. Would be better if I could get rid of the internet . . .

tuscanlifeedit

The immediate answer that comes to mind is prison.

I am also a writer and find writing to be hard, time consuming work. I've always thought I could get a lot more done if I were in prison.

I guess I would prefer a nice women's prison in the United States.

But if anyone knows a nice women's prison in Europe, please recommend it.

simpsonc510

I am also a published writer. After four books of my own, plus doing lots of assisting on a couple of others, I can tell you that one month to do a novel is not at all realistic (as others have already pointed out).

Anyway, when I was in the "finishing stages" of two of my books, I opted to go away to someplace quiet, but could only go for a few days. The first time was a train ride on the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth. It was following a work conference in Sydney. It was lovely and very quiet on the train. Plenty of time to sit and think and write.

The other time, I stayed in a lovely old house with a huge front porch lined with wicker furniture, near the boat dock on Mackinac Island. Again, very peaceful and quiet, allowing for lots of work to get finished. I loved the sound of the horses clip-clopping by!

Ah, to be so lucky to "escape" for a month!!

Carol

ComfyShoes

What an interesting question. I guess it depends on the type of book. IF I can manage to keep myself still long enough to actually write a novel!, I would want to be near people with similar energy and vibe. Sort of like finding multiple temporary muses one can draw from/on a canvas. So isolated islands just for pretty scenary are out. Yes, definitely a large metropolis with lots of coffee houses I can go to take breaks and people-watch, great variety of ethnic food for the soul, and hip cosmopolitan crowd who I can understand without exercising my brain too hard (there goes almost all of Europe! Oops, Wrong forum!). San Francisco would do it for me. When? ANY time. Novel or not, may be I should just move there.... Hmm...

Momliz

I like all of the above, but wouldn't you need a reliable internet connection?

quokka

I wrote parts of my latest book on the shores of the North Sea. I rented an apartment in Cuxhaven for a couple of weeks this May/June. It was perfect. The town is big enough to provide all the infrastructure one may need in any emergency - computer store, internet cafe, library, shops (that's why I did not choose one of the islands).
On the other hand, to me there is nothing more relaxing and helping to concentrate than a long walk along a sea shore with my feet in the water. Fresh sea air keeps the head clear.
Cuxhaven is one of the few places on the mainland where the mudflats are sandy and solid and can be walked for hours at low tide. There is enough to do if you need a break from your work or want to grant yourself a reward - the beach, swimming, biking (bike rentals at every street corner and a whole network of marked bike trails in the countryside), watching the big ships entering or leaving the mouth of the Elbe, a couple of cute little museums, opportunities for day trips like Hamburg and Bremen, the island of Helgoland or, a must, the ride in a horse-drawn carriage to the island of Neuwerk...

I'll do that again when I have a new project.

hopscotch

Winter. Small Dutch, German, Belgian, or northern French town with a couple of good cafes having cheap beer and booze, fish and basic grub, and local characters to talk with. Stay in a B&B so you don't need to waste time shopping for groceries or doing the laundry. Have 24 hour access to the kitchen and services because that is the working schedule of writers. Take an extra six to twelve months so you can finish the job.

hausfrau

Let's give karlth the benefit of the doubt - he didn't say anything about actually finishing a novel in a month! ;-)

A lot depends on what kind of book you are writing and how much you (and your writing) are influenced by your surroundings. You want a location that inspires you to write...so not necessarily a typical vacation destination. For me that is right here in my office in Stuttgart, with a view into the treetops and out across the forested valley behind our house. I find I write the best when it is cold and rainy outside and I can cuddle up in front of my computer with a cup of tea and a warm shawl. As for time of year, I don't think it really matters. But if you are distracted too much by amazing scenery and wonderful weather, you might end up getting no writing done at all!

If I had an opportunity to go anywhere in the world to write, I would probably choose an atmospheric castle in the countryside in Scotland or Germany, in the autumn. Someplace with all the conveniences of home, good comfort food, and walking trails nearby (because I simply can't write all day). Second choice would be a cottage by the sea in Cornwall.

propertravel

TURKEY.......
If cold is not an issue when outside Cappadocia in winter is very quite and mystic. Otherwise April, May, June or September,October.
Generally a resort place pre season is also fine.

I know Johan Le Carre was my guests once at south coast where I was working and Barbara Nadel did some of her writings in Cappadocia Turkey.

Good Luck,
Murat