Welcome to Desk Tour, a series where I interview creative folks about their desks and workspaces. In case you missed it: Thao Thai’s Desk Tour from last time. You can also browse the entire catalog of Desk Tours.
It’s been five years since I started this wild and wonderful endeavor of writing novels, and I can say with confidence that the only way I have made my way through is because I have found other authors to connect with along the way. Being able to grab coffee or hop on Zoom with someone and say, “Have you ever felt this way?” and “Is this normal?” and “Am I completely losing my mind here?” is key to surviving this industry and refocusing on what really matters: The writing itself.
I love Ella Berman for so many reasons but, selfishly, maybe mostly because when I emailed her and said some version of, “Uh, hi, do you want to be friends?” she said yes! Ella’s novels have been Read With Jenna and Reese’s Book Club picks, and she effortlessly pulls off some of the sharpest, most beautiful line-level writing around, if you ask me. Simply put, she has real talent and great taste, and that’s exactly why I wanted to tour her London office…
OM: Describe your workspace.
EB: I moved house six months ago and, for the first time, I now have a dedicated (tiny) office of my DREAMS. It’s on the top floor and overlooks the garden, and it’s filled with things that make me happy. The rest of our house is fairly grown up and neutral but I created this room for my younger self – the obsessive reader who still drives my curiosity and wonder. I painted the walls baby blue and it’s filled with colorful books and prints. I have a cork board meets whiteboard directly above the desk, and the photos on it are mostly of my daughter, with a message to myself to SAY LESS (as I have a tendency to overwrite in my early drafts).
“The rest of our house is fairly grown up and neutral but I created this room for my younger self – the obsessive reader who still drives my curiosity and wonder.”
OM: What are your three favorite items on your desk right now?
EB: I love my framed vintage Time Magazine cover from 1969 that served as inspiration when I was writing L.A. WOMEN (which is set in 60s and 70s LA) – I got it at the Melrose Trading Post a few years ago. I also have a ceramic palo santo burner that I love as it gives me the hit without the smoke, and my dried lilac hydrangeas always make me smile.
OM: Do you keep anything specific at your desk that you use as inspiration to stay creative or positive?
EB: My friend, Ben, edits a poetry anthology, Fourteen Poems, and I find that picking up a copy and flicking through it will pull me out of a creative dead spot more often than not. Poetry feels like a tonic when I’m in the weeds of a plot-point conundrum in the final third of a draft – I love how a sentence can hit me right in the solar plexus seemingly out of nowhere. It feels like the anti AI.
“Poetry feels like a tonic when I’m in the weeds of a plot-point conundrum in the final third of a draft – I love how a sentence can hit me right in the solar plexus seemingly out of nowhere. It feels like the anti AI.”
OM: Is there anything you absolutely HAVE to have at your desk/workspace or you can’t be productive?
EB: A coffee, then infinite cups of hot water and Dieux Instant Angel moisturizer to reapply throughout the day. Generally, I’m much more productive now than I was before I had my daughter – wanting to spend time with her has created an endless source of the urgency-based motivation that my brain needs to start working.
OM: Is there anything you’d change about your workspace? If so, what?
EB: My chair isn’t the MOST comfortable but I’ve learned the hard way that writing for hours in bed or on the sofa isn’t sustainable. I’d also love some more bookshelves as I have piles of books in every room without a home.
OM: What books are on your desk right now?
EB: For the current draft of my work in progress, I’m focusing on the parent-child relationship at its heart, so I’ve pulled out some of my favorite books on the subject – White Oleander, Laura & Emma, Madwoman, The Lost Daughter, Places to Look for a Mother, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous - hoping that their mere proximity will inspire me.
OM: Describe your ideal work day at your desk.
EB: I’d set up at my desk at around 9am with a coffee, hot water and a Danish cinnamon roll. Then I’d ease myself into the day by reading through some of the writing I did the day before. This way, I can trick myself into editing (which inevitably turns into writing), without the pressure of starting cold. I’d write through to lunch, with a few breaks to check messages or send my husband a stupid meme. At lunch, I’d take my dog to the park for a walk and would call one of my friends for a catch up (/contact with the outside world), before returning to my desk to work through to the night. As long as I take little breaks, I can write for hours, and feel like my best writing often comes towards the end of the day when I’m feeling slightly loopy.
OM: Where can people find you on the internet?
EB: On Instagram: EllaBerman
Note from Olivia: I really need to see some commotion for the rug in the comments here, because wow. PERFECT! Also, I may need to write ‘SAY LESS’ somewhere near my desk as well…
A portion of August’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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