When I was first interviewing about my first book, I often talked about how I used to write while I was on the subway during my commute. This was possible because I started writing on my phone, a practice that many people I've met would balk at, but truly "created" time in my day to write, especially when I was working. The only rule: write as you have a thought and don't you dare tell yourself you'll "remember it later." You never will. Write, if you can, at the moment that you are thinking, and don't stop until you are done thinking. The resulting draft you write may be absolutely ugly. But through revision and patience, I turned most of those drafts into the poems that comprised my first collection. Simplenote is a cloud-based notes app that syncs across all my devices. I switched over to it after the Notes app on my phone completely lost a draft I had written. It has synced things very well since I've been using it—there's even a history feature that allows you to see different drafts that have been saved over time.
The second tool, Scrivener, was introduced to me by screenwriters and novelists and generally people who write things that require order. However, I've found it to be a very useful tool in just organizing my myriad notes and transcriptions. I still use InDesign to finalize my book manuscripts (really idiosyncratic to me), but it's so easy to move things around in this app, set chapters, etc, that it's been totally worth the money it initially cost.
Yes!! Scrivener is so amazing! I especially love the dual pane view so that I if I am working on a longer document, I can see two different parts of it at the same time. It's been such a game changer for me!!
The most important point about getting story/plot/world-building ideas is writing them down. I briefly tried a bunch of note-taking apps for on-the-go writing, but ultimately I settled on my plain old email inbox. When I eventually get to my laptop, everything's ready and waiting to be copied over to Scrivener.
I adore Notion, because it allows me to catalog all my random thoughts and get to a place of order. It's also a really great, free sub tracker.
I also use a private twitter that has 0 followers to start some drafts. I realized awhile ago that because I spend so much time on Twitter, maybe I should work with my technology rather than against it and transform that time into writing time! I love this interview that also talks about this strategy: https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/books/a34277128/rumaan-alam-leave-the-world-behind-interview/.
Notion is truly the best thing that has entered my life this year. Also, all people with .edu email addresses can get the pro personal plan for free!! (regularly costs $4/mo)
Pinterest and Spotify have done wonders for my prose writing! The process of making playlists and moodboards is so helpful in figuring out the mood of a piece, bringing ideas/visuals into conversation with each other & hashing out various configurations. It really helps crystallise a vague idea into something more vivid and exciting.
Microsoft word was very annoying + laggy. Scrivener lets me work non-linearly and move around scenes. Plus I love having two docs open side by side (say when rewriting) and Scrivener makes that incredibly easy.
And it automatically backs up everything! And you can change the icons for all the files! And you can import images and pdfs and stuff! And there's a note card feature!
I don't think I'd ever switch to any other word processor.
I do wish they'd put out the update for Windows though. Am trying to be patient but I can't wait to play with the new features in Scrivener 3.
Not an app, but tool-esque: my printer (and some fun color pens). I write on my computer because I type faster than I write by hand, but nothing beats editing a hard copy. It creates a medium-based separation between the writing and the editing that I've found helpful for self-editing.
Hi Fernanda—yes! There's something final about printing a hard copy and reading it from beginning to end. And pleasure, too, has a place, with those fun color pens. :)
I've actually stuck a piece of lined paper onto the fridge and numbered each row. Whenever I write a new poem, I write the title down there! 33 rows for 33 poems. I've noticed I really like visual/tangible rewards of writing, which is missing when I write on my computer!
Hi Jessica! This is such a great idea. There's so much lost when we do everything digitally. I think this is why people love seeing those big layouts of poems on the floor when they're putting together manuscripts. I remember doing that for the first time and how emotional it was.
Yes! So satisfying. I keep thinking about that joke that millennials don't own printers - but now I really want to invest in one just to be able to do this easier.
I highly recommend it. I bought a printer when I graduated from college and it's just been a lifesaver for many random things, but I mostly use it to read and revise my new work. Something happens between digital and print that changes the reading of a thing.
The site blocker SelfControl has helped me stay on track during my precious writing time! I no longer escape down distraction hatches, instead sitting with problems that arise on the page. I've gotten in a good habit of setting the site-blocking timer the moment I sit down to write.
Hi Hurley—this one is *key*, especially setting it right when you sit down. I use SelfControl too along with just turning off my wifi. I had a lightbulb moment when I realized there was a common denominator as to why I wrote so much better in foreign countries or on planes.
I love this question because I am an evangelist for the Ulysses writing program! It’s a subscription service but I honestly like paying for it because the makers so deserve it. It’s beautiful, seamless, and is the only program I’ve ever used that makes organizing fragmentary or non-chronological work convenient and painless.
