Craft of Writing: My best tool

 Dear Reader,

I have a lot of writing I do on a given day. Most of it is thereputic in orientation because of my disability. I have an honest to gods sand filled hourglass. It runs for 10 minutes. I use it to time my entries in my various journals. I'm going to start using it to time my entries in my blogs because since I began using my timer for my journal work, I have found that I am actually getting more done. 

Now, I type faster than I write. That leads to typos which I habitually backspace and correct as I go. I may have to break that habit in order to get the draft of the post done in ten minutes. I don't know. But I do know that for a mere dollar, this little gadget was an excellent buy. I have something I can set up beside me at my work space and be a visual reminder of time running by and a way to track how I'm doing. As of right now, I'm a bout a third of the way through my timer and running out of ideas for how to phrase how awesome this thing has become.

Some of my best writing tools are not pens, pencils, or even computers. They're little gadgets like this sand timer or desk toys that relieve my stress. They add ambiance to my work space. Some people keep these things for the ecletic aesthetic. Everything at my work space is here for a purpose. The wind up toy astronaut is my mental focus for writing science fiction. (It helps that it's Snoopy. I have a fondness for that little cartoon dog. I am disappointed he didn't get to keep his Red Baron scarf to go with the space suit.) The one eyed miniature pink elephant in a crochet toy cup is just a reminder to keep working because my kids look up to me and I have people who believe in me. And yes, the elephant is missing it's right eye and I named it Odin and gave it an eyepatch. Odin is always watching me, keeping me on task.

If that's not a bit of heathenry in action, I'm not sure what is. I'll probably have to say that my momentos and keepsakes all are important for various reasons. But the biggest thing about them is that they help me focus. Working in the home with two preteens is really rough during the summer (well, all year round actually). Still, with my stuff to help me focus and my little writing mascots/toys to serve as a mental break when things get hard, I can produce work. After that, the trick is schedule management and getting my disability to let me work. Stupid bipolar is stupid.