My Office Is My Sanctuary, My Refuge & Also My Battlefield: Author Pervin Saket

Every writer yearns to have an idyllic log cabin somewhere in the woods or a little home by the sea or at least a private space where they can retreat and be lost in their world of imagination. Where do words flow? Where are books born? What is the perfect writing space? How does a writer create an inspirational environment?

In the first of this series, called Writers' Workspaces author Pervin Saket talks to SheThePeople.TV's Book editor Archana Pai-Kulkarni about the delightful place where she does all her incredible writing.

Picture Credit: Pervin Saket

 "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction," Virginia Woolf famously wrote. If not a room, a space of her own, at least. Do you agree? How important is a fixed writing place to you? Is it the only place where you write? 

I believe a woman must have a space of her own whether she writes or not. But yes, the need for a professional space where one is undisturbed and free cannot be overemphasised. It does not necessarily have to be an office or a study - many writers have claimed a corner of the dining table or a section of the bedroom and created an invisible fence forged out of angry stares whenever anyone intruded. My office is my sanctuary, my refuge and also my battlefield as I work on a story or a poem. It is where I write most, and where it's always easiest to work, though I've learnt to write almost anywhere, particularly when I'm travelling.

My office is my sanctuary, my refuge and also my battlefield as I work on a story or a poem.

What made you choose this space? How has having a designated place to work facilitated your writing? What did you have in mind while creating this space? 

I converted one room in our house into my office, and chose the one that seemed cosiest, can hold a lot of books and offers inspiration to read and write. I was careful about certain decisions such as the lighting, making sure there's inviting seating space and of course, the blackboard! One entire wall of the room has been converted into a blackboard. This is where I brainstorm, make notes and lists, connect ideas, etc. I also love being surrounded by plants and sometimes curl up with a book on the window-seats that overlook the garden.

I was careful about certain decisions such as the lighting, making sure there's inviting seating space and of course, the blackboard!

Writers are known to have quirks. Some have lucky charms on their desks, others have a coffee machine, candles or some books which are constant companions. Describe your desk. 

My obsession then has got to be empty surfaces! I need my desk to be absolutely clutter-free. I'm always putting away papers, books and even wires! The charging cord, for instance, is rolled away when I start working, and my table has been designed such that all cables and wires are out of sight. Some of this decluttering has to do with wanting a clear head and absolutely no distractions. I even close unnecessary browsers and files on my laptop so that my machine is not cluttered. Of course, my bookcase is right next to me and I ensure that the books I'm currently reading or referring to are instantly accessible. But mostly, when I write it's a very intimate and personal fingertips-to-keyboard time, and I need to keep everything else away.

I need my desk to be absolutely clutter-free. I'm always putting away papers, books and even wires!

When can we find you at your workplace? Door open or door closed? Do people tiptoe around you when you write or have you acclimatised yourself to the diurnal sounds? 

I'm at my desk from around 10 in the morning till lunch, and then again till about 6pm, and then post-dinner again for an hour or so. Not all of this time is spent churning out stories - much of it is the maintenance of the writing life. I work as an editor (from home), and dedicate some hours to my job and others to my creative writing - the exact division depends on the urgency of assignments, the writing project at hand, etc. I'm by myself most of the day so it would be spooky if there was any tiptoeing around!

Picture Credit: Pervin Saket

When you write, do you need to stay connected with the outer world? If so, why? 

Some connections with the world are inevitable, even necessary: travelling, looking up information, reading on the web, staying connected to other writers, editors, reviewing new books, participating and readings and discussions etc. and I've heard of these being distracting for some writers. And then there are others who shun social engagements when they're in the thick of a project. For me, it's a matter of discretion and degree. Rather than take a principled stand about no social interactions or no reading unrelated books, I'd rather check if I want to participate in something in that particular instance or not. It'll depend on the nature of the interaction, on the people involved, on how my writing week has gone, on what stage of writing I'm at etc. I'm not comfortable with a compartmentalised life; I'd rather that life and art flow naturally into each other, and feed each other even as I work towards those few enviable moments when art transcends the human condition.

I'm not comfortable with a compartmentalised life; I'd rather that life and art flow naturally into each other.

Did you write your debut novel, Urmila, here? How long did it take? Describe your typical writing day. (Does it involve reading, breaks, walks . . . ?)

I did not write Urmila here; I wrote the book in two other houses. The first draft in one place and then we shifted homes in between, which is where I finalised the novel. The first draft took about nine months. Then there were a few rewrites and major edits, with long gaps in between too. I must have 'worked' on it, for about three years. But wherever we stayed, we always made sure there was a separate work area for me.

An ideal writing day (as versus a typical one) would involve long stretches of writing punctuated by reading, walks, snacks, yoga, music and rearranging drawers! A typical writing day is hard to describe because each day insists on being unique!

What are you working on now? 

I'm now working on my second collection of poetry. It's an exciting project and I'm sometimes concerned about the sheer ambition of the intent. But then the only projects worth doing and those that take your breath away a little!

Pervin Saket was shortlisted for the Random House India Writers Bloc Award 2013 and is the author of a novel Urmila (Jaico, India, 2016) and of a collection of poems A Tinge of Turmeric, (Writers Workshop, India, 2009). Her novel has been adapted into an acclaimed dance drama featuring classical forms of Odissi, Bharatnatyam and Kathak. She is a certified Creative Writing Trainer from British Council, and she works as an editor, developing academic books.