Feng Shui or Phooey a la Hooey?

December 29, 2009 at 8:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

by Linsey Lanier
packrat
– noun
1.  a collector of miscellaneous useless objects
2.  any of several bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Neotoma of western North America; hoards food and other objects

I have to admit I froze solid when Tami announced January’s challenge was about our workspaces. Yes, I’m a private person, but that’s not the reason I was filled with dread. The real reason is that I would have to admit to the world what a packrat I am.
It’s true. My workspace is usually a mess. That’s because (1) I don’t clean in this office. I write in it. (2) As a writer, I generate paper. Lot’s of it. Edits of my current wip. Notes about books I’m reading. Notes about books I’m writing. Stray thoughts. Contest feedback. Notes on a napkin from a cop show. Etc., etc. (3) I accumulate books and I like to have them around me for inspiration (see photos). (4) Also, like many of my blog sisters, I collect quotations and other bits of inspiration (on cards, usually) to keep me going. (Unlike my blog sisters, I don’t put the quotations neatly on a cork-board. I just tape them to the side of my monitor. See other photos.)

Since taking that quotation picture, I’ve added one: “You have a flair for adding a fanciful dimension to any story.” I love that. If it sounds like it came from a fortune cookie, that’s because it did. I’ve been collecting them for years. I used to keep them together with a paper clip, but as of a few days ago, they are now in a plastic bag on my desk.
Why, you might ask? Because… hold your breath… a few days ago, I cleaned up my office!!!
Yes, it was the end of the year and I usually do something like that, but this time, I went all out. I even chronicled my progress in an e-book I’ve been intending to write for ages and ages. I hope to make it available on my personal blog, soon.

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