A Few Writing Tools

Each writer has their own little routine that best suits them. That routine is going to be comprised of several components. One of the more important components is the actual tools used. I thought I’d share about what tools that I use for writing.
Scrivener
OneNote
Laptop
Microsoft Word
WriteMind journal

I’ll go one by one. For those that don’t know what Scrivener is, it is a program by Literature and Latte that is made especially for writers. It is a very comprehensive program where you can keep all of your notes and research all in one space while you are writing. It has many many features and there is a slight learning curve, but it is definitely worth it. Using the basics is fairly simple and once those are mastered, finding uses for the other features makes things so much easier. It has taken me a bit of time to get used to it, to figure out how to use it to suit my own needs. But now that I am, I am loving it. I will most likely do another post with how I actually set it up and use it (not a how-to, since there are quite a few better examples of that). I know I find it helpful to see how others use it for their own writing, so I will do that later on.
Though most of my writing and notes and research are in Scrivener, I do still use OneNote for a few little things. I like to print out inspiration pictures so inserting the pictures in there is a bit easier since I do use an odd size sheet because of the WriteMind and while you can insert pictures into Scrivener, I like the bit more freedom I have in OneNote, for pictures at least.
Of course, both OneNote and Scrivener are on my little laptop. It’s a 2-in-1 Asus Tranformer Book. I love this little thing. It is a 7 inch screen which works well. One of the requirements for a writing laptop for me at the time was portability. I was using a 17 inch Dell and it was just too big to take with me. This is a great size and very portable. It runs Windows 10 rather well (after dealing with 10 being annoying) and allows me to use all the other programs I need like Scrivener, OneNote, Word, and anything else.
I use Microsoft Word to print out my notes. Scrivener has a wonderful compile function that converts your Scrivenings into a Word document. I find it much easier to get the formating I need by compiling notes into Word and then printing them from there.

I need the notes because I put them into my WriteMind Journal. I will most likely be doing another post on the WriteMinds to show them off, so for right now, I have to say that they are wonderful. I like to write long-hand when I’m having issues, or sometimes when I’m out and about and can’t take my laptop with me. It’s small and compact and I keep all my notes in there.

Aside from the actual tools, I often need some form of noise. This takes the form of music or sometimes a show or movie I’ve seen quite a lot that becomes background noise. A cup of tea or a drink is also a requirement. While all that is wonderful, there are times I don’t have that. Like when I’m at work. I always carry my WriteMind with me though so I can jot down any ideas that may strike me… which they often do because my characters like to give me ideas at the most inopportune moments! But this way, ideas are not completely lost.
This is just a quick run down on what I use for writing.  As I said, I will be doing some more detailed posts on a few of the items and programs I use as well as what my actual routine may look like.  So stay tuned for those!

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