How to Have An Ancient Library to Write In

Ancient libraries are an absolute passion of mine. If I could, I would run off and live forever in one. Instead, I pretend.

Magical worlds are a thing at our house.

My husband, a concept illustrator, is always designing new worlds on paper or the computer. The constant themes in my head lend always to the mystical. I’m always contemplating how to create these vibes around us. If you arrived at the door of our wee Vancouver flat, you’d begin to wonder if you hadn’t stepped another world (at least for a moment).

It’s raining a Vancouver sort of rain today —cold and constant. My mind is heavy and in need of ordering. A deep dive into my less-20th-century places is going to make sure a day in the big, comfy leather chair in my writing nook is well-spent.

Ready? Let’s go on a house tour:

Film design guru Jaime Gervais nailed my kitchen for me with his apothecary :

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Also jonzing a bit for some The Witcher 3 garden and living room action (love the soundtrack too BTW):

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The Advanced D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide has obviously been cohabitating with my inner alchemist in the workshop:

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I am absolutely obsessed with A Palace In The Mountains by Meng De Cai

This could totally work as a bedroom, right?

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Here are a couple others that confirm with me my connection to ancient libraries from other times and places.

None of them have the original art credit attached to them. So, offer them up as inspiration and send out my gratitude to the imaginations which produced them, despite their current anonymity. I suspect the last one is from the AD&D manual as well, but I can’t find my copy to confirm.

The writer’s studio:

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The amphitheater (because everyone needs a place for the ancients to gather)

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Research table:

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The Library:

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I think I need to go light some candles and bust out the grimoires now.