 | 10 Feb 09 |
Quick. Name one thing that you absolutely could not do your job without. No, not a computer or chocolate. Those are necessities. I’m talking your very favorite tools of the trade that you must have on hand to work efficiently, comfortably, and as productively as possible. Come on, I want to know….there’s a prize!
Since we share so many writing tips, I thought we might share some “supply” tips, too. In my office, here are my absolute “must haves” as well as some of my favorite writing tools:
Favorite online tool: Google. Without a doubt, I just don’t know how any book was ever written without the ability to type “top ten songs in 1981″ (Hall & Oates — Kiss is on My List) or “most expensive restaurant in St. Kitts” (Miss June’s Cuisine) or “month of cranberry bog harvesting in New England.” (October) My second favorite online cheat sheet is the closely related Google Earth. If you haven’t already, download it now, my friends. This is an amazing tool that helps us to write any setting anywhere on earth. The satellite images of almost every spot on the planet give you a perspective that maps and guidebooks cannot, a visual sense and scope that can only be achieved by being there. If you can’t hop on a plane and go to Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, go to Google Earth. (Or read Hunt Her Down, my Bullet Catcher book out next August 25. Just sayin’.)
Most useful source for story ideas: A tie between The New York Times and USA Today. I get them both at home because I am a tactile newspaper reader and just love the ink on my fingers, the crunchy sweep when I turn the page, the ads for jewelry I’ll never own, the fun of seeing my friends on the lists. (Like Kresley Cole who hit NUMBER ONE on The New York Times last week with Kiss Of A Demon King!! Can I just tell you how fun it was to open the Book Review this past Sunday, flip to the back and see my dear friend in the Top Spot? That was just all kinds of the bomb.) These two national papers are like the yin and yang of journalism, giving me both the in-depth and erudite as well as the pulse of pop culture. (Go figure which is which.) I tear out stories from every section (Science Times on Tuesday is nothing less than brilliant.), snagging ideas for characters, crimes, settings, and stories as I read. I also keep a dictionary close by, as I pick up a new word in the Times on a daily basis.
Most dog-eared resource books: Of course, my research books change with each manuscript. I just finished a book with an underwater salvage premise, so I was up to my dive mask in books about Spanish galleons, sunken treasures, and shipwrecks. Obviously, I collect books on security and personal protection and investigation because of the nature of what I write. But there are a few that never leave my desktop.
Hands down, my number one favorite resource book is The Flip Dictionary, by Barbara Ann Kipfer. If you don’t have this book, haul your backside as fast as possible to a bookstore or amazon and get it. It’s thesaurus-like, but so much better. This is the source for when you just can’t think of the word you want — you have the idea, the concept, it’s on the proverbial tip of your tied-up tongue. Let’s say you’re describing a piece of furniture and you can see the jade embedded in the tabletop, but want to find one word to describe it. Look up “embed in surface for decoration” and you get “inlay.” Love that! Of course, you can look up almost any word and get a long list of synonyms, not all “exact” replacements, but sometimes precisely the word you’d rather have.
But wait! That’s not all! The Flip Dictionary also has these amazing lists that cover wide subject ranges — a page for words related to food, tools, mythology, music, currencies of the world, specific and arcane sports and professions, and two whole pages just on horse terms. And particularly wonderful are the color lists. For every color of the rainbow, there is a list of twenty or thirty other words to substitute. Brown? How about nutmeg, khaki, fallow, umber, putty, mink, mocha, chestnut? There are about seventy options for each color, not to mention military terms, types of mammals, every game in the Olympics, every river in the world, and the official ‘ology’ for the study of anything. (The study of flags? Vexillogy. The study of the miracles? Thaumatology. There are over a hundred listed.) I know there are close cousins called ‘descriptionaries’ and ‘reverse dictionaries.’ Would love to hear if you like those, too.
