Writer's have blankies too!

It's my first day of spring break, and I've been productive. I am nearly finished with an article for my column, As They Grow, in Hockey Stop, a local newspaper which can be found in hockey rinks around St. Louis. I'm writing about preschooler's objects of affection. You know, those nasty, dirty blankies that kids drag around; those much loved, thread-bare, snot-covered stuffed animals that they refuse to part with. Research indicates that these attachment objects provide security. Think fictional television character, Radar on M.A.S.H. Even on a battlefield he needed his Teddy bear.

I'll bet you have a favorite writer's object of affection too. It may not be a writing instrument. In my case, it is a miniature mantle clock with an inscription -a Christmas gift from Jason and Jackie, my son and daughter-in-law. It sits on a shelf on my computer desk. Not only does it help me keep track of time when I write; it reminds me of times past, when he was a little boy, and even when I was a little girl and my parents had a full-sized mantle clock.

I am proud of the numerous books, anthologies and magazines on my bookshelf which include my published works. But it is the framed photos of me and my three Chicken Soup for the Soul writer friends at book signings, and also one of us when we appeared on Channel 4 Great Day St. Louis that really trips my trigger. These photos sit front and center on my tall bookcase. Gazing at these objects of affection gives me the same warm fuzzy kind of feeling that little kids get when they drag around their beloved blankie or cozy.

What is your favorite writer's object of affection?