Join us as we hear from our BookSparks authors on where they write to find inspiration.
Introducing – Where I Write!

Where I Write – Melissa Scholes Young

For the first time in my writing life, I have an office, but I wrote most of my debut novel, Flood, on a laptop desk in bed. I kept it tucked by my nightstand and would quietly slip the desk and my computer or journal on it so I could write first thing in the morning before the kids woke up or discovered I’d stirred. Maybe that’s why it took me five years to finish it.

My desk now is a sewing table my grandpa made for my grandma. At five foot two, I have a few inches on Grandma, so my mom screwed wooden finials from a curtain rod set to the legs to raise it up for me when she delivered it to my office. When I write, I like thinking of the fierce do-it-yourself women who raised me. They taught me to work hard and to finish what I start and that my own daughters are always watching so I’d better be brave.

Sometimes I write in my office with my dog laying across my feet. He teaches me to sit and stay. He also reminds me that a walk with him is valuable writing time too. I do my deepest work at residencies, though. I run away sometimes for the work, but I always find my way home.

Last summer while on book tour, my husband painted my office. It’s a serene green blue to match the view I had during my month-long residency in France. He also had the cover of Flood made into wall art and hung it for me. He’s trying to entice me to stay home and write more books. His plan seems to be working.

Melissa Scholes Young

Melissa Scholes Young is the author of the novel Flood. She was born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri and proudly claims it her hometown. Her writing has appeared in the Atlantic, Washington Post, Narrative, Ploughshares, Poet Lore, and Poets & Writers. She’s a Contributing Editor for Fiction Writers Review and Editor of the Grace & Gravity anthology. She teaches at American University in Washington, D.C. and is a Bread Loaf Bakeless Camargo Fellow.