It probably sounds like I'm being silly or goofing around, but I'm serious. I can't write any part of my novel without my favorite pencil. Twice during the writing of The Search for Truth and once while writing Ripped, I misplaced my pencil. I blame it on my cats who occasionally decide pencils and pens are interesting toys. Every time the pencil was missing in action, I found it under a chair or the bed. Those searches took time away from my writing, but I had to find that pencil.
     I don't believe in lucky charms of any kind so I know it's possible to write with a different pencil. So why the frantic search for one pencil when I have others I can use? Comfort and usefulness. I've gotten so used to holding that mechanical pencil that no other pencil seems to fit my hand as well. There's also the fact that it never needs to be sharpened. If I write long enough to wear down the tip, I push a button and instantly have a sharper pencil.
     You can sit there and laugh if you think the situation is hilarious. What I'm wondering is what tool of your trade do you feel you can't do without. I know a contractor who will only use a particular tape measure and a mechanic who will search the entire shop for his wrench when he can just as easily use one from another toolbox. Neither of these have to do with luck, it's all about what you get used to and the quality or usefulness of that tool. As a writer, my main tool is my pencil. I need that pencil.