Welcome to Desk Tour, a series where I interview creative folks about their desks and workspaces. In case you missed it: Azora Zoe Paknad’s Desk Tour from last time. You can also browse the entire catalog of Desk Tours.
If you know me or my reading taste even a little bit, then you know I love Talking At Night by Claire Daverley with a deep, deep passion. It is one of my favorite books of all time, and I am counting down the minutes until I can read Daverley’s sophomore novel People In Love (out June 4, 2026 in the UK and next year in the US — order right now wherever you get your books!).
I’ve enjoyed following Daverley on social media since I read her first novel, particularly because she lives in Scotland… by the sea… with an adorable dog. I am enchanted by her writing and absolutely charmed by her gorgeous desk by the ocean (her Substack is even called Desk by the Ocean). It’s why I am so particularly excited to share her Desk Tour with you all today. Get ready to pick your jaw up off the floor!!!
OM: Describe your workspace.
CD: I write in a room at the front of my house, at a desk pushed up against the window that looks out on the sea – or technically, a sea loch, which I like to swim in when the tides area right! Sitting at my desk I have a view of the water and the shoreline, which is often scattered with oyster catchers or gulls, and the occasional porpoise, seal or kayak might glide by when the water is calm, which is quite the enchanting distraction.
Behind me is a bookcase my dad built from scratch to house my many books (for so many years they were kept in boxes in a variety of rooms) and there’s a fluffy dog bed under the desk where my spaniel, Isla, likes to sleep when I’m working. Unless she’s sharing my chair, to be fair, which she does quite often.
What else? There’s a woven rug, a French bureau filled with stationery and notebooks, and another window to the left, which looks out onto the Arrochar alps. Lots of framed prints I’ve collected from various places, leaning on bits of furniture. A yoga mat. A typewriter that belonged to my grandmother. It’s a beautiful room; I feel very lucky to have it as my workspace.
OM: What are your three favorite items on your desk right now?
CD: I have a little white ceramic vase that I bought from a Japandi shop in Brooklyn that is just so pleasing, filled with dried flowers. Generally, tiny handmade ceramics bring me a lot of joy – something about the tactile nature of them, I think, and how you can almost feel the artistry of it as much as you can see it. I have an arts background and while I don’t paint or sculpt myself any more, you can see my fascination with art in the little objects I collect, I think.
Beside that vase is a prose poem that I wrote during a creativity retreat led by Liz Gilbert (the author of Eat Pray Love, Big Magic and All The Way to the River). She’s magic personified, that woman, and the entire weekend led up to this moment where we each pulled out a few lines we’d scribbled down across the retreat and arranged them into a five-line poem. And it turned out what the poem ended up being was what we’d all most needed to hear. It was really quite something! So I framed it, and keep it on my desk as a little reminder of what it is I can sometimes forget, when I’m working on a project.
And finally, there’s a script on my desk which my husband bought for me as a Christmas present – the Thanksgiving episode of The Bear, which is one of the best TV shows ever made, in my humble opinion! The dialogue is impeccable, and that episode in particular was staggering. It was such a thoughtful and fascinating gift to receive, so that’s on my desk too, right now. I absolutely love writing dialogue, so it’s an important part of my process to pay close attention to films and television shows that handle dialogue so brilliantly, as well as the novels that do, too.
OM: Do you keep anything specific at your desk that you use as inspiration to stay creative or positive?
CD: Ah yes! I always keep a row of books on my desk, which changes depending on what I’m working on at the time. So they’re an intentional selection, which help focus the tone or atmosphere for a piece of work. But I also keep a candle on my desk, to light when – and only when – I am working on a manuscript. It almost casts a small spell for the ritual of writing, then, as opposed to editing or replying to emails, which all has to happen in the same office.
Next to my desk, I also have a series of motivational quotes or bits of writing advice that I’ve collated over the years, to keep me focused. One of which is write with the door closed, to ensure I keep the privacy that I need – and another of which is to write the clearest, truest words you can, which helps if I’m feeling like I’m floundering, somewhat, in the story, or over-writing, as I tend to do.
OM: Is there anything you absolutely HAVE to have at your desk/workspace or you can’t be productive?