Post-Its!! I'm not kidding, right now I have a bunch of post-its on the wall behind my desk. One idea & illustration per post-it, a la design thinking. I've got each of my characters, what they want and what they're afraid of, what my big themes are, the way I want readers to feel, and some encouragement and ideas of things to do when I get stuck. Post-its are cheap, plentiful, easy to move around.
For poetry and whenever I’m writing shorter prose scenes I’ve liked Ommwriter! It’s a very minimalist/distraction free writing experience and the typing sounds are incredibly satisfying!
HI Jennifer! Yes, another great one. And with all the tranquil sound settings to boot. I used it for quite a few years before I switched over to writing on my phone.
That said, on the more technical side, I used Trello's Kanban boards (designed for engineers) to plot my first 'proper' book: having everything in one place, from plot points to indicative character images, helped me create something more cohesive than I'd ever managed before.
Nice!! I actually use PivotalTracker and do a mutant kind of KanBan for my general goals and work as a writer now...truly another idiosyncrasy after a career in tech.
For me nothing has had a bigger impact than buying a cheap-ass fountain pen. I wrote all my books by hand, holding my ballpoints too tightly and finding myself in agony from tendonitis/RSI. It's been legitimately transformative.
Hi Tom! Yes, the writing utensil is actually quite important. I use Uniball vision fine pens after hopping around through using other rollerball pens, fountain pens, MUJI pens, pencils, etc. Something about the thickness and ease of use. I was (and am) hopeless with fountain pen care.
I'm obsessed with Bic Atlantis ballpoint pens, which are very smooth and never need a "nudge" to start. I've had a hard time with fountain pens in the past, but maybe I should try again...
zettlr + the digital garden format -- being able to hyperlink files and other notes to each other so I can stitch networks of thoughts together. I'm terrible at writing linearly so this is a way of overcoming that, and forcing me to review what I've written previously. Zettlr creates notes in markdown that are taggable and linkable, and those can be integrated super quickly into a basic website where I can follow a map of related notes & threads. Not sure how useful it would be for longer pieces of fiction, but I've really liked it for short essays, etc
I really like Bear (a note-taking app like Evernote and Simplenote) for jotting down random ideas, observations, quotes, etc. It syncs across all your devices so it's easy to add things to it on the go.
Great question! I recently used Ink & Inky–a scripting language typically used for narrative video games (https://www.inklestudios.com/ink/). I drafted a new section of my project in the scripting language, and it gave me a new perspective on how to approach the material. A lot of people have told me Scrivener is powerful and useful, but I haven't figured out how to leverage it.
For tools, I am now using a Keychron K2 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard and it has made a world of difference for carpal tunnel pain. Only downside is that it is a bit loud, but typing isn't so painful anymore.
Hi Emperatriz! I love when writers with day jobs are able to bring in some of those technologies/ideas into their writing processes. How did you draft your project in the scripting language? What does it do?
For me, Scrivener has been an easy place to compile/organize notes and poems. Basically my "piles" of work that have yet to be sorted into manuscripts. So I have a little stack of love poems and a big stack of quotations/poems from books I've read in the past, categorized by writer. Useful when essay-writing!
I also love that you mentioned a physical piece of technology to help your body. I've gotten quite a few hand cramps and strained eyes from spending so much time reading and writing in the past.
Ink is used in a lot of great narrative games! And it is different from other game narrative tools in that the branching narrative is written mostly in one document, rather than literally branching out on a map so things stay contained.
The portion of my book that I drafted in Ink is only ~1500 words so far but turns into 15-18 pages when I transfer it over to a word document. It forced me to outline / plot out all 'scenes' and dialog interactions that were necessary to the section because it can only flow from 'START' to 'END' with all connections in place. What I really like is that it makes me visualize changes in the flow of the project that I have input myself.
Two quick answers: Simplenote and Scrivener.
When I was first interviewing about my first book, I often talked about how I used to write while I was on the subway during my commute. This was possible because I started writing on my phone, a practice that many people I've met would balk at, but truly "created" time in my day to write, especially when I was working. The only rule: write as you have a thought and don't you dare tell yourself you'll "remember it later." You never will. Write, if you can, at the moment that you are thinking, and don't stop until you are done thinking. The resulting draft you write may be absolutely ugly. But through revision and patience, I turned most of those drafts into the poems that comprised my first collection. Simplenote is a cloud-based notes app that syncs across all my devices. I switched over to it after the Notes app on my phone completely lost a draft I had written. It has synced things very well since I've been using it—there's even a history feature that allows you to see different drafts that have been saved over time.
