In a recent Mashable.com article, the writer asked, "Do you have two different colors of sticky notes at hand? A cold Coke at 4 p.m.? A trio of cats to cuddle between chapters?"
In truth, I have 5 colors of sticky notes, a cold Pepsi (never drink the stuff except during NaNo season), and a duo of freeloading purrballs who crawl over, stretch, and sit on my keyboard so cuddles in between chapters is laughable.
Each week during NaNo, I'll post a picture of my desk and its state of cleanniness and disarray. This week, you can compare pictures of my pre-NaNo desk (completely clean and tidy in anticipation of the NaNo madness to come) and NaNo desk Week 1.
No judging!
Despite the mess (note the whiskey glass), at least I'm getting words on the page, which is what these two sages advise:
Done is better than good enough. ~ Elizabeth Gilbert's mother
A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week. ~ General George S. Patton
I also have Huxley the Mouse as my muse. He sits right above my empty Pepsi can. I recommend all writers keep a representation of their muse nearby for those times when you the characters in your head need a little encouragement to come out and have their voices heard on the page, or screen, or wherever you're writing your epic work.