It was a long time ago, in a different world, I moved to Istanbul on my own, dreaming of becoming something—someone— I had never seen growing up as a kid in a patriarchal neighbourhood in Ankara: a female author.
This really resonated with me. I once found a beautiful writing space, a tiny niche on the turn of a staircase, just enough room for a small table and chair tucked underneath. But the window from that nook on the stairs looked over Florence. A bell tower of the nearest church and Brunelleschi's cathedral dome of Santa Maria del Fiore were framed by this small window. Every day of that blessed holiday I sat in this tiny space and wrote in my special notebook. It doesn't matter now what I wrote, but the inspiration stays with me.
I just finished There are Rivers in the Sky. It feels as if you are describing the houseboat. Sparsely furnished, rocking gently on the water, an expansive view. Perfect writing space. I’m fascinated by the creative leap from The Island of Missing Trees to your latest work. I’ll be writing about it in next week’s Beck and Call. Listening to your work read in Audible intensified the experience!
I've just been dreaming this week of a yacht I could own, once I'm rich, that I could drive out into the open Mediterranean, and then sit down at my desk and get to work, amidst all that quiet and peace. Except I'm not sure if yachts have writing desks?
Beautiful post, thank you. I'm curious about how you supported yourself financially in the early years of your writing career, if you feel like sharing.
I’ve delayed my writing for years waiting for the perfect space, the perfect circumstances when my children leave home and I have ‘more time’ and the years rolled until I realised that none of those things were the issue but me. I was the one creating excuses for not writing and that’s when the tide turned and I started writing between children’s naps, and chores, on Saturday mornings at the library while my husband looked after the children and in the evenings instead of TV or social media…
Oh Istanbul, how I long to visit my grandmother’s birth place…
I’ve just finished listening to There Are Rivers in the Sky on Audible. Such a rich experience listening to it on Audible, what a fantastic narrator, she did an exceptional job with pronunciation and accents.
Haven’t been able to get Narin out of my head or heart… I think she’s going to be with me for some time as I continue to grapple with human nature and my lack of understanding it.
After i saw the documentary "Long Distance Revolutionary" about Mumia Abu-Jamal, i decided that i wouldn't ever complain about my writing conditions. He is imho one of the finest article/short essay writers, has many books, (also does short radio segments)... much of it written in solitary confinement on death row, though he is no longer there--yet still a political prisoner whose health is an issue due to the prison system.
Salaam and shukriya ✨🍁🧿 The way you created an arc in your storytelling here is breathtaking. Thank you for reminding us in a gentle way one of the ancient wisdoms of the world, that the inner space needs to be tidied up and calmed down in order for us to see that we can create such a world outside of us too.
I salute you for your appreciation of metal music. I came to love metal in about 2004, when I discovered Nightwish. That band has led me to a whole new world of fine tunes and lyrics. I saw them live in 2008. Unfortunately, my jazz musician husband detests what I listen to, so I do it on ear buds. 🤘🏼 (Oh, and I am an old lady in my mid seventies)
This speaks to me so deep! I'm now in not the best situation in my life, trying to find out what to do, or how to do it. Trying to write and feel in peace where I am. Thank you for this piece.
So evocative: the young, the hopeful young would-be writer moving to Istanbul with their dream writing location in mind. Sometimes the unexpected - at first unsatisfactory - places turn out to be the most memorable ones.
You could blow me over with a feather, learning that you are a heavy metal fan. Astonishing and quite delightful.
This really resonated with me. I once found a beautiful writing space, a tiny niche on the turn of a staircase, just enough room for a small table and chair tucked underneath. But the window from that nook on the stairs looked over Florence. A bell tower of the nearest church and Brunelleschi's cathedral dome of Santa Maria del Fiore were framed by this small window. Every day of that blessed holiday I sat in this tiny space and wrote in my special notebook. It doesn't matter now what I wrote, but the inspiration stays with me.
I love that!! Very romantic in the literary sense.
I just finished There are Rivers in the Sky. It feels as if you are describing the houseboat. Sparsely furnished, rocking gently on the water, an expansive view. Perfect writing space. I’m fascinated by the creative leap from The Island of Missing Trees to your latest work. I’ll be writing about it in next week’s Beck and Call. Listening to your work read in Audible intensified the experience!
I've just been dreaming this week of a yacht I could own, once I'm rich, that I could drive out into the open Mediterranean, and then sit down at my desk and get to work, amidst all that quiet and peace. Except I'm not sure if yachts have writing desks?
💙 Elif, I lived just 15 minutes away from where you did, also on a slope that dived down into the Bosphorus, Kadiriler Yokuşu 💙
Sweet memories.
It was the first time I also lived away from home and I was similarly naive
I completely agree on what you say — anywhere can be your writing room. It's really about the gaze you have on the world.
Istanbul definitely taught me that.
It was a great place to start becoming an adult in.
Thanks for sharing your story so generously 🪷
Beautiful post, thank you. I'm curious about how you supported yourself financially in the early years of your writing career, if you feel like sharing.
”The perfect writing space is the inner space”… A Room of One’s Own 😉
I’ve delayed my writing for years waiting for the perfect space, the perfect circumstances when my children leave home and I have ‘more time’ and the years rolled until I realised that none of those things were the issue but me. I was the one creating excuses for not writing and that’s when the tide turned and I started writing between children’s naps, and chores, on Saturday mornings at the library while my husband looked after the children and in the evenings instead of TV or social media…
Oh Istanbul, how I long to visit my grandmother’s birth place…
I’ve just finished listening to There Are Rivers in the Sky on Audible. Such a rich experience listening to it on Audible, what a fantastic narrator, she did an exceptional job with pronunciation and accents.
Haven’t been able to get Narin out of my head or heart… I think she’s going to be with me for some time as I continue to grapple with human nature and my lack of understanding it.
After i saw the documentary "Long Distance Revolutionary" about Mumia Abu-Jamal, i decided that i wouldn't ever complain about my writing conditions. He is imho one of the finest article/short essay writers, has many books, (also does short radio segments)... much of it written in solitary confinement on death row, though he is no longer there--yet still a political prisoner whose health is an issue due to the prison system.
Salaam and shukriya ✨🍁🧿 The way you created an arc in your storytelling here is breathtaking. Thank you for reminding us in a gentle way one of the ancient wisdoms of the world, that the inner space needs to be tidied up and calmed down in order for us to see that we can create such a world outside of us too.
I salute you for your appreciation of metal music. I came to love metal in about 2004, when I discovered Nightwish. That band has led me to a whole new world of fine tunes and lyrics. I saw them live in 2008. Unfortunately, my jazz musician husband detests what I listen to, so I do it on ear buds. 🤘🏼 (Oh, and I am an old lady in my mid seventies)
"I was determined to dedicate my life to literature" What an awesome, terrifying, courageous, noble decision!
This speaks to me so deep! I'm now in not the best situation in my life, trying to find out what to do, or how to do it. Trying to write and feel in peace where I am. Thank you for this piece.
Beautiful post and reminder that we don't need the world's idea of a perfect writing space. Thanks for sharing.
So evocative: the young, the hopeful young would-be writer moving to Istanbul with their dream writing location in mind. Sometimes the unexpected - at first unsatisfactory - places turn out to be the most memorable ones.
İçimizdeki huzuru bulabilmek dileğiyle.Sevgiyle.💖
Writing while listening to heavy metal is difficult to imagine, but if it's the muse that rocks your boat, enjoy the voyage.