Writer Totems

Do you have -- need -- a writer totem in order to do your best work? I do -- but not these. (Now who shelved that book upside down, I wonder?)

Crystals and geodes, while very mystical, just don't have the whimsy I require to feel at home. I have these where I can see them. I can appreciate their beauty and the geological upheaval that produced them -- but I can't "bond."

My sense of humor leans sharply toward the "Muppet-y," so I need something more...emotional. Amazingly beautiful but cold doesn't do it for me. I need a sense that somebody is actually in there. I need to be aware of the "hands." (See the post about forsythia bushes and tomatoes.)

Ergo, my totems are these:



Tom Clark gnomes. I have several "book lover" gnomes in the grouping -- "Hinson," who is reading to a frog prince, "Curtis" and "Will," who are dedicated bibliophiles. And two gnomes who just "love" -- "Val," who is standing on a Valentine, and "Pumpkin," who will forever say "I love you" in American Sign Language. (I like Pumpkin -- though it's a bit disconcerting that she looks like "Ben" on the TV show "Lost.") And there's sassy "Sparkle" with her hat down over her eyes and her skirt hiked up enough to show you her petticoat -- I'm not sure she's entirely sober. I need her for her fun-loving spirit. (I have to watch the gravitas.)

The one far in the back isn't a gnome at at all. It's a bear -- surrounded by stacks of books and writing, writing, writing. He's there for his fine example. Which brings us to "Edison." He's the one with a light bulb stuck in his hat. His job is to have ideas, and he's standing in a light socket ready to pull the chain switch. Believe me, I have been desperate enough on occasion to think this might be a reasonable solution to the blank page staring back at me. And lastly, on the left, is the long suffering "Job." He's known for his patience. He's just there...waiting. In this business, I always need him.

So. Does anyone else have any totems they'd like to talk about?