Five things on my Desk..., somewhere.

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.

Don’t forget to click the purple button to see what everyone else has to say on this week’s subject. It’s at the end of my post.

What are 5 must-have things you keep on your desk, and how do you use them?

**My desk, in all its glory**. **This picture has not been staged for dramatic effect.**

There are many things on my desk, as you can see from the picture. As you can probably tell, some of them have been there for years. If I had to choose the five most important ones, the things I use the most, it would be these.

1. A pencil, for making notes on any old pieces of scrap paper (that I can then promptly lose). I do have about forty new notebooks and I’m always buying more but they’re not for use. I just like the covers. Anyway, they are in pristine condition and I don’t want to sully the pages with my scribble. So, I use post-it notes and the backs of junk-mail envelopes instead.

2. My microphone, for dictating into my word processor. I’m a convert to dictation, it used to take me longer to edit the results than typing it would have done, but I’m getting better as the software gets accustomed to my voice. And I learn the correct rhythm and technique.

3. Coffee, lots of coffee. If I had the room, I would plumb a coffee machine into the desk, to save me from going downstairs. I probably drink too much (coffee!!!!) but I’ve been told that all the best authors do.

4. My diary, to make sure I can keep track of what I need to do, what I’ve done and the present state of finance in my publishing empire. The pages are filled with lists of just about everything, revealing my compulsive desire to know all the obscure statistical details.

5. My iPod (it’s a 2005 model, practically vintage). The hard drive is crammed full and the battery no longer works. With its second-hand docking station, it still provides me with music, anything from the late 1950s onwards will do.

And, if I might be allowed an extra thing, there’s some dust. That’s because NOBODY is allowed to clean (or indeed touch) my desk. Not because I’m slovenly, I just know where everything is and the act of tidying may well disrupt that.

Until next time.

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