A Writer's Drawer

Veronica Rossi 4 Thursday, June 02, 2011

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.

4 comments

Love the idea of drawer projects as souvenirs!

No kidding! And with each new story I learn a different part of the craft and get to develop each area stronger with each one. Only problem is, theres so many areas!! So six stories down, 6 books on craft on my shelf, a few online classes, and one workshop coming up. My drawers are filling up too!

It's so interesting to visit drawers and containers under beds. As the hours become years, I see how I've grown--slipped--grown--and somehow produced gems (maybe from pure gut-instinct vs. any influence from guidebooks or critique) in the midst of flailing (or flexing). Yes, I agree--it really is a journey. I'll keep my souvenirs--even those that make me blush.

T - it does help to take some of the sting out of it, if you call those old projects your battle scars, or your souvenirs - They are something to be proud of.

Pk - that's the way to do it, isn't it. Just keep working.

PB - I laughed my butt off reading the Middle Grade I referenced above. And instinct is KEY. Keep flailing and flexing. Right there with you.

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