WHAT'S ON YOUR DESK?

BJ BOURG

Oh, wow, where to start? 

My desk is cluttered, but I don’t know if I could do without everything on it. First, I have my computer. It’s an HP something or other with a 200 GB hard drive and a 17” flat-screen monitor. I needed the flat-screen so I could fit more stuff on my desk. 

My dictionary is always within arms reach. As a writer of (first) police reports and (now) fiction, I couldn’t live without my dictionary. I have a printer that’s been getting a lot of use since I started Mouth Full of Bullets. 

I keep a box of blank discs and several flash drives nearby for backing up my files. My digital camera sits on my desk because I’m constantly downloading family pictures and shots for MFOB. I have a stack of Woman’s World magazines. I’m studying the mini-mysteries, trying to break into that market. I have a shelf above my computer that holds over forty writing books. Some of them include The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Novels by Tom Monteleone, The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, The Writer’s Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon, the latest edition of Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market, and the most useful writing book ever written, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. 

I have a very special “BJ”-engraved Cross ink pen that is only used for signing my books. I keep my New Orleans Saints cap on my desk. I have a big box of envelopes and a pack of labels for mailing out checks and acceptance letters for MFOB. There is always a stack of submissions on my desk that need to be read for MFOB. I have several pictures from my little girl telling me she loves me. There’s always an empty plate or glass from when my son uses my desk – his way of letting me know he loves me. 

An unopened Mickey Mouse watch I bought while in Disney World. Several Hi-lighters in different colors. A cup where my ink pens are supposed to be, but which are never there – ask the kids. The latest copy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine so I can write a 250-word story for their “Mysterious Photo” contest. My bill calendar. A box of business cards. Extra printer cartridges. Loose change from my pockets. A set of throwing knives. A small box with various keepsakes, such as my first law enforcement badge, a check for my first published short story (“Muddy Waters” FMAM, 2004), my first law enforcement commission card, a check from my first professional boxing match, a TASER pin, my expired driver’s licenses, extra keys to my truck, my original SWAT patch, expert marksman ribbon, and a few other oddities.

Several guitar picks are scattered about my desktop and my Fender Stratocaster stays propped beside my desk. When I’ve been writing too long, I pick up my guitar and work on the latest song I’m learning. At present, that would be Collective Soul’s “Shine.” Well, while there are a few other things scattered about my desk, I think I’ve covered the most significant items. 

STAND BY ME
(1986)


Written by:
Raynold Gideon
Bruce A. Evans


Starring:
Wil Wheaton
River Phoenix
Corey Feldman
Jerry O'Connell

A writer recounts his boyhood
 journey with three friends to find the body of a missing boy.

Alternative - one of two or more possibilities.
     “Really, I do abhor riding by her house, but my only alternative is the lake.”

A MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF WRITING

On August 1, 1969, a 25-year-old political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle just happened to be in the editorial meeting when a secretary walked in and handed an envelope to the editor. The letter contained descriptions of two recent murder scenes, including details the police had not released to the public, and promised more would occur if the enclosed cipher was not published. 

The cartoonist felt enraged by the letter's arrogant tone, but also fascinated by the prospect of solving the mystery. Who was this whacko who called himself "Zodiac" and bragged about killing people? Between 1973 and 1983, the obsessed cartoonist interviewed hundreds of people, reviewed police statements and basically turned his studio apartment into a huge file cabinet. 

His goal was to write a book about the case, but the first draft was 12,000 pages long. Twelve thousand pages! When he edited, he didn't strike through anything, he literally cut words out of the page with an artist's X-ACTO knife. Some pieces he kept, some he threw away. A professional editor eventually stepped in to help. After three years and thirteen drafts, Robert Graysmith's Zodiac hit the book stores.

To date, his obsession has sold over four million copies. The film adaptation is now in theaters.

CURRENT CONTEST

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