The Perfect Library

Confession: When I was at my poorest, I used to buy DVD season sets to distract me from how poor I was. Allow me to point out that this was stupid.

Reading:

• "Riding the Doghouse" by Randy DeVita
  
• The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
  

Writing:

• "Ferian Fetlock Catches a Cold"
  

Revising:

• "The Revenant"

Future Projects:

• Dairhenien's Library - Development
  
• Floorcraft - First rewrite of 1-5, first draft of 6-8
• Ferian Fetlock - "Ferian Fetlock Takes a Wife."
  
• "Motley" - Expansion
• "Fireworks and Earthworks" - 5% into first draft
  
• Untitled School Mistress Story

Unpublished Stories/Status (in chronological order of completion of first draft)

• "Pictures of the Old Port" - 5th Draft, Unsubmitted
• "What Price Stamps" - 3rd Draft, Submitted to The American Drivel Review, July 30th, 2008
  
• "The Frost Fugling" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
• "Black Pudding" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
• "Cora and the Sea" - 3rd Draft, Unsubmitted
• "Motley" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
• "Leaves and Sunsets" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
• "A Happy Ending" - 1st Draft, Unsubmitted
• "The Revenant" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "Illuminated" - 3rd Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "A Cup of Coffee" / "Morning Tea" - 2nd Draft, Submitted to Tea: A Magazine, July 29th, 2008
• "Ferian Fetlock Cures a Horse" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
• "Hattie Donnelly's Favorite Doll" - 2nd Draft, Submitted to 24 Hour Short Story Contest, July 27th, 2008

It's a mental picture that has really hasn't changed that much over the years--the perfect library. If I ever have the money to custom build my own house, this room will definitely be in there. In fact, I picture it on the right hand side of the house, as you face the front door, in a wing by itself.

It's a rectangular room, but not extra long--probably following the golden ratio--that's the kind of thought that would appeal to me. It's two stories in height. There is a set of double doors that leads from the rest of the house into the room.

As you walk inside, there are glass-covered bookcases lining the walls. Every ten feet or so, they are broken by a tall window that stretches from floor to ceiling, with a semi-circular top. There are three on each side, and they can let in lots of light, but there are also thick curtains that could be kept closed most of the time to protect the books from the light.

Imagine that you are just inside the door, and you look up. Above your head, you see a balcony, and as your eye follows it, you see that it runs along three of the four walls, all except the wall opposite. To your left and right are spiral staircases which lead up to the balcony. There is a railing on the balcony, of course, and on the walls (except where interrupted by windows) are further bookcases. The railing picks up on both sides of the balcony where the windows stretch up. In all, the balcony is about six feet wide, and is supported on the bottom by columns which stretch down to the floor below.

The floor is wood, of course, but there is a large rug in the middle of the room. Along the left side of the room is a series of armchairs and tables, with accompanying floor lamps. On the right side are writing desks and less comfortable chairs, and small desk lamps. There are four sets of these; two, then a glass display case, then another two. In the glass display case can be found a set of interesting objects, the more random the better.

In the very middle of the room is a large globe on a stand. The armchairs and desks are not in a straight line, but in a subtle arc with the globe at the center.

The balcony above ends just sort of the end of the left and right walls. At each corner is another spiral staircase, each going in opposite directions because we must have symmetry. On the far wall are two more tall, arched windows, flanking a fireplace. This fireplace is about six feet across and three or four deep, about five feet tall. The mantle around it is carved wood, and there is a brick chimney that goes up towards the ceiling.

The windows on the sides are French windows at the base, so that they can open up to the garden. As I am far less interested in plants than I am in books, I have no clear picture of the garden. (Hell, if I can afford to build a house to my specifications, I can certainly hire someone to design and maintain a garden, right?) But there's got to be one.

I almost forgot to mention. On the left of the door, past the staircase, is a large card catalog. To the right is a rolltop desk which hides a computer and printer. The computer will run the catalog, and will also be set up to print up card catalog cards, which can be filed in the physical card catalog.

One last thing--the ceiling. It should continue to arch up from the point where the highest bookshelves reach. I picture one, perhaps two chandeliers that hang from the center for the main illumination.

Until writing this post, I hadn't realized how clear a vision I had of this house. I also have a clear vision of my study, the bedroom, the ballroom, and the living room. Plus there's a mead hall, which probably deserves its own post.

I mention all of this here because this is one of the places in my head that I go when I'm writing, wherever I happen to be physically. It also informs, and is informed by, my conception of Dairhenien's Library, which I have mentioned before and will no doubt mention again.

By the way--public reading in T minus 10 hours 36 minutes. Wish me luck.

Publication Status:

• Submitted: 5
  
• Accepted: 1
• Rejected: 1
• Pending: 3