What better way to go behind the scenes than to see where the magic, so to speak, happens? Today, take a look at the items I have on my desk.

To start, I have my typewriter pencil cup that holds my black pens and one red pen. Thankfully I use more black ink than red ink. That doesn’t mean that I’m some flawless writer though. After all, pobody’s nerfect.

In front of my pencil cup, I have a piece of wood from a cut branch. I love spending time outside, but unfortunately, I can’t spend as much time outdoors as I would like. Instead, I brought the outdoors in. While it’s mostly a quirky decoration of mine, it also doubles as a coaster to save some more space.

The last thing I have one the left side of my desk are notes for an upcoming novel I’ve been working on. I have my character cheatsheet, character traits, timeline notes, and any extra information I would quickly need to reference when writing neatly written on different pieces of notebook paper.

In the middle, I have my laptop and a pair of headphones. Before I took this picture of my desk I was editing a photograph I previously took of my grandparents while they were living in Germany. I always have headphones on me, especially when I work, so I can easily drown out the world around me.

In the back, I have a wooden box that holds sand, rocks, shells, and sea glass from a vacation I took almost 5 years ago. Most people have a miniature zen garden on their desk. I have a box of sand and rocks. Just another quirky decoration of mine.

In front of that, I have my favorite mug that’s filled with writing prompts I’ve scribbled down. Most of these prompts were created after waking up from a vivid dream. Others are short story or novel ideas I’ve been thinking up for a few years. Whenever I’m stuck for an idea I’ll blindly grab a prompt and just see where my imagination takes me.

Lastly, I have some photographs that I’ll look at whenever I get down on myself or really struggle with my writing.

Oh, and who could forget the sloth lamp decoration I have? This little guy has been with me for years. Sadly, I still have yet to give him a name. I’ll gladly take suggestions!