I have too much paper. For my books. And not that I am printing out the books. Well, I do usually/partially. I actually don’t like to waste paper printing out a manuscript. I know it helps with editing at times, so when I do print them out, I will usually do four manuscript pages per sheet of paper (it’s tiny, there’s eye strain but it’s a quarter of the pages it could be). But I also take lots of notes and jot lots of things down. By the end of a book, I will have a file folder jammed to capacity.

But...then...what am I supposed to do with it?

As a hoarder-in-training, I abhor throwing things away. Especially things that may be useful at some point—who determines that, eh I don’t know. So throwing away the workings of my books is like throwing away my kids’ baby clothes. To special and precious. I. Can’t. Do. It.

Could be, since I am still in a certain phase in my writing career—i.e., all my books are currently still under contract and I have haven’t gotten any rights back so I haven’t had to go through and re-edit something before I put it back out myself—I am not 100% sure what of it I may need to keep a hold of. So I keep it all.

Now, however, I am finding that I have so much of it, it may become overwhelming. I am running out of places to store the umpteen file folders. Sure I could always move it to the garage or attic, but then my easy access, should I ever actually need it, would be gone and a chore to get to. (this is overthink mode, sure, but as I tripped over a folder just this morning, it’s a necessary overthink, I think)

Do you have hardcopies/notes/jottings for your books or WIPs? Do you keep it any or all once the book is finished? If you keep it, at what point would you get rid of it? I really want to know, because I am not sure what to do with what’s making piles in my office. Truth be told, I’d love nothing more than to have on of those tall round bookcases that fit three-inch binders all the way around and keep one binder per book as I work on them. Maybe something to think about. I am sure I could find room somewhere for it.