On the Desk

Back in the writing mode.  Here are a few things on the desk.  Above:  Rotring T 0.7 automatic pencil; Sharpie ultra fine point marker; Pilot Precise V5 RT pen; and Magic Rub eraser.

Above:  small index cards and colored pieces of paper for jotting notes as I go - reminders of things to fix or include in current pages.

Above:  hot tea and cold fizzy water (usually with lime).

Above: what I call a 'fingerling' - a smooth piece of wood in a pleasing shape and pattern (gift from an artist/craftsman friend.)  Helps me think in between scenes.

More 'things on the desk' in days ahead.

Do you have a favorite pen/pencil and/or beverage that aid your work?

The Clean Office

I should have taken a 'before' photo so that you could first see the chaos that was my office these past months: piles of papers, piles of books, piles of notes.  Towering piles. Toppling piles.  Piles from Switzerland. From England. From the States.

In any case, here is the 'after'--after cleaning, purging, ruthlessly tossing or filing:

And my favorite cabinet, with doors that now close:

After a few months away from a manuscript, I'm preparing to return to it, and this is part of the ritual: clear the decks, re-establish order, realign the brain!  

And while I'm in the office, here are a few of my favorite things.  First, I love these Jill Bliss notebooks:

The larger one is 5 x 7" and the smaller one is 4 x 5-1/2". The pages are smooth and inviting, either unlined or graph-i-cal (block paper, graph paper, you know what I mean?)  I use them to jot notes, titles, names, phrases. Sometimes I include favorite cartoons (lots of Harry Bliss ones). When I'm on the phone, I doodle in them or color the images.   

And then there are the pens and markers. My weakness. Alas. Here are some:

In another life, I would like to be an illustrator, one with much more talent than I now possess.

But: the office is clean, the desk is clear:  bring on the manuscript!