After the Flip, I have Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (11th), because that’s what the copyeditors at Pocket use; a baby name book — I happen to like New Age Baby Names because there are so many unusual names included, but I admit I’ve been using it for about nine years and after all these manuscripts, I’m ready for a new name book. Any suggestions? I also love The Yale Book of Quotations for a multitude of reasons, including title ideas and speech writing, and a world atlas.
Most beloved office supplies: For me, the number one supply is the lowly yellow legal pad. I use them to plot, write notes and outlines, and make lists. It’s simple and old fashioned, but the color, size and tossability of those canary-colored pages and wide teal lines appeal to my senses. Also, my office requires three large dry erase calendars. Two of them are annual, and I mark every important date for this current and the upcoming year, giving me an instant wall-sized twenty-four month snapshot of deadlines, release dates, conferences, speaking engagements, and vacation dates. (I hear my kids laughing. “What’s a vacation, Mommy?”)
Next to those, I have a four-month dry erase calendar. I fill in the specific months and dates, then use to plan and track page progress on the book I’m currently writing. I write page goals and actual pages written for each week, and the expected completion date. It’s a great way to see if I’m on or off track for a deadline, and know approximately how many pages need to be written in how many weeks in order to make a deadline. There are lots of different ways to track that progress, of course. Some people use…spreadsheets. Okay, fine. But I would rather schedule a root canal and pap smear on the same day than open a spreadsheet. I’m visual and the wall of calendars works well for me. In addition, I need huge filing cabinets (to hold all those NY Times articles), a notebook I take to and from my car to jot ideas, and a globe to spin and track the trotting of my characters. (Plus it lights up and looks really cool at night.)
Most failproof backup system: the jump drive. Yes, I have an external hard drive and periodically back up my whole system. But I don’t do that every day. Bad me! But, each night I copy what I’ve written that day onto a jump drive. If the computer crashes, I have the WIP to date. I also learned a trick from the wise and wonderful Julie Kenner who taught me to start a new document every single day, and date it. I open up the manuscript, instantly “save as” today’s date, and start working. If something happens to the doc, I’ve only lost what I’ve done that day. When I’m finished, I have about seventy-five versions of the book, each growing in word count and size. (God willing.) Sometimes, I realize I want to go back and snag a line or even a scene from an earlier version after that line or scene is gone. I just go back and open an early version and find it. I know many of you save each chapter as a word doc, but I need access to the whole thing, all the time, without having to open another doc.
Best investments for physical comfort: a wireless mouse and keyboard which allow me change positions, lean back, and move the keyboard out of the way completely so I can bloghop and eat lunch without getting chunks-o-feta between G and H. I am also a huge believer in spending money on a good chair with great back support, a high quality desk lamp to direct light onto the keys or papers next to my keyboard, and something called a “copy holder” which allows you to stand papers up and type from them. When you want to input hardcopy line edits into a manuscript, this saves time, reduces frustration, helps relieve the neck ache that comes with constantly looking up and down.
So what’s in your office or workspace that you can’t live without? Please share — I love new ideas to make the job easier. Best idea wins a copy of French Twist — an out of print backlist book from my pre-Bullet Catcher days! I just found a whole box I didn’t know I had (hiding upstairs in my husband’s office!), and have decided to reward readers who’ve been trying to find it by running some contests.
AND BIG PS! Tomorrow I’m guest blogging on a very cool new site called www.mamawriters.com. I’m sharing lessons I’ve learned while growing a writing career and a family side by side. Lots of Mom Writers out there — you’ll love this new site! Stop by!
© 2009, Roxanne St. Claire. All rights reserved.
Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times bestselling, RITA-Award winning author of nearly thirty novels of romance and suspense. The author of two popular romantic suspense series, The Bullet Catchers and The Guardian Angelinos, Roxanne is hard at work on new books for 2012, which will include the launch of a contemporary series, Barefoot Bay, and her first young adult novel, Don't You Wish, and a brand new stand-alone romantic suspense, Space in His Heart. A five-time RITA nominee, Roxanne's books have won the National Readers Choice Award, the Daphne Du Maurier Award, the Maggie Award, the Booksellers Best, the Book Buyers Best, The HOLT Medallion, multiple Awards of Excellence, and Borders "Top Pick"" for Romance in 2007. She lives in Florida with her husband, two teenagers, and one impossibly cute Australian Terrier named Pepper.
