Achieving My Bachelor's In Sherpa Skills

April 2025

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a fan of clutter... not in my home, not in my workspace, not in my manuscripts, and certainly not in my head. As a Passionate Plotter, I revel in the wonderment of outlines that give me the security of knowing what's happening in my imaginary world, while still offering me the freedom to hop around from manuscript to manuscript, and chapter to chapter. Boxes keep everything tidy in the physical world, so I don't have to dig through who knows what to find what I'm looking for. As much as spontaneity appeals to me emotionally, like when giving gifts or going on the unplanned adventure to do something fun... I'm not a fan of the stress of not being able to find what I need when I need it.

So far, this season, Drake has pulled on a snazzy tie four times, and we've gone out to meet new readers. These four events were all in places where we weren't sure what the interest might be like, because we'd never been there before. So, in the spirit of that first ad hoc vacation we all take right after the sunshine shows it's warm happiness after a long winter, I flung my stuff into the back of the car with reckless abandon, hopped into a new festival season, and hoped for the best.

As always, the messiness of it made me a little crazy. So yesterday, I returned to the organization that brings stability to my world.

I started by unloading everything and stacking it in piles all over living room floor. I counted all the books and giveaways, and then put those inventory numbers into my Zettle app. Now, I no longer need to guess at what I have or how many. Of course, I do need to remember to log every sale and giveaway, otherwise the mess will return, and I'll have to start all over again! It takes a few trips to get back into the swing of things.

This year, I approached packing the boxes in a different way.

In the past, the quest was, "How many books and additional stuff can I pack into the fewest number of boxes?" My son loves to make just one trip for anything that needs to be moved. You should see him bring in the groceries - he's got an MFA in Sherpa skills. That approach worked fine for me, for a while. I packed lots of stuff in large boxes, hauled them easily into and out of the car, strapped them down onto my cart, and off I went. Everything in one trip!

Now I'm a little older and my body is a little creekier, so I'm not beating it up as much as I used to. My desire to be the Sherpa Master my son is has dwindled. So, this year, I shifted my mindset to "What is the easiest way to carry all this stuff without being in pain tomorrow?" Someone once suggested that I find a lighter hobby, and they might have been right... but storytelling still calls loudly to me, and that means books... and they're heavy; no getting around it.

This past winter, I came across some smaller boxes that work perfectly, at Dollar General, of all places. They are exactly the right size for 6" x 9" novels and 8" x 8" children's books, and 8" x 10" workbooks, with a little left over on the sides for smaller things, or additional books. They're also semi-transparent, so now I know exactly which titles are in which box! Who could have imagined such a thing existed?! Best of all, I got them for a ridiculously inexpensive price, so if one breaks along the way, it won't be overly painful to replace them.

After all my organizing was done, I was thrilled to discover that I assembled a four-small-box compliment of all my titles (about ten of each), with just two other boxes; one for my table cloths, book racks, and giveaways, and another for all the other display necessities like chocolate, signing pens, plush toys, business cards, brochures, etc. I now have everything I need for the festival season organized for maximum effect and minimal pain.

With this configuration, I can easily pack the car, and the cart, without playing the part of a burrow on the trek down the Grand Canyon... and I can still get everything, including my tables and my stool, on the cart, in one trip! I get bonus points because I won't be in pain the next morning, either.

I've earned my Bachelor's in Sherpa... I'm not sure I ever want the MFA. That sounds like more work than I want to do. With everything loaded in the car, I can safely see out the back window, and I get to leave the overstock at home. The worst that can happen is that I sell out of a title and have to refer people to my website. That's a problem I can happily manage. Yup, I'll take that kind of "worst."

And now that I've tackled that chore... it's time I get back to the writing thing.

Drake and I would love to see you out and about this year. Visit our Event Calendar to find out where we'll be next. Remember, CHOCOLATE and tiny stuffed Elephants will be waiting on the table, next to all the books. 😉