A Writer's Drawer

I love this week on the blog. It’s all about celebrating one fact about being a writer: if you work hard, you will improve. That’s a great thing for every writer to keep in mind, regardless of where you are in your journey.

Here’s what I have in the drawer, by numbers:

1 completed upper middle grade manuscript, (an adventure story for boys)

1 completed YA manuscript (an adventure/romance)

5 sets of notes from manuscript consultants, evaluating the above as well as the manuscript I sold in the fall

15 paper clipped stacks of notes from writer’s conferences or workshops I’ve attended throughout the years

3 binders of completed writing assignments (from three UCLA courses I took a few years ago.)

4 contest/award certificates

1 huge file stuffed with my favorite writing articles

18 books on writing craft (ok, they are on the shelf that’s near my drawer)

The thing you don’t see in the drawer but that perhaps matters most is the hours. It’s hard to actually put a number to how many hours I’ve spent working on my craft. But let’s call it seven years. Seven dedicated years, in which I amassed all of the above, but more importantly, they were the years I figured out who I am as a storyteller.

The work on craft will never end. I don’t want it to. I still read like a writer. I still pick up one of my books on craft at least once a week and flip through it. I still go to conferences and attend workshops.

My drawer is packed enough to have taken me to a few places, but it’s nowhere near full.

See, there’s another thing about a writer’s drawer… don’t think of it as being filled with dead ends and slain projects. This is a journey. Your drawer is filled with souvenirs. Be proud of them and keep collecting.