First There Were Vanity Publishers...
Now there's vanity offices. Why ever would I want to pay 350 dollars a month for this, when I can get the same service in my own living room and not even have to leave the house?
theOffice, creating the ideal workplace for indie writers
I am in west Los Angeles today and dropped by theOffice, a community workspace serving the professional writing community of Santa Monica and surrounding areas. They have put a lot of thought and effort into creating an ideal creative work environment combining elements of a cafe, library, and Feng Shui garden into a place creative professionals feel inspired and focused.
Background information
The workspace was founded by writer and director Aleks Horvat in 2004 with charter members such as J.J. Abrams, Jim Uhls, and Mara Brock Akil. A wall-of-fame tracks successful works written in the space. Aleks was working out of cafes or at home, using uncomfortable chairs, and surrounded by noise and interruptions. theOffice was founded to create a quiet new space free of interruptions, surrounded by other like-minded individuals, and with access to everything they needed to be successful writers.
What is your ideal work environment? The working space here contains a 8-foot bonsai tree and river stones as the centerpiece of a round table and group work area. A bubbling brook creates ambient noise nearby. The edges of the room contain individual desks or you may wish to plop down on a more plush chair with a writing ledge. Since we're in sunny Santa Monica, you can also sit outside on the deck and enjoy the mild weather. I chose a seat on the edge of the room but in a group work environment sitting around the bonsai seems ideal.
Every seat has power, an ethernet jack, and ambient WiFi. You can sit in an Aeron chair, wear Bose noise-reducing headphones, and focus on your work. A common library supplies the latest newspapers, trade magazines, industry directories, and reference books. Tea, coffee, water, and espresso drinks are available. The environment is focused on quiet: you must set your cell phone on vibrate, and take any conversations outside. It's located near San Vicente Boulevard and 26th Street in Santa Monica, between two country clubs and near the target market of writers in their 30s and 40s. The surrounding area contains a few small restaurants and shops to provide good food and entertaining work breaks.
Read whole thing
I dunno. Seems to me that this enterprise(though well done for spotting a niche), is all surface, aimed at wannabe's who like the idea of being a writer in public. "Look at me, with my Bose headphones and Aeron chair!, I'm here, I'm a writer!" Certainly I don't know anyone who'd pay 350 dollars a month for the privilege, even if they had it spare, which most writers don't. The fact that it's located between two country clubs tells you all you need to know about their target audience.
My own feeling is that if you write you have to write like you have to breathe, and the background is irrelevant. I write with cats and the radio and coffee and cigarettes and the occasional joint. Other people around, showing off, would drive me nuts, cool equipment and bonsai trees notwithstanding and I suspect I'm not the only one. Writers can be very misanthropic.
YMMV, and I'd be interested to know how. Where and how do you write, if you do?
Read More: Blogging Bloggers Blogs Business
Posted 8:31 AM by Republic of Palau
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"I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq."
-- U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, 21 July 2003
Self promotion
Martin:
Wis[s]e Words
International (political) weblog.
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Take it as Red
Progressive weblogs:
Descriptions underneath are as much as possible taken from the weblog itself.
Fun-loving Feministas
Carnival of the Feminists
Held on the first and third Wednesday of each month and aims to showcase the finest feminist
posts from around the blogsphere.
Fetch Me My Axe
...we've all got something to grind. By Belledame222.
Pandagon
It's just Amanda now, strong on feminism.
Red State Feminist
Women's and Children's Issues, Family Law, Domestic Violence
Lefty lawyers
Lawyers, Guns and Money
No idea if they're really lawyers, actually
TalkLeft
The politics of crime.
Middle East knowitalls
Aron's Israel Peace weblog
short commentary on news items, articles and op-ed pieces about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Bethlehem bloggers
Voices from the Bethlehem ghetto.
Jews sans Frontieres
Mark Elf's anti-zionist blog.
Juan Cole
Required reading on Iraq and the Middle East.
Today in Iraq
What's really happening in Iraq
Soulfull scientists
Pharyngula
Science, politics and the intersection between them. By PZ Myers.
Science and Politics
Bora Zivkovic is trying to understand US politics by making strange connections between science,
religion, brain, language and sex.
Thus Spake Zuska
Not very polite.
Steadfast socialists
Actually Existing
Ruthless criticism of all that exists, except for the good bits. By Phil Edwards.
American Leftist
'Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization.' -- Eugene V. Debs
Apostate Windbag
A journal of assorted leftwingery with a decided preference for discussing how the
late Christopher Hitchens is a twat
Bionic Octopus
"better...faster...coconutter."
Dead Men Left
Meaders is active in the RESPECT coalition, but don't hold it against him
GlobBlog
A blog about globalisation. By General Glut.
International Rooksbyism
Not just another scummie student commie's blog. By Ed Rooksby.
