Tip: You Can Spend Money on Your Tools, It's Okay

Artists of all kinds think of spending money on the tools they need to practice their craft, and what's more, make it fun and pleasant and easier to practice their craft, as self-indulgence. It's the last thing on the budget list. But you know what? You can't make art without the right tools. So stop that now!

Of course some things, like a laptop for a writer or a new instrument for a musician, can be a major investment. But they should still be a priority. When you get yourself things like this, as well as the supporting tools that go with them (for writers, maybe a copy of Writer's Market, or the fee for class that you think might be helpful, or whatever) you are letting yourself know that you are "really" a writer, and I promise you that your work will respond in kind.

Even little things make a difference. You are allowed to surround yourself with a pleasant atmosphere when you write, whatever that might mean to you. Now, I'm not sure I support what's behind those writers who say things like, "When I write, I must have the shell I found on the beach with my aunt in 1963 before me. I need a cup of tea, peppermint, not chamomile, and white curtains. Baroque, not Renaissance, music must be playing at a volume not louder than . . ." I think that's often our subconscious getting us to procrastinate. Natalie Goldberg says it pays to be flexible and she's right.

But, sometimes a few objects make the difference between writing being fun and a chore. If you write longhand, get yourself some pens you like. You don't have to make a big deal out of it, just get them. If you really want to mocha instead of the tall drip (whoever thought the world would be full of people ordering "tall drips?") while you write at the cafe, hey, get one. If you want a fancy blank notebook with gold leather stamping, get one. (I personally have a new pink Macskin for my old reliable G3 that I just love. I will love it even more when I have put sequins on it - but that's me.)

The message is: get yourself what you need. Do not feel guilty.

Oh, and by the way, Glimmer Train's got a contest deadline coming up, Short Story for New Writers. I can't enter because it's for writer's whose work has not been published in anything with a circulation of over 5,000, but maybe you can. If you want!