By Margaret Birth
What follows is a wish list of my favorite writing-related items, set to the classic “Twelve Days of Christmas” tune (with apologies for the nonsensical meter):
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
a renewed subscription to RT*.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
two Writer’s Markets**,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
nine romantic CDs to hear while I write,
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
ten hugs for encouragement,
nine romantic CDs to hear while I write,
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
eleven black Uni●ball gel-stick pens,
ten hugs for encouragement,
nine romantic CDs to hear while I write,
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
twelve romance novels***,
eleven black Uni●ball gel-stick pens,
ten hugs for encouragement,
nine romantic CDs to hear while I write,
eight black ink printer cartridges,
seven carmine red Prismacolor editing pencils,
six memberships in groups for writers,
five writing reference books…,
four reams of printer paper,
three mystery novels,
two Writer’s Markets,
and a renewed subscription to RT.♥
* RT, for anyone who doesn’t know, is RT Book Reviews, which is the premier publication reviewing genre fiction and women’s fiction in the US today.
**My favorite Writer’s Markets are the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market and the Poet’s Market; there’s also a more general Writer’s Market that also covers nonfiction (and all three are published by Writer’s Digest Books). A similar book to the general Writer’s Market that’s specifically geared toward the Christian writer is the Tyndale-published Christian Writer’s Market Guide. All of these books are revised annually.
***Although listed last, they are certainly not least—an entire dozen, one for each of the twelve days of Christmas!
Margaret Birth is a Christian writer who has been widely published in short fiction, short nonfiction, and poetry, both in the U.S. and abroad; in addition to working as a freelance writer, she's spent over a decade freelancing for multiple publishers as a manuscript reader, proofreader, and copy editor. It's all of this experience on both sides of the publishing desk that has inspired her column, "The Write Stuff," which has appeared regularly in RWA/NYC's newsletter, Keynotes, for the past ten years.
Photo by Maria Ferrer.
The Stars at the Time Warner Building, 2010.
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