The second tool, Scrivener, was introduced to me by screenwriters and novelists and generally people who write things that require order. However, I've found it to be a very useful tool in just organizing my myriad notes and transcriptions. I still use InDesign to finalize my book manuscripts (really idiosyncratic to me), but it's so easy to move things around in this app, set chapters, etc, that it's been totally worth the money it initially cost.
Yes!! Scrivener is so amazing! I especially love the dual pane view so that I if I am working on a longer document, I can see two different parts of it at the same time. It's been such a game changer for me!!
I was going to say Simplenote too but panicked as it felt too, uh, basic. It is super effective.
Hahaha, it's basic but *so* key.
The most important point about getting story/plot/world-building ideas is writing them down. I briefly tried a bunch of note-taking apps for on-the-go writing, but ultimately I settled on my plain old email inbox. When I eventually get to my laptop, everything's ready and waiting to be copied over to Scrivener.
I adore Notion, because it allows me to catalog all my random thoughts and get to a place of order. It's also a really great, free sub tracker.
I also use a private twitter that has 0 followers to start some drafts. I realized awhile ago that because I spend so much time on Twitter, maybe I should work with my technology rather than against it and transform that time into writing time! I love this interview that also talks about this strategy: https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/books/a34277128/rumaan-alam-leave-the-world-behind-interview/.
Hi Gaia! I've never heard of the Twitter draft thing but now am so curious. I am also going to check out Notion right now!!
The humor writer Helen Ellis also is a Twitter drafter! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/31/helen-ellis-interview-american-housewife
Notion is truly the best thing that has entered my life this year. Also, all people with .edu email addresses can get the pro personal plan for free!! (regularly costs $4/mo)
Notion is brilliant. It's a joy to use, and unbelievably easy to reorganise. The interface is a thing of beauty.
Truly! I love that you can put covers on pages! It makes everything so much more pleasing to look at.
Pinterest and Spotify have done wonders for my prose writing! The process of making playlists and moodboards is so helpful in figuring out the mood of a piece, bringing ideas/visuals into conversation with each other & hashing out various configurations. It really helps crystallise a vague idea into something more vivid and exciting.
SCRIVENER!!!
Microsoft word was very annoying + laggy. Scrivener lets me work non-linearly and move around scenes. Plus I love having two docs open side by side (say when rewriting) and Scrivener makes that incredibly easy.
It's an absolute lifesaver!
Yes!! I also love the screenshot feature for purposefully keeping certain versions/drafts of poems.
And it automatically backs up everything! And you can change the icons for all the files! And you can import images and pdfs and stuff! And there's a note card feature!
I don't think I'd ever switch to any other word processor.
I do wish they'd put out the update for Windows though. Am trying to be patient but I can't wait to play with the new features in Scrivener 3.
Not an app, but tool-esque: my printer (and some fun color pens). I write on my computer because I type faster than I write by hand, but nothing beats editing a hard copy. It creates a medium-based separation between the writing and the editing that I've found helpful for self-editing.
Hi Fernanda—yes! There's something final about printing a hard copy and reading it from beginning to end. And pleasure, too, has a place, with those fun color pens. :)
I've actually stuck a piece of lined paper onto the fridge and numbered each row. Whenever I write a new poem, I write the title down there! 33 rows for 33 poems. I've noticed I really like visual/tangible rewards of writing, which is missing when I write on my computer!
Hi Jessica! This is such a great idea. There's so much lost when we do everything digitally. I think this is why people love seeing those big layouts of poems on the floor when they're putting together manuscripts. I remember doing that for the first time and how emotional it was.
Yes! So satisfying. I keep thinking about that joke that millennials don't own printers - but now I really want to invest in one just to be able to do this easier.
I highly recommend it. I bought a printer when I graduated from college and it's just been a lifesaver for many random things, but I mostly use it to read and revise my new work. Something happens between digital and print that changes the reading of a thing.
The site blocker SelfControl has helped me stay on track during my precious writing time! I no longer escape down distraction hatches, instead sitting with problems that arise on the page. I've gotten in a good habit of setting the site-blocking timer the moment I sit down to write.
Hi Hurley—this one is *key*, especially setting it right when you sit down. I use SelfControl too along with just turning off my wifi. I had a lightbulb moment when I realized there was a common denominator as to why I wrote so much better in foreign countries or on planes.
