I’ve been thinking about moving. It’s all part of the grand scheme to make the jump to writing full-time. It’s expensive to live in Southern California, so I’ve been researching other places. Affordable places that would still have the things I consider to be essential to my health and well-being.
So far the only thing I know for sure I need is an unfailing Internet connection.
I’m pretty sure I can get Netflix almost anywhere.
Bookstores would be good–and a great indie coffee house or two. Bookstores, especially a used bookstore, are almost essential, although, the truth is as long as I’ve got that Internet connection I can find books. Granted it’s not quite the same thing as prowling musty dusty old stores and discovering paperback gold, but there are bound to be tradeoffs.
Some kind of civilized life would be nice. But define “civilized.” So far I haven’t managed to narrow it down. Having lived in Southern California I consider just about anywhere within driving distance of anywhere else, so maybe I could find civilization even if I lived on the outskirts of…wherever.
I like clean air and wide open spaces. I like small towns. I like the idea of friendly neighbors and a local church–at least, I imagine I do, but the truth is, I don’t go to church and I rarely see the light of day, let alone my neighbors.
Maybe that would change once I’m writing full-time, but I kind of doubt it. I do plan on getting more fresh air and working in my garden, so I guess a suitable gardening climate is a must. I’m tired of trying to grow an English cottage garden in the desert. I get points for persistence, but I think I lose points for flaunting Mother Nature.
Rain would be nice.
Weather in general would be nice. Seasons.
Of course, with seasons, you get snow, and I’m not sure I would know what to do with it beyond make snow angels and throw snowballs, and I suspect it’s more complicated than that. I’m willing to hibernate during winters, but one is bound to occasionally need to leave the cave.
Speaking of leaving, the thought of leaving California is scary to me. I’m not sure why, exactly, since I spend a lot of time bitching about all kinds of things Californian: traffic, smog, signs totally in Spanish, etc. I’ve always identified myself as a California Girl. I grew up with the understanding that the Beach Boys sang “California Girls” for…well, me. And my sisters.
There are certain writers you associate with their home towns: Raymond Chandler and Los Angeles (okay, I know LA wasn’t his home town, but he made it his); Poppy Z. Brite and New Orleans, Laura Lippman and Baltimore. It’s not like I need to be in California to write about California–especially since half the time I’m writing about places I’ve never even been to.
Still, it’s a weird feeling. Like considering cutting your lifeline while you’re outside the space ship checking the mud-flaps or whatever it is astronauts do outside the spaceship.
Right now I’m considering Cedar City, Utah. It’s small and quaint and pretty enough. Not only does it have a very cool Shakespearean festival I’ve been to a couple of times, it has a Neil Simon festival. And it has four coffee houses (including a Starbucks) and a couple of bookstores. It’s a college town. I think it might also be a stronghold of white supremacy, but I’m not sure about that one.
Property values are terrific, and we could get twice the house for half the money. That’s alluring, especially for Mr. Thrilling, whose office is not insulated (his coffee actually froze in his mug the other day).
But would it be good for my writing? This is always the first and foremost question for me.
Granted, living somewhere where I could afford to be a fulltime writer would probably be good for my writing. But obviously there’s more to it than that, and more research needs to be done.
And while I do a little more research, let me ask you this: Do you, as a writer, identify in a personal and professional way with where you live? What, if anything, do you consider to be essential to your writing habitat?
Oh, and do you know anything about Cedar City, Utah that I should know?
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Come to North Carolina, darlin’. We have seasons, though winters tend to be mild, with no more than one or two snowfalls a year, and those usually pretty light. Summers are hot as the hinges of Hell, but we have AC and sweetened iced tea to get you through that. (Hint: apply the cold glass directly to the forehead).
I’d suggest Pittsboro, in Chatham County. Rural, very pretty, small town, but only about 10 minutes away from Chapel Hill, where there are a pile of good used bookstores, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. And you’re reasonably close to the airport.
I’ll even school you on the finer points of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball. (Hint: UNC good, NC State evil, Duke very very evil indeed).
by JDRhoades
on February 19th, 2007 at 8:39 am
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College towns are the key. I’d say Utah may be a good next step for you - not too far from “home” and not too bizarre a landscape change. Also, as much as you may want an English garden, along with that comes humidity! Might be more than you bargained for (remember our restaurant search in Crystal City through tunnels and drizzle? Not good for the hairdo.)
Though, speaking of English gardens and humidity, I’ve always wanted to live in Oregon (speaking of white supremacy as well, I guess - sigh). Ever since I was a kid - I heard it was very green and I think I got an image of Gene Kelly and Brigadoon in my head.
Overall, I think you can’t go wrong with a college town with some kind of arts program. I’d say, look for one with evening writer’s classes so you could teach a class one semester if you had to.
I think I’m sticking with the old MD. We toyed with moving to MA or NH years ago, but I think MD winters are more my style (two weeks of 50-70 degrees followed by a blizzard that melts in 10 days). Humidity, though.
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Sheesh, I can’t even spell my own pseudonym! More on that on Thursday…
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>>>Do you, as a writer, identify in a personal and professional way with where you live? What, if anything, do you consider to be essential to your writing habitat?
by Laura
on February 19th, 2007 at 9:33 am
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No clue why my response got eaten.
Anyway, those are interesting questions, Diana. I’d never really stopped and thought about it before, but, yeah, I’d need a bookstore (or two) and a coffee house within a reasonable drive. The bookstore is always motivating from a standpoint of being surrounded by books. The coffee house is good for background noise and an alternate writing environment.
