On Being a Writing Magpie

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A Writer’s Junk is a Writer’s Treasure

Here’s a funny thing about me as a creative. If you know me, you may know that I tend to be fairly organized. I make spreadsheets. I have a budget app I consult regularly. My house is usually fairly clean, and I get quickly annoyed at disorganization. I plan all of my family trips, and my lovely spouse, who has the forethought of an average human man, shows up just happy to be there.

But my creative life? Wooo girl, she’s chaos. My personal office space and desk are in a constant state of “stacks of paper held together by the coffee cup on top”. I save everything I’ve ever written. Sometimes, if I’m feeling on top of it, I donate some of it to the library that holds my writing archive. But don’t ask the librarian in charge, he’ll tell you I tend to throw it at him in a box and say “good luck”.

For a writer, everything is potential inspiration. This is why my desk is such a mess. It’s covered in little objects and bits of paper that are a potential spark. I’m always on the hunt for things that make me feel joy.

I’m a creative magpie, and while it may seem disorganized on the outside, on the inside it slowly gets teased out into finished projects. Eventually. 🙂