Category Archives: Writing Life

How to Buy a Present for a Writer

Posted on by
5

I had a birthday a month ago and for once, I received some DVDs that I actually asked for rather than a random present.  I also got an awesome surprise gift that had personal meaning and is in use right this very minute.   All in all, it was a terrific birthday.  :)

A thoughtful gift takes into account the recipient’s tastes, desires and personality.  It doesn’t have to be a surprise.

As both a writer and a skater, I’ve noticed that gifts for people who define themselves by profession or hobbies tend to be somewhat unimaginative.  A necklace with a skate charm or a t-shirt with one of Shakespeare’s quotes makes a nice gift.  It’s appreciated.  But sometimes, I wish people would pay more attention to what we NEED.

If you don’t know, ask.  We are not shy about telling you what we lack.

You don’t have to buy something writing-related for your writer.  But if you want to, we can always use:

  • Paper / office supplies. Get your writer a gift card to Staples.  I can run around in there for days.  If someone gave me a fully loaded Staples card, I’d marry them.
  • A good laser printer. This makes a great gift, if you can afford it.  I splurged on a commercial grade one, but HP makes some decent home ones too.  You can’t print a 400-page manuscript on an inkjet printer.  You’ll kill it.
  • A subscription to an online file storage site like Dropbox, Carbonite, or Mozy. IF YOU’RE NOT BACKING UP YOUR WORK, DO IT NOW!  You can do it to an external drive or upload it into the cloud.  These sites offer backup services that can do your whole system regularly for a nominal fee.  It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind, in the event of a system failure or a clumsily-handled cup of coffee.
  • Books. About writing, editing, or a gift card so we can pick out what we want.  Most writers like to read also, so if you know who your writer’s favorite author is, pick up their latest.  The newest edition of the Writer’s Market guide is a terrific present.
  • Webinars and workshops.  Professional development is important.  Writers don’t often have a lot of money for workshops.  Find out which ones they would like to attend and get them a ticket.  Not all are expensive; Writer’s Digest has some online webinars for under $100.
  • Computer accessories. Power supply, a laptop case, or a mobile broadband card.
  • Time. Do some chores when your writer is working.  Most of us have not quit our day jobs and might not be able to for a long time, so help us out.  Take the kids to the park, do the dishes for us, field phone calls.  Let us work uninterrupted for a while each day.  It’s very hard to find time to write when you work and then must care for a family or household.  Even writers without kids have a hard time of it, especially if they live alone and have no one to help them do yard work, etc.   It’s a cheap gift, but one of the best.

Check with your writer and see what they would like to receive for a birthday or Christmas gift.  If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments.

Writing While You’re Working

Posted on by
2

In an earlier post, I wrote about job interview questions, something I thought of while reading a humorous article online about what not to say in an interview.  It made me think about writing when you have a day job and how tough that is.

I haven’t talked to any other writers about this; I still don’t have a critique group at this time.  There is one here I’m sort of interested in, but it meets when I have skating lessons.

Between my lessons (which I can’t afford right now, dammit), working, taking care of chores, etc. and trying to keep up with all my peeps, it’s hard for me to get my daily allotted verbiage on the page.  I can’t imagine doing it with a family.  I have a lot of respect for people who do.  I’m not the kind of person who can work two jobs, but that’s what I’m trying to do.  Only I’m not getting paid for one (yet).

Writing takes energy and it’s even more difficult when you’ve spent most of it at work.  I found an excellent article here on keeping your focus on writing when you have a day job.  It’s by a screenwriter named David Anaxagoras.  Go ahead and read it; I’ll wait.

——————

Read it?  Okay, he has one suggestion that I had to find out, somewhat painfully, on my own.  In the section entitled “Remember who and what you are,” he says you have to disengage from the drama of your job and keep in mind that you are a writer, first and foremost.  It’s just a job.  You can still do it and do it well, but don’t let it take over and sap your energy.

I had to do this to escape stress.  After writing Rose’s Hostage, I took a break and realized how god-awful tired I was.  It wasn’t because I was up every night until 11:30 writing then getting up at six to go to work.  It was because I let the job get to me, let the stress of miscommunication and procrastination and all the other office drama ruin my day.  When I got home, I had little or no energy left to write queries, do editing work or plan my next project.  I was completely unfocused.

I’ve been looking at ways to maximize my productivity and I’ve tried to use bits of time during the day that pop up occasionally.   I’m lucky in that I work at a desk, and I can sneak in a blog post or a scene or two here and there when I have a little downtime.

During Arlee Bird’s Alphabet Blog Challenge, I had editing to do at night and did the posts at lunch.  It’s around forty-five minutes of useful time.  I have to drag my laptop to work to write at lunch, but that’s how I wrote most of my book and will probably write the next ones until I either run screaming out the door or get my “big break.”  At some point I’m going to spring for a netbook.  Lugging my laptop around is getting kind of painful.

I also carry a flash drive on a lanyard around my neck, and whenever I think of something I’d like to get down or make a note of, out it comes.  By doing this, I feel connected to my writing during the day, something David suggests in his article.  The flash drive is also a talisman for me; sometimes I find myself squeezing it, as though it were a religious medal or a lucky piece.  If I get too frazzled or despair threatens, it helps ground me and remind me of my real work.

I try to maintain a positive attitude about my work.  I know that my chances of quitting my day job aren’t very good, but that doesn’t mean it will never happen.  I have to just keep plugging away.  As long as I’m doing it I’m learning and making myself a better writer.  One of my grad school instructors told me that time spent writing is never wasted, no matter what I’m working on.  She was right.

Tattletale!

Posted on by
4

Today I was reading Chuck Sambuchino’s blog Guide to Literary Agents and came across this column, part of a series about writers at all stages of their careers sharing their tidbits of wisdom and knowledge.

Lara Ehrlich is as yet unpublished, but her advice rings true.  Check out her blog; it’s kinda neat.

She says not to share your early drafts, rough chapters and first pages.  She says “Get there, then share.”  Awesome.  That should be on a t-shirt, I commented.  She is so right.  I would add ideas to the list.  I agree because:

  • She says you don’t know in the earliest stages of a manuscript how it will turn out. It could be completely different from what you share.  I concur and expand:  early feedback, if positive, could lock you into a path that wouldn’t necessarily serve the story.  You must have the freedom to be flexible without outside influence dictating your narrative.
  • If they like the story, the premise or a character, people will bug you incessantly until you produce it. I made that mistake with my work-in-progress.  Now people I know are asking about it at intervals, making me feel pressured.  It doesn’t help because the story is in a structural tangle and I’m trying to work it out.  It’s my own fault.  I’ll never do that again.  Here’s my opportunity to explore ways to deal with deadline stress.  Always learn something from your stupid mistakes!
  • You can’t copyright ideas. As far as I’m aware, you can’t prevent someone from taking a vague suggestion you elaborated on over a beer, in a chat room / forum or even your critique group and running with it.  The only thing you can sue for is if someone steals your written, fixed and tangible work.  So I could say “I’d like to write a story about a living airplane that eats pollution” and someone could write it, and there’s nothing I can do.  If I actually write the story, published or not, and then someone steals it, there could be trouble.

Feel free to play with that one, if you like.  If you come up with a living airplane story that actually works, send me a link to it.  I’d love to read that!

Writers worry all the time about people stealing their ideas.  Although I haven’t seen it, there was even a kid’s movie about this, Big Fat Liar, with Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti and Amanda Bynes, where a smarmy Hollywood producer steals a brilliant homework assignment from an incorrigible kid.

Despite the movie, most of the time you don’t have to worry about this.  Reputable agents and publishers know that they won’t be in business long if they go around swiping every unpublished manuscript that isn’t screwed to the brick wall of copyright registration.  Under the law, once it’s in a tangible form, it’s yours.  If you want to sue, you’d have to register it formally, but that’s usually taken care of by your publisher if you’re fortunate enough to land one.  If you back up digital work regularly it’s easy to show when a file was created.

Just don’t talk about your embryonic nuggets of literary gold, and no one can take them from you.  Keep your big mouth shut.

Don’t share those first attempts, either, as Lara advises.  No one can implode your ethereal house of cards if they don’t see it.  Keep it close until it’s strong enough to withstand a poke or two.   Sometimes it’s better just to walk away, but a truly good story may be lost if the writer folds because of an early question or criticism.

Got any advice about sharing/not sharing?  Please post in the comments.

“Tell me about yourself”

Posted on by
4

Sorry I haven’t posted in a few days; I had company for my birthday over the holiday weekend.  Now I’m back at the old keyboard!

Don’t you love the questions they ask in job interviews?  Some of them are really difficult to answer if you’re not on the career track you’d like to be.  If you’re a new graduate with no experience, it gets even harder.

Most writers don’t get to quit their day jobs, at least not right away.  Freelance writers already have a job, but during tough times they might have to suck it up and work outside their field for a while.  The economy won’t be better for a while yet, sorry to say.  So most of us have to peck out our novels between the eight-to-five slog, on our lunch hours and evenings and weekends.

This is what interviewers want:

  • Tell me about yourself. They want to know if you’re the best person for the position.  They don’t care if you collect those atrocious Precious Moments things.  Keep it about work.
  • What’s your biggest strength? Anything that relates to the job is good.
  • What’s your biggest weakness? An elimination question.  A good answer is that you have something you’re either working to or have already overcome.  This makes you look like a problem-solver.
  • Where do you see yourself in five years? They’re looking for someone who will stick around, because it costs more to hire and train someone.  That’s why companies like to promote from within.  Unfortunately, it’s now rare instead of common for people to stay at one place for that long.  I usually average about four myself.

Sometimes you interview for something you know you’re not going to get, or wouldn’t want to do even if they begged you.  Wouldn’t it be great if you could answer those questions the way you want to?

  • Tell me about yourself. I love to read, nap and watch daytime TV.  In my spare time I sniff glue.
  • What’s your biggest strength? Well, it used to be my enthusiasm, but since this ain’t what I really want to do, I don’t give a crap.
  • What’s your biggest weakness? I hate to get up earlier than eight a.m. or go to bed before eleven.  If I could work, say, nine to noon for the same pay and then go home, that’d be just great.
  • Where do you see yourself in five years? As a cowboy in Argentina, sipping mate and herding cattle and writing about it.

For writers, my ideal day job is one that:

  • Pays the bills. Yes, that’s why we work, people.  Those who get to do what they like and can pay the bills that way are trés lucky.
  • Allows time to think/plan/daydream. Example: mindless tasks during the day give your brain a rest and let you think about what happens next in your book, or sort through your impressions of the day.  Too many interruptions make you frazzled and sap energy.  When it’s time to write, it’s harder to sit down and concentrate.
  • Is interesting enough to keep you engaged at least part of the time. For example, dealing with a variety of people or tasks instead of doing the same thing every day keeps your brain busy and gives you chances to think outside the box once in a while.

I had a temp job once at a personal products factory that was horribly repetitive—putting scented bath salts in tiny plastic bags for eight hours—but the supervisors let the line workers talk.  We had some excellent discussions and everyone worked together much better than if we’d had to stay quiet.  I actually requested the job again if there were openings while I was still temping.

Even if you love your job and don’t plan to leave, everyone can use new challenges.   So we might have to keep working until our books hit, but there are ways to keep ourselves from being bored or burning out.  If you’ve found some, please share in the comments.

Courage, the Lion said

Posted on by
4

The definition of the word escapes us.  We think bravery and courage are the warrior, cop or firefighter charging in, kicking ass and taking names, leaping into action at the slightest hint of danger, to serve, save and protect.

In truth, courage doesn’t mean fearless.  Courage is what we show when we are afraid but we do it anyway.

Courage in daily life can be large, as in pulling someone from burning wreckage, or small, when you make an effort to smile at a coworker instead of snapping on a hellish day.  Courage is standing up for your beliefs, even if it makes you unpopular.  It’s saying “I don’t like what you said” when someone makes a remark you find offensive.  It’s apologizing when you do that yourself, and admitting you made a mistake.

Writers have to have courage to start their careers.  Countless writers never send in their work, or even show it to anyone because they are afraid.  They make up excuses not to do so, and sometimes they even write secretly to avoid the questions.  It’s perfectly okay to do it for yourself if that’s what makes you happy.  But if you have any intention of being published, then you must take yourself in hand and do what you can to improve your work, and put it out there.  You have to, because no one ever published a trunk novel that stayed in the trunk.  I must say, I’ve read a lot of novels that should have stayed in the trunk!

I talked to someone recently who writes and shows it to no one but her husband.  He thinks she’s great.  She has the fear greeblies, however, and some of them look like the following.  To her and others who may be on the fence, here are my recommendations:

  • It’s not edited. Some people think they need a professional editor to work on their material.  That’s an option but it’s an expensive one, if you want to hire someone good.  Learning to edit is part of your craft and there are numerous books out there that can help you.  Do your research and acquire this valuable skill.  You don’t need to pay anyone; you can (and should) polish your own work.

Check out Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King and Write Tight by William Brohaugh.  I noticed you can get a used copy of the first one for $1.23.  Even I can afford that, and I’m flat broke right now.  These books are a good start.

Eventually, you may join a writer’s group and put your work out there for critiquing.  There are writers’ forums online if you can’t find a group in your area.  Scary, but necessary.  A good group will help you grow and can point out things you don’t see, in a nonconfrontational manner.

  • I don’t know anything about publishing. Again, there are tons of source material out there.  I have recommended several websites in other posts.  Google it; no one is keeping this information from you.

  • I don’t know anything about marketing. Well, neither do I, but I’m trying to learn.  You don’t need a degree in it to build a platform for your writing career and again, there are tons of helps.  How to Get Happily Published by Judith Applebaum has a great deal of marketing information for writers.  I actually had to buy this for a class and hung on to it.

  • I sent out a query and no one replied / they said no / I got a form letter. Yes, this happens.  You can learn how to do this too.  Even a great query might not sell your book.  Maybe it’s not the right time for that book, or maybe it’s not the right book for you.  Go on to the next one and try again.

Most of the fear comes from ignorance.  The more you learn, the more confident you’ll become. Fear can’t control you if you know how to handle it.  Things aren’t as scary if you know what to do.  That’s why people are urged to practice disaster preparedness.  And it applies to any situation, not just writing.

If there was a time when you managed to do something despite your fear, please share your tale of courage with us in the comments.  

Leaving…for now

Posted on by
4

It’s sad when you can’t keep doing something you wanted to very much.

I had the GREATEST idea ever for a book; I know what’s going to happen, I know who most of the characters are and there is a terrific supporting character who would be a hoot if it ever became a film.  But something is happening, or rather not happening, with this book.   It’s like my brain is constipated and I push and squeeze but nothing comes out.

Poo analogy aside, I read a post today at Help! I Need A Publisher! that made me realize what might be wrong.  Please go and read it; I’ll wait.

Essentially, what Nicola Morgan says is that a great idea isn’t enough; it has to have a point.  She also says, “Beginning writers may find themselves spending too long nurturing a dud idea.”

I don’t think the idea is a dud.  I do think it’s not the right time to write it.  I might not have the right mindset here.   The bits I’ve shared with other people—a pivotal scene I wrote for a class assignment and the bare bones of the thing with a family member—were well received.  In fact, I get nagged about “When you gonna finish it?”

The truth?  I don’t know.

At first I wondered if I was afraid, that it was such a good idea that the concept of possibly writing a breakout novel was too intimidating and I was unconsciously sabotaging myself.  But that just doesn’t ring true.  There is a lot of detail I would have to research, but it’s not that big a deal to do it.  Some of it I already know; the rest I can find or make up easily.  I want to write the book, so it’s not that.  I’ve written some of it but I just can’t go any farther right now.

Then I thought:  Am I so in love still with Rose’s Hostage, the book I’m querying now, that I can’t let it go enough to immerse myself in the other world?  Especially since I have a sequel planned?  Possibly.  I need to do the research for that sequel now because if I should move for any reason, I would lose access to a resource right in my backyard.

What to do?  It’s a quandary for sure.  These kinds of decisions can be painful, but writers have to make them.  If you begin a story that sounded great in your head but looks stupid on the page, it’s no big deal.  Shred those pages.  Delete that file.  It’s much harder to give up on something that shows promise.

Don’t delete the one you give up on for a while.  Keep it.  It might kindle within you in time; I’m certainly not letting mine go yet.  But I think it needs to cook a bit.  Perhaps it needs more attention than I can give right now, and the Universe has plans for me so I can write it the way it deserves.  Let’s hope so.  I’ve been searching for a voice for this piece, a structure and a point of view that will make it as special as I think it can be.  When I find it, I’ll let you know.

If you’ve had to give up on something you thought was good but you knew it wasn’t working, please share in the comments.

If Wishes Were Horses…

Posted on by
2

…beggars would ride. Yes, I know my Mother Goose. Would that I were riding that horse!

Another Reply O’ Doom this week. Well, right back out there, baby!

This weekend I plan to do some revision, actually work on something new and take time to review my queries. Perhaps that is my weak spot, not that the book can’t be sold.

I find myself saying a lot “I WISH.” So even though once again I’m bushed from the day job, I thought I’d make a quick list of all my writing-related wishes. Can I make some of them come true? Let’s see.

I WISH…
That someone I query will be intrigued enough to actually ask to see my manuscript.

I CAN…
Make this happen by improving my queries and targeting them better. I can read up on effective queries and check the bookstore for titles like mine, perhaps query those agencies.

I WISH…
Whoever reads it will love it and want to represent me.