Law and Disorder
Socialism and the legal systems
Left I on the News
A leftwing view of the day's news and the way it's represented in the media. By Eli.
Lenin's Tomb
Erudite English Socialist Workers Party supporter.
A New Morning
German/English socialist leaning blog.
Perspective
by Alister Black, Scottish socialist. Writes mainly about local issues.
Sonic's Place
A computer generated, left-wing hedgehog's views on the world and the war
An Unenviable Situation
D Ghirlandaio on politics, art and the culture at large
Unrepentant Marxist
By Louis Proyect, veteran Marxist
Virtual Stoa
Home of the Dead Socialist Watch. By Chris Brooke.
They make fun of the right
So we don't have to.
Alicublog
Plays the stock market of the soul -- and sells short!
Go Fug Yourself
Mocking our betters in Hollywood and tv...
Jesus' General
An 11 on the Manly Scale of Absolute Gender
The Poor Man Institute
For Freedom, Democracy and a Pony.
Sadly No!
A group blog dedicated to make fun of idiots.
TBOGG
Faithful husband, soccer dad, basset owner, and Peggy Noonan stalker
World of Crap
Come point and laught at the fundies and rightwing loonies
Loveable liberals
American Samizdat
The collective effort of over thirty leftwing bloggers.
American Street
A collective of leftist bloggers, poisoning our precious bodily fluids.
Archy
politics, fringe watching, and other stuff. By John McKay.
The Burnt Orange Report
News, Politics, and Fun from Deep in the Heart of Texas.
Democratic Veteran
Because not every vet is a right winger or pseudo facist. By Jo.
Dependable Renegade
By watertiger, who has not yet shot anybody in the face ...yet.
Eschaton
The liberal answer to Instapundit?
FABlog
By David Ehrenstein
A Fistful of Euros
A groupblog focusing on the EU and European politics.
Hronkomatic
Paying good money to shut George Will up. By Jason McCullough.
Hullabaloo
Digby, frequent and eloquent commentor at various blogs finally has his own.
James Wolcott
Journalist, media personality and blogger
John Quiggin
Commentary on Australian & world politics from John Quiggin
Lean Left
by Kevin Raybould
The Left Coaster
Outside-the-Beltway perspectives on politics, current events, and the media
Left in the West
Written by Matt Singer, a Montanan who writes on local issues and national issues
and how they correspond to Montana and the west.
Liberal Oasis
Where the left is right and the right is wrong.
Mad Kane's Noteables
commentary on and song parodies about politics, current events, books, music,
and anything else that inspires her admiration or ire.
Majikthise
Analytic philosophy and liberal politics by Lindsay Beyerstein and others.
Making Light
Teresa and Patrick Nielsen Hayden's politics and life blog.
The Martini Republic
Group blog. Nice design, good content.
Mikhaela's News Blog
By Mikhaela Reid.
Musings and Migraines
Chicago liberal's musings on war, peace, Jon Stewart, art, media. By
Lenora.
Nathan Newman
A community and union activist, policy advocate and writer with an excellent weblog.
Oliver Willis
Like kryptonite to stupid.
Orcinus
Policy, Culture and Journalism in the 21st Century. By David Neiwert.
Pacific Views
regime change begins at home, escalate nonviolence. By Natasha.
Polygon, the Dancing Bear
Occasional notes on politics, history, architecture, and life. By Lawrence Kestenbaum.
Prometheus 6
"What I want to do here is talk to the town criers. And I'll be talking more about people than politics."
Rittenhouse Review
A journal of foreign policy, finance, ethics, and culture. By James M. Capozzola
The Road to Surfdom
an intermittent weblog by Tim Dunlop.
Ruminate This
News, views, activism and a smattering of something else. By Lisa English.
Sasha Undercover
Observations and commentary on politics, women, culture, and daily life. Not for the faint of heart.
Seeing the Forest
...for the trees
Shadow of the Hegemon
Written by returned from the death Greek demagogue Demosthenes so is very eloquent.
The Sideshow
Avedon makes me think. Her weblog revolves around US politics.
Skimble
Culture, politics, commentary, criticism. Views from the left, headquartered in Chicago USA.
Slacktivist
Hopeful outrage, politics, culture and religion from a progressive Christian perspective.
Smythe's World
Politics, baseball and more.
Steve Gilliard's News Blog
Insightful (inciteful?) and interesting
This Modern World
By Tom Tomorrow
Thoughts on the Eve of the Apocalypse
By Bill Connolly
Through the Looking Glass
A chronicle of the absurd, in politics and life. By Charles Dodgson
Wampum
Progressive Politics, Indian Issues, and Autism Advocacy. By "MB".
Whiskey Bar
Free thinking in a dirty glass. By Daily Kos alumni Billmon.
Xoverboard
Blogging and cartoons! Whoot!
Progressive news
