by Victoria M. Johnson
First let me say that I
personally am not a pack rat. I do
have an affinity for certain things, such as office supplies... and books... and
pens... and um, gadgets... but I'm more like an aficionado than a hoarder. Really. I don't seek these things out when I'm shopping; somehow they
seem to find me. Friends and
family add to the dilemma by finding items they know I'll like and before you
can say office supplies I have two
dozen purple pens, oodles of heart-shaped post-it note tablets, and more lovely
journals than I can possibly fill if I lived to be a hundred years old.
When I open a drawer of my
credenza--to innocently grab a paper clip--I'm shocked at the number of notepads,
whiteout correction tapes, and stacks of neon colored 3 x 5 cards that are
inside. It's as if they multiplied
overnight. Envelopes, postage stamps, and mailing
labels fight for drawer space. Where
did all those highlighters come from?
But the excitement doesn't stop there. I also have gadgets like extra flash drives, cables, hard
drives, and other technical necessities.
Let's not talk about my iPad, scanner, and four-in-one printer. Notice how I haven't brought up books
yet?
I'm perfectly happy in my
office. Though it's starting to
get crowded. And I'm curious if
other writers find themselves in this situation. How many pens and how much paper do we need to be a writer? None of us ever want to risk not having
something to jot down those brilliant ideas that come to us, right? A friend once asked me if I ever get
writers block. "Only if I don't have a purple pen," I replied. I'm not obsessed. Purple makes me more creative. Purple turns me on.
Which leads to the big question:
how many reference books do we need?
I can say I have all that I need.
Until I see another book that has new insights and inspiration. Then I will want that one too. Surely I'm not the only writer who
behaves this way? Take my quiz below
and let me know how much you have in common with me.
1. Do you have more than two
drawers of office supplies?
2. Do you have five or more sizes
of post-it notes?
3. Do you own more than three
thesauruses?
4. Are you happy you can write
off office supplies on your taxes?
If you want to read more about my creative writing space, click here.
Victoria M. Johnson
knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer. She loves
telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new
plots. Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction
debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma, (A 2012
Bookseller’s Best double finalist). Her
other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot
Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films
and two micro documentaries. Visit her website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com and find Victoria's Amazon author page or connect
with her on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
