Any pen and paper do, and an old atlas on my knee is all I want. Carry a dozen plots in my head, and think them over when in the mood. Sometimes keep one for years, and suddenly find it all ready to write. Often lie awake and plan whole chapters word for word, then merely scribble them down as if copying . . . Used to sit fourteen hours a day at one time, eating little, and unable to stir till a certain amount was done. There is no easy road to successful authorship . . .
~Louisa May Alcott
Along her road to literary success, Louisa May Alcott tried her hand at poetry, plays, fairy tales, a poignant chronicle of her experiences as a Civil War nurse, and even stories written under a pseudonym filled with intrigue, infamous characters, exotic locales, and improbable plots. By the time her publisher asked her to write a book for young girls, she had more than “paid her dues” and was eager for the chance to not only become a well-known author, but help provide financially for her family as well.
In the last two decades of her life, Miss Alcott was barraged with letters from authors seeking advice as to how they might also achieve notoriety. Although a writer since the age of eight, Miss Alcott’s short answer was that infinite patience was key, as she needed to wait nearly 30 years before her first popular success, Little Women, was published -- a work that has continuously been in print since 1868, and is now translated into over 50 languages.
Orchard House, where the cherished novel, Little Women, was written and set, seeks to encourage the same spirit of creativity and determination in modern-day writers that Louisa May Alcott exhibited by offering a unique opportunity to spend private time within the evocative atmosphere of her bedchamber.
A participant may reserve up to two hours in the bedchamber.
A small table and a chair will be provided, facing the southern exposure windows through which Miss Alcott had an unencumbered view to “Lake Walden” during her residence here.
Reservations for this very special visit experience must be made in advance (i.e., no "walk-in" visitors accommodated). Currently offered during the months of February, March, and November 2025 between the hours of 9:00 and 11:00 am. Sharing Space Visits may be re-scheduled with 24-hour notification; no refunds issued for unused reservations. For specific questions, please email sharingspace@louisamayalcott.org and allow up to 24 hours for a response.
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Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization