Trash or Treasure? by Victoria Chatham

 

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We writers can be a weird lot. And before you ask, yes, I include myself in that statement. Writers are well known for being a bit different, and thank goodness for that. Every single one of us is, like snowflakes, unique. What makes writers different is their penchant for often being somewhere else, off in the clouds, or out of it entirely while their brains deal with recalcitrant characters, create new worlds, or give birth to dragons.

There are myriad ways in which writers write. Some need utter peace and quiet while other writers like listening to music or even require the buzz off a pub or coffee shop, ‘white noise,’ to keep them focused, or partnering up with one or more other writers and having group writing sessions. Like diets, one way does not suit all.

Then there are those writers who like a pristine work surface with no clutter around them. Then there are the clutter bugs who, like bingo players and their lucky dobbers, have to have their talismans, good luck charms, or just things that make them comfortable while they write.

I come somewhere between the two. I like my desk to be clear, but I have objects around me that create my comfort zone. The first is Tigger, a gift I bought my DDH (dear departed husband for those not familiar with this acronym) because, much as he loved Eyore, Pooh, and Piglet in that order, Tigger was his favourite character from Christopher Robin and Pooh Bear stories by A.A. Milne. He thought Tigger was fun, and when I saw this in Toys‘R Us many moons ago, I bought it for him for Christmas. Given his sense of humour, it could not have been a more appropriate gift. Tigger now watches me write, a constant reminder of my DDH’s mantra of ‘Have you written today?’

My right-hand aid is my Scotch whisky-tasting glass. This glass was a birthday gift from said DDH to me, along with a bottle of 15-year-old Dalwhinnie, my preferred Scotch, although I’m happy with any single-malt Scotch. I might add that my glass doesn’t always have Scotch in it! My other aide de comfort is my collection of owls. Owls symbolize wisdom, knowledge and good luck. I hope I have the wisdom and knowledge to write exciting stories and the good luck to have readers enjoy them. Each of the owls in this picture is from different places. The tall, black obsidian owl at the back came from a location close to Teotihuacan in Mexico, while the little white owl in the front came from the island of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland.

So what might be trash to one writer can be an absolute treasure to another. It is up to the individual writer what they are comfortable with, what aids or deters them and sets them up to write in their own distinctive voice.

 

​Victoria Chatham

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Images from author's collection.