Goodby 2013, Hello 2014!

How did we get here?
Way too fast!

A few days ago I saw a great blog post about cleaning up your writing space to get ready for the new year. I like tidy work spaces, so mine doesn't need a lot of clearing out. But that blogger's before and after were quite revealing.

Unlike my desk, my bulletin board gets really messy though.

So today I took some of the "extras" off my Bulletin Board. It's not too big to begin with. There's no room for stuff I don't need to read, be inspired by, and laugh about on a fairly regular basis.


Here's the 2013 version:

Taking up most of the space is the FACT SHEET I've been working on. Finished today, taken down.

All those little notes to the side are inspirational quotes. The Rose Window, from the National Cathedral, reminds me of how much I love that church. The little wooden cross is from a trip we took with our friends Frank and Ivy, to New Mexico. Although I don't need anything to remind me of Paris, I always have the EiffelTower.

Here's the 2014, streamlined version. I kept some of my nametags. Especially the frilly one on top. That's from my very first Tampa Bay Critique Group, organized by Sue Laneve, hostessed by Sylvia Salsbury-- two writers who are still my friends. My Blue Angels postcard, buried by the end of 2013, has re-emerged!
With my new Motto Calendar, my "crutch words" postcard from last January's SCBWI Miami conference, I am ready to write.
Oh, and I'll never lose the little inspirational notes.

The cartoon, now years old, says
"Master, how will I know which direction to take?" 
"Easy. Begin with the end in mind."

Not a bad idea for writing a book either.

May all your writing dreams have great beginnings, middles and ends.
And may 2014 be the best year ever!

(I'd love to hear of your efforts to get ready for the new year. New desk? New storage bins? New manuscript? All of the above?!)