Writing Totems

Every writer has their totems. Whether it's the picture of the guy for your next hero or a special pen, or even a certain notebook. For me it's my Daniel Craig magazine covers and my Jane Austen action figure.

I've had it for a few years now. Missy got it for me from a shop called Something To Do. She sets atop my defunct desktop tower along with my autograph of Adrian Paul picture and little statue from A Christmas story. She has seen me through some very dry years. There was a period when I didn't write at all. I thought I could only co-write and I couldn't get my co-writer to write at the pace I wanted her to.

Since 2003 that changed. NaNoWriMo really kicked me into high gear and even though it took until 2010 to get published I've been writing pretty much my whole life. And having writing totems along the way helps.

Jane has 'watched' over me the last few years and I haven't even taken her out of the box she came in. I love her so much I finally broke down and ordered one for Missy this year. She moves at her own pace and the more you force an issue you the slower she'll go. But she wrote two complete books this year, one solo, one with me.

For anyone who co-writes and doesn't hit and bumps along the road, well, I hate you for it because there is always a point in the stories we write when it's full out war. And time has to go by before we'll sit down together and go through the highs and lows of it again. But then, that's what happens when you have two chiefs writing together. Someone has to take the supporting cast and no one wants to do that when it comes to me and her.

But I bought her a Jane to guide her, and hopefully 2011 will be the year she breaks through in the publishing world.