…President Matthew Quinn Martin and Vice-President Libby Cudmore here again with our semi-regular featured blog post.

Labor Day weekend has come and gone. The bbq’s have been stowed in the garage. The white slacks have (hopefully) been folded up and dropped in the bottom drawer, and we’ve all felt what might be that last summer breeze.

There was a time, longer ago for some of us than others, that this change of season signaled the start of another school year. And while our own memories of that time might vary in their degree of fondness, there are two events most of us likely agree on enjoying: hearing someone creep into our bedrooms to whisper the immortal words snow day, and the joy of shopping for new school supplies.

There’s a wonderful thrill about holding open a crisp new mead composition book, about clutching a fistful of fresh pens, or un-boxing a cutting edge laptop (for the younger set), or that first typewriter (for those of us from a less digital age). What all those new supplies represent is potential, a world of possibilities in fact. A chance to start fresh, to try something different. Right now the pages are empty, the pens full of ink…it’s up to you to flip that around.

So, in the spirit of those days, why not head down to the stationary store (…heck, you might already be there with your kids or grandkids) and treat yourself to a small writing present. Buy a funky Lisa Frank folder to put drafts in. Pick up that fountain pen and leather-bound journal you’ve always had your eye on.

Try something different. Splurge on gel pens—if you write in black, try writing in purple. Doodle in the margins. Make colleges in the spaces that don’t look like they need writing. Write your scenes on index cards and tape them all over the garage…or wherever you find inspiration. Write a poem in the sand and take a picture of it before the waves wash it away.

Take risks. And do whatever it takes to turn that potential into something real.