Writing is a huge part of who I am, and it has been for the majority of my life. So of course I have lots of opinions when it comes to writing tools! Today I’m sharing what I use for writing books, and since it has been a while since I first sat down to start Aureole back in November, 2008, I’m pretty certain in how I feel about these things. Plus, scroll down to enter to win an ABD mug!
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Writing Software: Obviously there’s always the great Microsoft Word, but there are also some programs specifically for writers. I’m writing TLM on Word, but I wrote Aureole on yWriter. That’s just for Microsoft computers, I believe, but Scrivener is recommended on Mac. Full disclosure – I haven’t used Scrivener before, although I hear good things.
MyWriteClub: I found this because of Briana, and it’s a great way to keep track of your writing progress. And it’s also great for sharing your progress with other people! Screenshot and post on social media and everyone can see how great you are.
Journals: I use two, a simple one for writing, and a pretty one for a writer’s notebook. As for the first, I don’t always write by hand, but sometimes that’s easier for some reason. The words just flow better when I’m stuck or having trouble getting started. I actually wrote most of Aureole by hand. The other journal I use is one I carry around with me. I use it to keep track of little things I think about throughout the day, as well as notes on themes, things I want to change while editing, what I need to research, any bits of writing I do when out and about, etc. You can learn more about writer’s notebooks here and here. Some journals that look perfect for a writer’s notebook are here, here, here, this, this, and this.
Pens: These go along with the journals. If you’re like me, pens are just as important as what you’re writing in, if not more so. These pens help me keep my handwriting legible and pretty colors make everything better. I use Sharpie pens and Staedtler pens.
Coffee Mugs: These are more important because they hold the coffee, and if you take away the coffee, I stop doing the standing, and the walking, and the words-putting-into-sentences doing. (10 points if you know what quote that’s from). Who doesn’t love Anthropologie mugs? I really love their icon mugs and crowned leaf mugs. And speaking of mugs …
Enter to win an ABD mug!
We’re giving away an ABD mug! The winner gets to choose the mug they want, and they are not limited to one pictured here. The giveaway runs from 2/22/16 12:01 AM – 2/28/16 11:59 PM. You must be in the USA and over 18 to enter. The winner will be notified within 48 hours, after which they have an additional 48 hours to respond to claim their prize. If they do not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. Entries will be checked, and any cheaters will be disqualified.
This giveaway is brought to you by:
Kate the (Almost) Great
nomElizabeth
kate/idoscope
Modern Yet Nostalgic
Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
Haha what a great giveaway!! I love having a couple of different notebooks – I always start each with an intention (like one for the personal stuff and one for the business stuff) but like everything in life, you can’t really compartmentalize everything so they always end up a big, messy, lovely hodgepodge of both!
Too true! I’ve gotten a lot better about keeping mine separate, but I seriously have so many.
Thank you for the writing software recommendations. I’ve been using Word but it somewhat distracts me.
I know the feeling! That’s why I used yWriter to write the first draft of Aureole. Fewer distractions!
You need to try OmmWriter and Noisli! The last is fantastic for me, I usually choose the sounds of a fireplace and thunderstorm. Both they create a magnetic atmosphere for productive writing!
Ohh thank you! I’ll definitely check those out.
ok i keep trying to fall in love with scrivener, but struggle with ALL the features. i know you don’t HAVE to use everything just because it’s there but I WANT TO. 🙂 I’ve always been a lover of Evernote… Mostly because it all auto-updates on ALL your devices and there’s something so awesome in that.
Evernote is so great! I might get Scrivener for the next book, but it depends on how I outline it.
Love this post – thanks for including my link! 🙂 Much appreciated – writer’s notebooks are the best! And I second your thoughts on the coffee thing! 🙂
My pleasure! It’s such a great post. Ever since I learned about the greatness they can hold in my undergrad career (a secondary ed class on teaching writing), I’ve been a fan.
Yes! It wasn’t until I started teaching middle school and went through the Lucy Calkins training and also was introduced to Ralph Fletchers books that I truly understood how to make the writing notebook WORK for me as opposed to just being a journal! 🙂
Now you have me curious. I love the quote (and need a coffee cup that says it!) Where does it come from?
Gilmore Girls!
I recently started journaling again, and I 100% agree that the pens are just as important as the notebook! Thanks for offering such an awesome giveaway 🙂
XO, SS || Seersucker Sass
Speaking of writing tools, I found that Hemingway App and Unplag are both useful for me. The first is an editor which gives you suggestions on the improvement of your sentences in the real time. The second is an online plagiarism checker with detailed reports and amazing feature of comparing two or more (up to 5) documents for possible similarities.