Tools of the Writer's Trade

I mostly write in longhand, in whatever I can find. I write off and all on day and just grab whatever is closest. Generally, I always keep one notebook with me at all times (right now it is a one subject, wide ruled sprial with Batman on the cover) but I also use composition notebooks, legal pads, napkins, Post-Its, etc. When I'm finished I put all of the loose-leaf stuff in folders or staple it into the main book that I'm using. About every four months or so I buy a new Moleskine notebook and use that until it is all used up. I either write with Uniballs or Pilot V-7 pens in any color, but lately I've been really into pencil.

As far as word processors, I also use Focus Writer when I'm ready to transfer all of the longhand writing to the computer. It really is just a gray plain-text file, but you can change it to Rich Text if you want to format it. It keeps track of your word count and pages, but all of the toolbars are hidden so you only have to pay attention to the document.

I use Word 2007, and keep a back up of my main file in two locations.

The spellchecker is useful in it, the grammar checker not so much. (Perfectly legit sentences often end covered in green squigglies)

Well, honestly? Google Translations :p

I mean, I think I'm fluent enough in English, but sometimes I just want this exact word and nothing else will do, so Google better gives me a good translation for it, heh. (And one would not get as much feedback on the internet for something written in German.)

Besides that, as the actual text program, Open Office.

edited 3rd Apr '11 7:18:37 AM by Octo

Oh I almost forgot one of my favorite writing tools is asking myself questions. Seriously, there is no problem with having lots of information.

@ Silent Reverence: I can't wait until I try it out on my Windows computer, because I like fiddling around with the settings of programs. One of my projects is a collection of short stories that are in an Anachronic Order and are interconnected in a way. Also many of my projects tend to have many characters, because I like epic settings like The Lord Of The Rings and A Song Of Ice And Fire.

@ QQQQQ: I envy you, the only I thing I see out window is the streets and houses of megalopolis. Hopefully I can find a nearby park to walk through some time this week.

edited 3rd Apr '11 10:27:00 AM by EldritchBlueRose

Oh, man, the grammar check in Microsoft word makes so many mistakes... for example, it always tries to correct "This is all your fault!" to "This is your entire fault!"

I mean, I can see where it's getting that from. But still.

I do not write by hand, either, Morven. I only outline by hand, then write.

My outlines aren't proper outlines; they're more like detailed summaries.

At work I can get large pieces of paper, 30" x 42". Fold one up a few times and you can get eight large pages of text on one sheet. Or, don't fold it and use it for character lists, plot trees, schedules, maps, anything that won't fit on 8 1/2" x 11" or has a lot of detail.

Once I have some text, I type it up with Word Pad, which has all the formatting I need but none of the hassle of Word (Clippy anyone?).

My handwriting is so damn awful it's almost useless, is a good part of the reason I don't. Sometimes I'll scribble a few notes, but even then I'm more likely to enter it into my cellphone's text editor and send it to my email account.

To be honest, my handwriting is awful too. I always write longhand first because I feel like I can engage more in what I'm do when it is on paper as far as editing goes. I can go back and cross things out, write over them, even rip paper up if I have to. Typing on the computer feels so final to me.

I only write as opposed to typing because if I am typing that means there is the internet and if there is the internet I am probably not typing my story.

Ah, the addictive properties of doing stuff online that's not writing?

Can be a problem for me too. :)

THIS

Also handwriting. I haven't handwritten a thing ever since, let's see, about eight months ago. Now when I dare to try I feel like it is the most horrible thing I have ever written, every time. Worse, I don't have truly any reason to handwrite. Last time I signed a check, from either end, was 2007 I think. Anyway, ever if I still handwrote, I wouldn't do my fics that way, since I keep the developments far from my meatspace persona. The folder with my fics is encrypted with Twofish in a container in my flashdrive and the key to the container is hidden in an invoice scan in another flashdrive.

Also, @Eldritch: should I have mentioned that Storybook requires Java?

edited 4th Apr '11 9:37:04 PM by SilentReverence

Why do you need to protect it so much? It seems rather strange to me.

Probably; I found out when I downloaded it myself. It's not too big of an issue, though. Java's free, so I didn't care.

That's no problem, I tend to code in java a lot.

Is Scrivener worth it?

I have no idea because I have never used it before.

But in terms of writing, I usually simply use Google Docs in Fountain Format.