And btw, St. Louis isn’t so bad…
by Laura
on February 19th, 2007 at 9:49 am
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MMmmm. Well, I write non-fiction, so I’m not sure the same rules apply. But it seems to me that writing is fundamentally an isolated activity & the question is what setting do we need to support or mitigate the loneliness of our craft.
I usually write in the middle of the night & a quiet place is pretty important (currently Extremely rural Iowa, which I recommend). But if eavesdropping on conversations is important to your writing–and I know many writiers for whom it is–Chinese restaurants are even better than coffee houses. (Maybe the importance of eavesdropping could be a blog topic?) I find coffee houses tend to be too socially conventional–the stories of the habitually hip are pretty predictable, after all.
There is life without a used bookstore nearby; there are libraries everywhere. Sometimes a county library is a lot more interesting than a city library, esp. in the periodical section.
I think it’s a good tip, ‘though, about a college where you could teach a writing class if needed the $$. But if you wanted to hear interesting stories (without getting paid), you could volunteer to teach life-writing at a sr. ctr. or nursing home & find all kinds of good stuff.
by Cynthia
on February 19th, 2007 at 11:22 am
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J.D., thank you kindly for the thought–there’s much to be said for North Carolina. I have friends there (besides yourself, that is) and it does have a rather nice literary tradition, including O. Henry, and a couple of newbies called Maya Angelou and Tom Wolfe.
Hey, what a weird thing it would be to live in a state where I have no investment in the Rosebowl!
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Regin…Regin…
It sounded so familiar and yet…not quite right. 
Humidity is a good point, Heidi/Regina. I’m not fond of humidity, although it is one reason all my “Back East” cousins and aunts have such terrific skin. Talk about the elixir of youth: it’s humidity!
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Hey, Laura, I’m pretty much addicted to ice blended coffee drinks now days, so even though I don’t particularly want to WRITE in a coffee house, I still need one close enough to feed my need for frou frou fake coffee.
Frou frou? That’s a word, right?
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Hey, Cynthia, rural anywhere has much to be said about it. I like seeing critters and I like seeing the stars at night. Okay, not all critters–lions and tigers maybe not so much, so I guess rural Ethiopia is probably out. Not that Iowa sounds quite THAT exotic.
I do like your idea of a post on eavesdropping, by the way, I am a terrible eavesdropper. I mean, I’m a GOOD eavesdropper, mostly, but I do have a tendency to laugh out loud at some of the things I hear.
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Oh, Heidi/Regina, Seattle was actually my first choice, but the property values aren’t quite as favorable as when you start to mosey on eastward.
It is beautiful though, and they understand the importance of occasionally allowing a tree or two to survive. Something we really frown on here in SoCal. Those damn trees REALLY get in the way of tractors working on strip malls.
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Diana,
I second Dusty’s invite.
I’ve lived all over the place and North Carolina is my choice for home.
I live in Durham, much feared by right-wingers because they’re afraid they’ll see a black person. But for the rest of us, we have some great theater (see Manbites Dog), a documentary film festival (see Full Frame), the American Dance Festival, a terrific library (Perkins) at Duke, a live music scene, a new art museum (see Nasher), and if you swing a cat, you will hit a writer especially in Hillsborough, my second choice.
Come on, hon, and you’ll learn all about the three B’s of life in NC: basketball, Baptists and barbecue.
It is, as they say about Chapel Hill, the southern part of heaven.
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Oh, I forgot to mention great beaches a few hours east and great mountains a few hours west. Not LA, but not bad.
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Cedar City looks like an interesting little city. I wouldn’t mind being there myself. Or somewhere bigger than where I am. I’m so tired of dial-up Internet. 
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Doesn’t it seems like a very fancy coffee machine would be a tax-deductable professional expense for a writer??
by Cynthia
on February 19th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
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Now you’re talking, Cynthia! 
by Laura
on February 19th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
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Wow, David. I must say you and JD put up some pretty darned convincing arguments. I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of BEACHES. I’m awfully fond of sand and seaweed–one of the strongest scents I remember from my childhood is Sea and Ski.
Ah, to be in North Carolina when the dogwood is in bloom.
Of course I’m probably allergic to dogwood, but it’s so pretty!
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Oh my God, Tori! Dial up?! Granted it seems like an effective curb on wasting too much time on the Internet, but…jeeeeez!
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Yep, Cynthia, seems reasonable to me. I mean if cable TV can be deducted in certain cases, coffee machines should be a no brainer.
Hmm. I’m sure there are kinds of ways whip cream could qualify, now that I think about it…
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Perhaps if you write a romance or two, Diana. 
by Laura
on February 19th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
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Diana: not just beaches, but beaches with legally mandated public access every half mile or so.
We’ll make a Tarheel out of you yet, mark my words.
I’m working on Tasha and Kristy for NC, too.
by JDRhoades
on February 19th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
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Another word about the NC beaches: Unlike many places in the US, all beaches from the dunes down are public. You can own beachfront property, but you can’t own the beach. It’s so civilized. You can walk the beaches for miles without crossing a property line.
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JD, I’m reading your stuff and it’s making me really look forward to the trip I’m considering to the New Bern area in April. Beaches and sunshine, two of my all-time favorite words.
by Laura
on February 19th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
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Diana, don’t go off and abandon me here in Southern California!
I have to say that after many moves, I’ve discovered that a college town is pretty much the best bet. Plenty of good restaurants, lots of activities, and there’s a certain vibe, an excitement. Must be all the hormones. Another good thing to have is an interstate close by, if not going through your town. Good escape route and it guarantees that you’ll have a least some decent restaurants. I always check out the library, too. Great libraries and bookstores can make a town.
by Sara
on February 19th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
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Hey, Sara, at the rate you move around, you’ll be abandoning me before I get even half my books packed!
Books. The really not fun part of moving.
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