Writing Tools I Can't Live Without

  All of us writers have tools that make our jobs just a tiny bit easier. For some, a large part of that might be coffee, for others, it might be their word-processing system. There are some of us who need our story playlist pumping, our specific word document, our caffeinated beverage, and an array of notebooks and outlines before we even sit down and start putting words to the page. Today, I'll be sharing with you a few of the things that I really need to truly get going on my novels.

GOOGLE DOCS

  This is probably my favorite word processor. I've worked with Microsoft Word most of my life, which I definitely prefer in lieu of no internet access, and I recently tried Scrivener (because everyone raves about it) but I haven't gotten used to it yet. Google Docs is super easy, accessible, and keeps everything saved in the cloud in case of imminent computer failure. It also makes things like editing and beta-reading really simple when you're in that stage. If you have a Google account, defintely take advantage of this awesome feature!

PINTEREST

  For gaining a ton of inspiration for characters, settings, and tones in a story, there is no better tool than Pinterest! Since starting to create storyboards for my books, I have opened up a whole new world of possible inspiration and enlightenment. If you're a visual, artistic writer, I highly recommend using Pinterest to your advantage and creating a beautiful storyboard for your book! Check out the my board for The Sorceress and the Squid to see if it's something for you!

MY OUTLINING FORMATS

  For some of my stories, I am a major plotter. My epic fantasy series is one of those stories. With literally hundreds of characters, places, and plotlines, you need a lot of outlining to even keep things straight. I have character outlines, which read a lot like Wikipedia articles, and which I made a whole separate post about which you can check out HERE. In a similar vein, I have outlines for countries, languages, and religions as well. I try to map out the journey's of each main character so I know a little where they're going. Not to mention my chapter-by-chapter outline for my 60 chapter installments. Basically, OUTLINE EVERYTHING.

NOTEBOOKS

  Are you even a writer if you don't carry at least 14 notebooks around at all times? And then you need one note from one page from just ONE of those 14 notebooks and you spend about 2 years searching for it? No? Just me?

  Notebooks are truly lifesavers. We can't ALWAYS be on our computer writing, guys (I know, I know, so sad) but a good notebook will come in handy on the days when you just can't get back to your documents to get something down. Also, I just love taking notes and jotting things down with paper and pen, it's super satisfying. And I know I'm not the only one.


  And there you are, some of my Writing Tools I Can't Live Without! What about you? What sort of things do you need to get your writing on? Let me know in the comments below!