AB: I hope it’s not a let-down of an answer to say no. But I think it’s unwise to set constraints on your ability to work, like that, as a writer. Ideally I like writing at my desk with my candle and my notebooks, but equally I can and do write anywhere – at the hairdressers, on a train, waiting for a ferry (which I spend a lot of time doing, now I live in rural Scotland). All I need to write is the desire to do so. That’s the enchanting thing about it – it can be done anywhere, in any weather, in any mood, with any tool, whether that’s on your phone or laptop or with good old-fashioned pen and paper.
OM: Is there anything you’d change about your workspace? If so, what?
CD: I need more storage space, Olivia! My desk is so beautiful – for my entire life I wrote on a battered old Ikea desk covered in pencil marks and tea stains, and then maybe two years ago I finally upgraded to a proper French writing desk – and I love it, but it’s quite large, and there’s a lot of dead space beneath it. I keep thinking I need to get some sort of wheelie drawers or something to place under it so that I can stow my many notebooks away, rather than keep them piled on the desk. But also… maybe I’d miss them if I couldn’t see them. Maybe half the charm of this room is in the organised chaos.
OM: What books are on your desk right now?
CD: A huge stack of notebooks – eight, actually, I’m slightly embarrassed to say. No wait, nine! And an inspiring array of some excellent novels I’ve read over the years, that I’m dipping into as reminders of a particular atmosphere that I’m reaching for with my own writing. Breakdown, by Cathy Sweeney. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. What I’d Rather Not Think About, by Jente Posthuma. The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden. Weather by Jenny Offill. And a book of poetry called Felicity by my favourite poet, Mary Oliver.
As mentioned, I keep a different set of books on my desk for each book that I write, so this is a new collection for a new project. I really love the ritual of re-shelving books that shaped or influenced one novel, and gathering the ones that might act as guiding lights for the next.
All I need to write is the desire to do so. That’s the enchanting thing about it – it can be done anywhere, in any weather, in any mood, with any tool, whether that’s on your phone or laptop or with good old-fashioned pen and paper.
OM: Describe your ideal work day at your desk.
CD: It starts early. Before dawn, preferably. I’ll get to my desk and light the candle and write, before anyone else is awake, as the sun starts to rise over the sea. Then at a more normal hour I’ll get up and make a cup of tea, have some breakfast, take my dog for a walk. (If this is an IDEAL working day, breakfast will be homemade pancakes courtesy of my husband, but if we’re sticking to what’s more likely or what actually happens, it’ll be a bowl of porridge pinged in the microwave). Once I’m home from walking the dog I’ll read over what I wrote that morning, and work for a few more hours before I take a break for a run or a session at the gym. I find I need regular space from a project, and to get moving or outside, to ensure the creativity doesn’t dry up. Even if it’s going well, I think quitting while you’re ahead is always wise. When I first became a full-time writer I used to try and spend 9-5 working and it took all the fun and the flow out of it. Breaks are key. Wanting to get back to the words is key.
Then the afternoon is ideally spent doing other things – emails, interviews, preparation for events – and then I might do some more writing in the evening before dinner. I’ve never thought about it like this until now, but it seems I’m quite a crepuscular creature, when it comes to writing? I crave the quiet, private times of day, to sit and work on a manuscript. Or a “thing” as Miriam Toews calls it in her recent memoir – something I’ve decided to adopt for myself, to take the pressure off. Writing a novel sounds so serious, doesn’t it. So daunting. Whereas working on a thing? Feels more playful. Easier.
OM: Where can people find you on the internet?
CD: On Instagram @clairedaverley, or over on my Substack, Desk by the Ocean , for the occasional long-form post on books, writing, and the balance of joy and heartache that comes with being a published author. Plus spaniel photographs and sea views!
Note from Olivia: I can’t stop thinking about how Claire studies scripts she loves as a way to improve writing dialogue… I may be stealing that. Finally: All I want in this life is for more people to buy books from the authors I admire the most… so, please, go buy her books if you haven’t yet!!!
A portion of June’s subscriber proceeds will go to Columbia Kitchen, a local nonprofit which helps provide free meals to those in need in my community.
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