When I wrote my first novel, I kept my dad's old St. Christopher pendant and a few postcards of Snoqualmie Falls at my desk for story inspiration. Even though I've been finished with that novel for months, I still keep those things in their places. They belong here now. (I also have my nametag from the first writing conference I attended: Mindi Sc*tt, Young Adult Novel. I felt so important when I wore it.) For inspiration for my current project, I've been collecting four-leaf clovers and gradually adding them to my arrangement beneath the glass of a small picture frame. Four-leaf clovers are going to have some major significance to a subplot. As of today, I have found six four-leaf clovers and one FIVE-leaf clover. It makes me very, very happy.
I have two large corkboard bulletin boards in my home office just above my desk. One has a calendar, some family photos, and all my household bills posted. The other is my Writing Stuff Bulletin Board. It contains business cards, little notes pertinent to my current project, my first (and only) piece of fan-art (yay!), a critique checklist, and other things of that nature.
Until about three hours ago, I had all my agent request and rejection letters tacked up there in a stack as well. I did it originally because I was trying to be all Stephen King. I thought that having rejection letters in my sight at all times would make me feel more like a writer or something. But now I've realized that having rejection letters in a file folder is just as useful. After all, seeing them tacked up doesn't make me remember them any better; it isn't like I'm going to forget them any time soon! Now I'll need to find new things to put up there in place of the letters.