I CAN…
Keep trying. This is the only way. And keep writing other books, because this one may get read but it may never sell. That’s the way it goes sometimes.

I WISH…
I could win enough money from Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes to write full-time.

I CAN…
Keep sending in those entries! In the meantime, take better care of my finances, get bills paid off and save what little I can. Once I’m making some money with my writing, continue these good habits. Being self-employed will require more money savvy and discipline and I need to work on that. So I should begin practicing that now, with an eye to the future.

I WISH…
People would be more understanding of how hard it is to write.

I CAN…
Ignore people who don’t get it. I shouldn’t let them dismiss or diminish what I am doing. It’s not a hobby; I’m trying to start a new career. It may not pay for a while but I fully intend to do my best to get it off the ground. I’m the only one who can decide when to abandon the effort.

I WISH…
My writing will get better and better.

I CAN…
Read. Practice. Study on my own. Keep practicing. Set a schedule to do “homework,” and do writing exercises weekly. I have plenty of books to get me going.

I WISH…
That I would never run out of ideas.

I CAN…
Use the ones I have; there will be more if I keep the imagination flowing by tapping the well.

I WISH…
Personal things will work out in my favor so I don’t have to worry about them anymore.

I CAN…
Try to keep a neutral countenance in certain places, if not a cheerful one. I should not waste energy on people who don’t care about me and only use me. I must not let them have power over me. They may have power for now. They can be mean or arbitrary or unfair, but they can never make me feel bad about myself. I rock and always will.

I WISH…
To make my friends and family proud of me.

I CAN…
Do my best and try, always try, even if I don’t make it. I can remember to tell them how I feel about them, because life is short and I may never get the chance. So all of you, I love you and thanks for your support! *HUGS*

I WISH…
To do the same for my readers, to please them and make them happy they took a chance on me.

I CAN…
Remember to say thank you every time someone tells me he/she liked what I wrote, and respond to as many blog comments as I can as long as I can. I appreciate each and every one of them. Also, I can listen to any legitimate feedback they give and weigh it carefully when I make my next writing choices.

These are but a few of my wishes; I’ll leave out the ones about cookies magically losing all calories but no taste, and that my car could fly so I wouldn’t have to tailgate some slowpoke for ten blocks.

If you have any creative or professional wishes that keep you going, please share them in the comments.

Write On!

Posted on by
3

Gah, I nearly forgot about the reflection post.  Work has been so crazy lately, I barely have enough energy left to do anything after.  When it gets like that, it’s time to take stock.  This post will be short, because I packed twenty-nine sample boxes today and my hands don’t want to do anything else.

I really enjoyed doing the challenge.  It was tough going sometimes, but I kept with it.  I only missed one post, and that was the Y one, and only because I made notes and left the file on my computer at work instead of saving it to my flash drive.

A lot of the posts were written while I was at work, on my lunch hour.  I drag my laptop in with me and write then sometimes.  I usually spend fifteen minutes yammering with the plant guys before they go back to the slog and I get down to business.  Today I read them a bit of my book; they all wanted to hear the dirty parts, ha ha.  Not likely. I need to tell them, “If I read you that part, you won’t have any reason to buy the book!”

One or two posts had to wait until I got home.  If they were kind of clunky, that’s probably why.  As for Saturday’s posts, I decided to make them about anything I want, rather than just writing or art.   I think I’ll keep that tradition, just to make it more interesting.   I might even write a bit of flash or continuing fiction.  Let me think about that a bit.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog and commented.   I greatly appreciate the time you took to read my posts.  I hope to visit yours again soon.  Meanwhile, everybody write on!

Rats, I can’t seem to get the Blog Hop link code to work.  I’m sorry.  I wanted to join the fun!

Zygote

Posted on by
2

We’ve reached the end of the Alphabet Blog Challenge!  Thanks very much to Arlee Bird of tossing it out for proposing it to us.  I’ve found some new blogs to read.

Thanks also to everyone who stopped by to read mine.  I appreciate your comments.  I hope to see you back again soon!

I’ve been tested by posting every day.  Sometimes I’ve had to ask friends and colleagues for suggestions, and they’ve come through wonderfully.  I tried to acknowledge their suggestions.  I’ve decided to post at least three times a week and continue my tradition of Saturday’s post being about whatever I want.  If it’s a writing or art subject, fine; if not, I’ll try to make it entertaining.  But I won’t bore you with too much personal junk, I promise.

