The Little Things Do Matter

This is the semester for finishing up things. I will very happily be wrapping up two edited projects (and have vowed not to take on another one for a very, very, very long time). I am also trying to get several manuscripts out the door. I have papers that are anywhere from 40-80% completed that just need to be finished and submitted. The tenure clock is ticking, after all.

I have a very specific goal to finish up one of these manuscripts this week. It's very close to being done. So today is a full blown writing day. Nothing but this one manuscript on the agenda. No meetings. No class prep. No distractions. Or so I thought ...

A while ago I wrote about the importance of my writing totems. There are certain things that just make it easier for me to write and also let me really enjoy writing. One of the keys is the pen. The writing pen must be a medium, black, gel, rollerball with a rubber grip. After using up two pens this morning, I pulled out a brand new package of pens. They look like the right pens, but alas ... they are ultra fine. Ugh! They don't write in the same smooth way as my medium pens; instead they are hard and scratchy. I have still managed to write a lot today -- and have more to do yet -- but I feel so off kilter by something so seemingly trivial.