#writers programs

And I realized that I use a LOT of different things interchangeably. It seems (and probably is) rather chaotic, but with how my noggin works, I need to be able to have options so I can continue working and not just come to a stand-still.

I use both pen & paper as well as my laptop. One gets priority over the other, depending on how fast my brain is processing things, and what part of the process I am in.

IE-if I’m early on, I’m likely working with a pen and paper since I write slower than I type and am not moving too fast for my brain to think of new things. However, if later in the process, I’m likely on my laptop click-clacking away to get things down as fast as possible to meet/beat word count.

But, since my process is…odd I figured I’d go over what I use to plan/write my works of fiction, in case there’s anything that interests ya’ll.

 PEN & PAPER

·         NOTEBOOKS hi, I’m Frenchie and I hoard notebooks. I am extremely particular on how they’re kept, and if it’s a nicer one, and no perforations to remove pages, I will REFUSE to use it because I don’t want to ‘waste’ the notebook. I get antsy if I have more than one ‘subject’ or story in a notebook. Hell, I have a 600 page one that’s JUST for character profiles. Either way, I realized, bulk + cheap is the way to go.

·         PENS if I don’t have a good easy flowin’ gel pen, then I tend to press too hard and aggravate my carpal tunnel. So, I’m somewhat of a pen nerd. Right now, for bulk black and white writing my favorite is the Sharpie SGel in the 1.0 size, or if not in reach a Pilot G2 Gel Pen. Both are intense, fast drying (important for us lefties!) and rarely fuck up while you’re trying to work.

·         HILIGHTERS I like to color code when I’m working in my planners/writing so I know who’s speaking. If I’m not wanting to switch between colored pens, I go back after I’m done and highlight. With what? Mildliners. The Zebra Mildliners more specifically. They’re in a shit ton of colors (I bought them all), so I can use as many differentiating colors as I want.

·         OFFICE STUFF post-its, my written to-do list (its got sloths on it <3 ) and anything that isn’t a spiral notebook or a pen. If I’m somewhere in my house away from my ‘office’, I will use a list app on my phone to get the job done if inspiration strikes or the rogue receipt if necessary.

·         LAP DESK(s) yes, plural, because I have one for working in my bedroom (which I do on occasion) that doesn’t fit on my couch, so I had to get a cheaper one for my couch. My expensive one is hard plastic that has folding legs, a book stand, tablet holder, and a drawer with cupholder. It’s nice, and tall and works well if I have the room to bring it out. My cheaper on (still $30) is plastic with cats and books on it, a beanbag bottom, but DOES have a cupholder. <3 It is worth ten times its weight in gold.

 LAPTOP APPS

·         NOTEPAD yes, regular Notepad. Again, the informal nature of it takes my worries about being perfect (though the delete key is a thing) and tosses them out the window. I use Notepad for writing down things from generators I use (because unless a name is REALLY important, I use a generator). Sometimes, if I’m feeling squirrely, I even outline in it (broad strokes).

·         MICROSOFT WORD the real workhorse of my programs. I am in MS Word every damn day for one reason or another. (like now O_O…spooky right?) I used to outline in MS word with bulleted lists, but now I use it for drafting, and editing.

·         CAMPFIRE PRO my first foray into a novel building software—and I’m never world building without it EVER again. You can tell it’s built by writers—it just works so well, and I’ve even re-purposed things like the Timeline feature to do my full-on Outlines. I have all the bells and whistles because I also play tabletop games and if I decide to GM one day, you best bet I’ll be using Campfire for it.

·         EXCEL I use this to count my total words per day during NaNo season as well as to track how many words total my Short Story Collection is. I know NOTHING of Excel, well none of the cool stuff, but you best bet I figured out how to color a cell, so I wasn’t looking at a boring spreadsheet.

·         NOTION the newest part to my system, but HOLY FUCKING SHIT this program does it all. It’s set up like Scrivner with a side bar that does folders, and you can make pages, kaban boards, calendars, etc. that show up. Currently I have a folder for my household, one for my author platform and one for my art commissions. It is, to be frank, a lifesaver. I’m getting more done than I ever have before.

·         SPOTIFY if I don’t block out everything, I don’t focus, so when Husbando got us Spotify Premium a few years back, it instantly became a part of my ritual. I have playlists ranging from lo-fi, instrumental, to lyrical 90’s boy bands to death metal. I’ll put on a playlist and just go.

 NEW & EXPERIMENTING WITH