I call this post Zygote because if you use a baby as an analogy, that’s where my writing career is right now.  It’s not even into fetal stage yet.  I have only published one story so far, in my school literary magazine, but I count that.  It’s an unusual story; you can check it out on the Read Me page.  I liked it, and the editors of the magazine claimed they did also.

In the zygote stage, it’s easy to get discouraged.  Sending out queries or submissions with only rejections or no reply at all (another rejection) wearies a person.  But it’s the only way to do it.  It will pay off when (not if!) I get where I’m going.  I refuse to give up, because I’m nothing if not persistent.  Maybe I have no other purpose on this earth, but I can’t believe I’ve been given an ability I’m not meant to use.  In the meantime, I’m learning.

To succeed as a writer or artist, you must be able to admit that you don’t know everything.  I thought I was good and I’m not bad, but there is much I can do to make my work better.  You shouldn’t be afraid to seek out those things, whether it’s marketing advice or craft.

Learn as much as you can about the business end of things.  There’s a ton of info out there on the Internet.  Let’s face it; in today’s world, if you’re not on the Net you’re not going to be able to keep up.  Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, websites all help writers to gain readers and promote their work.

Most of those who have run the gauntlet that is the publishing process are kind enough to share the perils and pitfalls with the rest of us, and this little zygote is very grateful to them.  People have no idea how writing works, and publishing even less.  It makes doing the initial work to get your career off the ground that much more frustrating.

I’ll keep you updated on my journey.  Until then I’ll attempt to be as entertaining and informative as I can.  See you next time!

X-actly What I Need!

Posted on by
6

I typed “X” into Google for today’s topic because the only word I had that began with X was xylophone.  I don’t play the xylophone!

Discovering that X-ACTO makes electric pencil sharpeners made me think about office supplies. You could lock me in a Staples with $10,000 and I could spend it all in no time.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE office supplies!

Writers use lots of office supplies.  Some we all need on a regular basis include:

  • Paper.  Probably the most used consumable item writers purchase.
  • Printer cartridges.  Expensive.  If you buy a laser printer, you will save money in the long run.  If you are making money from your writing, I think you can write off the expense on your taxes.  Alas, I spent $350 on a huge commercial laser printer and haven’t recouped the cost yet, but someday I will.  The advantage is it came from a company that will service it in my house if something goes wrong, unlike retail.
  • Pens, pencils.  Not so much anymore, unless you enjoy writing longhand.  With laptops and netbooks, who needs to?
  • Envelopes.  Catalog size for manuscripts, #10 for SASEs, business correspondence and invoicing.
  • Business cards.  Not strictly an office supply, but something a professional writer should have.
  • Shipping supplies. Being hopeful, I bought a bundle of nice, inexpensive plain boxes for mailing manuscripts.  No one’s asked yet.  Nuts!

Not everyone uses these, but they come in handy:

  • Markers. You can use different colors when editing your manuscript, to mark repetition, clichés, typos, things you like/dislike, etc.  This lovely idea came to me courtesy of Renni Browne and Dave King’s book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.  Besides, who doesn’t like markers?
  • File folders / cabinets. Unless you’re a die-hard digital devotee who immediately scans and backs up everything that crosses your desk, you no doubt have paper copies of rejections, manuscripts, correspondence, articles ripped from magazines, notes, etc.  You need somewhere to put them.
  • Sticky notes and page flags. They come in lots of colors.  I use them to mark pages in books when I’m researching, mark the stopping point in a hard-copy manuscript when I go back to work (I have to edit on my lunch hour sometimes), and to remind myself to do stuff.
  • Stackable letter trays.  I have seven of the plastic ones.  I keep things like envelopes, labels and those plastic sleeves in them.

Office supplies get expensive.  Look for coupons and sales.  Sometimes discount stores have cheaper versions of stuff like sticky notes.  The name brands are usually priced higher.

Check the flea markets.  I know that sounds wacky, but I found those letter trays there for a dollar each.  They retail around five or six bucks.  Pack rats will occasionally clear out their closets and stick all those lovely supplies in their booths.

I also found a leather padfolio with the name of a local hospital embossed on it (probably some kind of employee premium) and a pen for only four dollars.  It even had a blank legal pad inside.  I’ve seen address books, refillable appointment books / Dayrunners, and all kinds of notepads for next to nothing.  And you’re trying to set up an office, the flea market can be a great place to find cheap furniture.  Plus, you’re recycling!

If you love office supplies and have found a great way to save on them, or just want to list your favorites, please share with us in the comments.