An “old dog” gets new tricks

Well, I still haven’t unpacked my office yet (I’m in need of a new desk for the new space), but I’ve been keeping a mental shopping list of cool finds I’d like to add to my writer’s tool box.

In my old office, the walls were ruled by giant poster boards squared off in marker and flocked with post-its of varying shades. Then for the most recent manuscript, I attempted to go the tekkie way and convert my wall boards to Word documents that I could edit note with different colored text and print out on legal-sized paper when I just had to hold my thinking in my hands.

Now enter my old method updated: paint and peel and stick.

I found the first fun item in a home improvement how-to magazine. It’s chalkboard paint. Apparently, the neutral paint can be tinted or shaded by mixing it with whatever color your heart desires. How cool is that? No holes in the wall for hanging things, just paint and doodle.

I’ve considered it for a small spot in the kitchen or office, and even considered painting the top of our crafts table in the basement. The kids could use the chalkboard portion as a scratch pad while they do homework. (Does that count as going green?)

The second product I’m currently enamored with is peel and stick dry erase paper. I LOVED the invention of peel and stick decorations for my kids’ rooms. We could go from Pokeman to Spiderman or Winnie-the-Pooh to Disney Princesses – and then nothing at all – by using these press ons. Again, no holes, no adhesive left in their wake.

So imagine my delight at Home Depot last week when I saw giant sheets of peel and stick paper labeled dry erase! (Then, I also came across this dry erase refrigerator online. Who knew?? But, I digress.) Now I can have my oversized wall boards located wherever I want in my office without worrying about how many pinholes I poke in the walls, or what on earth I’m going to do with all those boards once the story appears in print.

Maybe I’m really excited because I’ve found a way to mesh my sometimes “old skool” style with no-nonsense new millennium offerings. It’s the small creature comforts of process that sometimes keep me sane while writing. And it’s all the more comforting to find that within this rapidly changing industry the essentials of my craft haven’t been rendered obsolete. Yet.