You call that compact?

This morning the Chronicle published a feature on famous local writers' workspaces, calling them "compact" -- but a glance at the pictures shows that each writer has, at least, a whole room of a house. This is funny because last night I visited Christy C. in Oakland -- she's the only other person left in my writers "group" -- who just put up a tiny shed in her backyard to serve as her writing space. It's one of those little prefab jobs; she's wired and insulated it and put in a little desk. But the whole thing can't be more than 20 square feet.

Also this morning, so appropriate: In Salon, Garrison Keillor on "A Shed of One's Own."