It's a writer thing

Hello, my name is Jae and I'm an addict.

Okay, my name isn't really Jae (you did know that it's a pseudonym, right?). But I really do have a strange obsession with office supplies.

For a long time, I thought I was the only one who browses office supply stores with the same enthusiasm with which other women browse shoe stores. But once I started talking to other writers, I found out that it's quite a common addiction among writers.

As a writer, can you really ever have enough notebooks, pens, folders, binders, post-it notes, highlighters, notepads, pencils, staplers, paper clips, and index cards? And, of course, you need them in all the available colors and sizes.

Some writers have particular fetishes — some are obsessed with folders and binders. Others collect pens. I'm a notebook junkie. I have a notebook for everything – one for character names, one for research notes, one for story ideas, one for the books I read… and at least a dozen new ones still waiting to be filled with information and ideas.

This is what my living room floor looked like once I piled them all up in one place:

I take a notebook with me wherever I go, preferably a small one with an elastic band to hold the notebook closed.

Some of the notebooks I have at home are almost too beautiful to use, including the Paperblanks with a magnetic flap.

I'm always on the hunt for good pens too. I know some writers are particular about the kind or color of pen they use. Personally, I prefer black pens.