I love this question because I am an evangelist for the Ulysses writing program! It’s a subscription service but I honestly like paying for it because the makers so deserve it. It’s beautiful, seamless, and is the only program I’ve ever used that makes organizing fragmentary or non-chronological work convenient and painless.
Hi Lillian! I will definitely check it out!
Post-Its!! I'm not kidding, right now I have a bunch of post-its on the wall behind my desk. One idea & illustration per post-it, a la design thinking. I've got each of my characters, what they want and what they're afraid of, what my big themes are, the way I want readers to feel, and some encouragement and ideas of things to do when I get stuck. Post-its are cheap, plentiful, easy to move around.
For poetry and whenever I’m writing shorter prose scenes I’ve liked Ommwriter! It’s a very minimalist/distraction free writing experience and the typing sounds are incredibly satisfying!
HI Jennifer! Yes, another great one. And with all the tranquil sound settings to boot. I used it for quite a few years before I switched over to writing on my phone.
That said, on the more technical side, I used Trello's Kanban boards (designed for engineers) to plot my first 'proper' book: having everything in one place, from plot points to indicative character images, helped me create something more cohesive than I'd ever managed before.
Nice!! I actually use PivotalTracker and do a mutant kind of KanBan for my general goals and work as a writer now...truly another idiosyncrasy after a career in tech.
For me nothing has had a bigger impact than buying a cheap-ass fountain pen. I wrote all my books by hand, holding my ballpoints too tightly and finding myself in agony from tendonitis/RSI. It's been legitimately transformative.
Hi Tom! Yes, the writing utensil is actually quite important. I use Uniball vision fine pens after hopping around through using other rollerball pens, fountain pens, MUJI pens, pencils, etc. Something about the thickness and ease of use. I was (and am) hopeless with fountain pen care.
Ah, they are beautiful pens: used them all through high school and I still remember the smooth flow. But expensive, and the lack of a refill kills me.
I'm obsessed with Bic Atlantis ballpoint pens, which are very smooth and never need a "nudge" to start. I've had a hard time with fountain pens in the past, but maybe I should try again...
TBH it's each to their own: I always found fountain pens fussy but my Lamy has a perfect flow and pressure and everything else feels like a letdown.
So much of it is habit I think - you find the tool that works for you and when you sit down to write you're already trained into the right mindset.
zettlr + the digital garden format -- being able to hyperlink files and other notes to each other so I can stitch networks of thoughts together. I'm terrible at writing linearly so this is a way of overcoming that, and forcing me to review what I've written previously. Zettlr creates notes in markdown that are taggable and linkable, and those can be integrated super quickly into a basic website where I can follow a map of related notes & threads. Not sure how useful it would be for longer pieces of fiction, but I've really liked it for short essays, etc
I really like Bear (a note-taking app like Evernote and Simplenote) for jotting down random ideas, observations, quotes, etc. It syncs across all your devices so it's easy to add things to it on the go.
Great question! I recently used Ink & Inky–a scripting language typically used for narrative video games (https://www.inklestudios.com/ink/). I drafted a new section of my project in the scripting language, and it gave me a new perspective on how to approach the material. A lot of people have told me Scrivener is powerful and useful, but I haven't figured out how to leverage it.
For tools, I am now using a Keychron K2 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard and it has made a world of difference for carpal tunnel pain. Only downside is that it is a bit loud, but typing isn't so painful anymore.
Hi Emperatriz! I love when writers with day jobs are able to bring in some of those technologies/ideas into their writing processes. How did you draft your project in the scripting language? What does it do?
For me, Scrivener has been an easy place to compile/organize notes and poems. Basically my "piles" of work that have yet to be sorted into manuscripts. So I have a little stack of love poems and a big stack of quotations/poems from books I've read in the past, categorized by writer. Useful when essay-writing!
I also love that you mentioned a physical piece of technology to help your body. I've gotten quite a few hand cramps and strained eyes from spending so much time reading and writing in the past.
Ink is used in a lot of great narrative games! And it is different from other game narrative tools in that the branching narrative is written mostly in one document, rather than literally branching out on a map so things stay contained.
The portion of my book that I drafted in Ink is only ~1500 words so far but turns into 15-18 pages when I transfer it over to a word document. It forced me to outline / plot out all 'scenes' and dialog interactions that were necessary to the section because it can only flow from 'START' to 'END' with all connections in place. What I really like is that it makes me visualize changes in the flow of the project that I have input myself.
Ink & inky sounds super cool! I'm definitely checking that out