I write on a laptop on a computer desk, printer set up to the right on a matching file cabinet. On my left is a three-tiered small shelf unit that is actually for a gardener's use. It's chock full of writing-related materials. A landline phone, a pencil holder, and modem take up some room to the right of my laptop.
Besides those items, there is a pile, and I do mean 'pile' of papers. Small note papers where I jot things down that I don't want to forget. Full-size papers that range from works in progress to committee reports and more.
Another item on my computer desk is a black stone coaster with words I love. Words are the voice of the heart. I also have a pretty purple feather pen with a tiny bottle of ink that my granddaughter brought home from Italy for me this summer. A very small stuffed animal rests against my printer. He is a souvenir of one of my online writing group's conferences. We're called 'writersandcritters' so what better gift than a tiny little critter? A lovely gift box with a painted picture of roses, a teacup, two butterflies and a postage stamp complete the picture. It's a box a friend sent with a gift inside, and I loved the box so much that I wanted it where I could see it daily.
So what's the topic here? One word that covers it is clutter. Some people live in clutter on a daily basis and have no problem with it. Others are bothered a great deal when the clutter seems to grow.
Every now and then, we need to clean up our writing area. When I go through that stack of papers, I'll be sure to find a few surprises. Things I put there weeks, months ago have been forgotten. There are probably some old drafts that I fully intended to work on, but they managed to get buried. The same goes for the three-tiered shelf unit to my left. I can see what is on the top part of each section, but who knows what lurks beneath those items? Maybe it's something useful. Or could be a few throwaways hiding there.
It's alright to be surrounded by clutter in your writing area. Just don't let it accumulate to toppling- over phases. I do take time now and then to go through those piles of papers and whatnot. I straighten up the entire area, even dust the desk. I love the neat look left when I am finished. And I am happy to find certain papers I'd forgotten. I'm sorry to say that it tends to accumulate again and the cleaning out process must be repeated.
Make it a rule to clean up your writing area at least once a month. Make it a job to do on the 1st day of the new month, or the 15th or the last day before you turn the calendar page. Just choose a set time and it becomes a habit. Your surroundings will look nicer, and you might find some treasures as you plow through the papers. Leave all those little mementos if they mean something to you, bring a little comfort and don't get in the way.
What's your writing area like? Cluttered? Disastrous? Neat and orderly?
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