First Purchase

Today I visited Daydreaming on Paper looking for inspiration. There's a very nice randomizer there that is sure to provide something to inspire you (if you click on it enough times!). Today it asked me "Do you remember the first thing you bought with your own money? With your first paycheck?"

I decided to write about the first thing I bought with money I made from my writing. I wanted it to be something memorable, although I'm sure there were other more practical things I could have chosen. The money was the pay from a short story, "Little Things," I sold to Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY Magazine. I decided to buy a piece of art that I could hang in my office.

The picture (this is not the best shot of it--bad lighting and lots of reflections) is of a Victorian-style home, surrounded with lovely gardens. It drew me first because it reminded me of my grandparents' home and also the house where I grew up--neither of course is exactly like this one but they have the same feeling. It also looks like it would be a lovely place to write, at a desk looking out one of the upstairs windows, or perhaps curled up in a chair on the veranda.

I love peacefulness when I write. It's just a commodity that's usually in short supply. ;-) I'm very glad that I invested the pay from that story in this picture. It's a concrete reminder that my writing goals can be achieved.