I have to touch paper, pencil to paper, pen to paper. My best days happen when I sharpen a dozen pencils and write the tips round. I can be more prolific at the keyboard, but I can’t feel the words the same way, can't fall into them, can't fall in love with them quite the same. I keep pens and pencils, a notebook and Post-its on my nightstand to capture words in the dark. Few people, maybe no one actually, could read the shorthand that results. Sometimes I can't. The computer makes writing easy—and hard. There are too many things I can do on a computer that aren’t what I mean to accomplish, aren't writing. When I use a pencil, I'm in touch with me; when I use a keyboard, I’m in touch with the world. I love that part of the writing process, too, however.

At the computer, I like to write with my cat Uncle Marmalade in my lap. His purring puts rhythm in my words. If you look closely, he's there on the button you clicked to get to this page. Surroundings for writers vary as much as writing style itself, no two alike. One writer wants silence, another boisterous activity. I like having Classical or Baroque music early in the day, but prefer it outside the room, coming from the sunroom down the hall. Later in the day, I want silence. The important thing? Your comfort and productivity. E. B. White, for instance wrote at a bare table, while Jean Piaget needed to be surrounded, even inundated, with books, magazines, and file folders.

I won’t say I have any particular ritual with regard to surroundings, but in this museum of my life, home, I need small delights to write. Photographs follow me into every room, and I do write and read in every room. The refrigerator? Invisible! It long ago became a magnetic photo collage, top to floor. The office file cabinets? Much the same. Each photo stands as a silent, miniature reminder of someone special in my life, some event snapped to visit later, some writing to revisit, someone to thank, someone's life yet to honor.

Most people would find four different bird clocks peeping and chirping every fifteen minutes a huge distraction, but as I hear them, they bring the outside inside. In the process, I get to learn 48 birdcalls! My office is a place I like to hang out, so I need touches of nature on my desk as well. Not everyone wants this many rocks scattered about their workspace. I do! Not long ago, I found a geode with the center drilled to safely hold a small tea candle. Having it lit late at night brings new delight to my evening writing times, though I would never use a regular candle anywhere near my desk! No one should. This one is buried deep inside a rock. Plants help me as well. They give my eyes a rest. So does Finnegan, my iridescent blue Beta fighting fish, who turns three next month. He lives nestled among the roots of a peace lily. I never tire of watching his graceful twists and turns. This desk, as an evolving environment, I enjoy immensely. The one you create will be like no other. The important thing? Love your writing surroundings. Want to go there.

No two writers gather ideas and inspiration in quite the same way. Regardless of how many books you read on the craft of writing, practice remains what writers regard as most essential. Superb books exist on writing topics, as you would expect, and I will list a few favorites at the end. Mark the best suggestions, but in writing, you still have to find your own path and your own pace. Whether you take a brisk walk or a leisurely stroll, what you discover in the end is worth the journey and worth the wait: a clear pond. Look as deeply as your eyes can see, then check the smile on the surface. No better way can you find to discover yourself than on this path of writing.

Along the way, here are a few of the books I’ve found beneficial. Let me know of others that you think particularly helpful. Writers, parents, teachers, librarians, high school and college students should find these useful.

For suggestions on children's writing, click on Literary Links and go to SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and ICL (Institute of Children’s Literature), as well as others.