I’m sure every writer could create a list of their favorite writing tools: best pens, easiest-to-erase pencils, notebooks (maybe that would be harder…), laptop, laptop bag… the list would be as unique as a fingerprint for each writer I would ask. For me, it depends on the situation, but I thought it would be fun to write a little essay now and then about a favorite item, and today it is my Bag of Potential.

It could also be called a pencil case, I guess, but it’s bigger than the kind kids take to school. It also doesn’t have any holes in the side to make it easy to slip into a 3-ring binder. But it is made of woven green nylon, and has a zipper… so I’m not sure what it is if it’s not a pencil case. Bag of Potential works, on many levels.

I’m not sure where I came across this bag. I know at least one friend of mine has the same one, and we both used to work for nonprofits and attend some of the same workshops and conferences, so I suspect that may have been the original source. It was probably in a tote bag, handed out by harried conference organizers or volunteers, just happy to not have to load all those damn things back into their cars at the end of the day. If I had taken three or four bags, they wouldn’t have cared.

One of the reasons I love the bag is its size. it’s 12×6, and is roomy enough to cram ALL the things I know I’ll need when I’m leaving the house to work at a coffee shop or going on a trip or just moving from my office to the kitchen island. It can also hold all the things I think I might need… because that’s how I operate. As a creative, I need all my options left open as often as possible. (Bag of Potential, remember??)

Anytime I carry the bag along with me, I make sure it contains a couple of my favorite pens – the Pilot Acroball. I read recently that the key to good writing is owning a “fast pen”, and this is the fastest I have found. It has a fine tip, is not-too-fat and not-too-skinny, has never leaked on me, and is affordable enough that if I lose one I don’t have a panic attack. I also pack a couple of highlighters and some sticky note pads, for note writing and highlighting places in magazines or books I want to revisit later.

If I’m going to do some planning ahead, I make sure to grab a few rolls of washi tape. I am relatively new to the washi tape phenomenon, but I’m quickly making up for lost time. Right now it’s all stacked haphazardly on my desk, but I’m going to have to resort to finding a storage solution soon.

I most often use the tape for highlighting events and appointments and blocking out large amounts of work time in my planner, as I think most people do. But I also use it to create tabs in my writing notebooks. They allow me to find essay fodder or pull out pieces of ideas I want to pull out to write about in more detail or notes about ongoing projects I don’t want to lose.

If I’m headed out for an interview, or to attend an art opening or other event where I hope to grab some quotes, I’ll throw in my Sony audio recorder. It was only twenty-ish dollars, and it’s been a great addition to the tool kit. Money well-spent.

Because life happens, I also have a white-out dispenser. I want to be able to write in my planner in pretty-colored ink, but dammit if I don’t have to go back and cover up the things I do make permanent more often than not. But still, I do have some pretty Koh*I*Nor pens in the bag… just in case.

Finally, I have pencils – both Paper Mate mechanical ones with extra lead and erasers, and old-school ones I can’t resist in the Target dollar shelves.

Writing can be as easy as grabbing the spiral notebook and a pen and heading out the door, yes. But, I feel a lot better prepared when I have the notebook and my Bag of Potential.

What do you carry your essentials in? If you’ve written about your favorite tools, I’d love for you to share the link!