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Hubster keeps me updated on the techno side, but what I really, really love is, The Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale.
by Margaret A. Golla February 10th, 2009 at 5:59 amAnd since I’ve been writing UF, I’ve discovered WoWWiki, a compilation of all World of Warcraft characters. If I’m stuck and need a visual of a critter, I surf through the site.
I’ve heard oodles of good things about the Syn Finder…I think I’ll have to check that out. Also something called The Descriptionary. Anyone know?
WOWWiki is cool – never even heard of it! Thanks, Margaret!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 6:58 amI’ve got (among others) the Flip Dictionary AND the Descriptionary (The book for when you know what it is, but not what it’s called.) Very helpful. And I use the Rodale Synonym Finder much much much more than the ‘regular’ Thesaurus.
Everything on your list works for me. I’ve got a dozen copy holders left over from a conference, and I use them for everything (including holding recipes in the kitchen). Can’t say that I have anything to add, except I like having iTunes available when I’m working.
I’m also trying to find a program that will automatically back up everything to an external hard drive — we had a recent scare and I realized that while I back up my manuscripts to a flash and even email them to my daughter in Ireland, I wasn’t making freqent enough backups of the OTHER stuff. Notes, financial records, photos, etc. They have programs that “know” when you change any file you tell it to watch, and then do it on a schedule.
OK — just checking in. Spent the morning at the dentist. Ugh.
by Terry Odell February 10th, 2009 at 8:58 amHummmm, I love to read but seem to have no time to do it then thinking about trying to write. Where is that time??? Just wondering how much time you spend a day or even a week to write. Since, I love mysteries (and also romance too), I have found that audio books are a wonderful way to listen and do-the do is drive my car, exercise, etc. Guess some do music but I do books. By the way, your thoughts about the audio book? Lastly, about the comment on research-how much time and when-before, during, etc. Any input with output is appreciated. Thanks for reading and hopefully I stimulated brain cells.
by Audrey Krueger February 10th, 2009 at 6:11 amAlways, Audrey
Since writing is my full-time job, I spend 8 – 10 hours a day on it. Some of that is thinking, blogging, research, marketing, editing, etc. But when I’m in “write a book” mode, I always devote a solid 6 hours a day, if not more.
I admit I haven’t caught on to audio books, but I don’t know if that’s because I don’t want to be “read to” or I just don’t have the time to listen. I read at night, in bed, and fear that I might fall asleep if I’m listening to a book. I do love my ipod for music, though. And I like to listen to the RWA writer’s workshops that are available for MP3s.
I do a lot of research on the “premise” of a book, the careers of the characters, and the setting before I start a story. I find that a huge portion of the plot stems from things I learn in the research. But, I am researching right up until the last page, looking things up as I go, making sure my facts are straight, calling experts.
Input with output! I love that. If you are really trying to write a book, Audrey, just get yourself a story premise, some characters, an outline, and have fun. Write 3 or 4 pages a day (if you can’t find the time, stop by http://www.mamawriters.com tomorrow – some solutions to that are in my guest blog post). You just need to see if it “feels” right to you. After a while, you may want to share it with another writer you trust. That first manuscript comes on gut and faith, believe me. And it is the most fun of all the writing because it’s sooooo new.
Good luck!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 7:04 amSounds like you must have a really big office or desk..lol.. well i am not writing but with hubby deployed i need to be more organized than usual, which any organization is better than what i had, I have a daily calender that i keep notes on the kids and meetings, who needs to be where and when.. i also have a small 3 drawer unit that has pens in one drawer, paperclips etc in one, and stamps, and misc in the 3rd… my biggest must have its sticky notes.. i buy them by bulk packs..haha..they are stuck everywhere…
by Jolene February 10th, 2009 at 6:18 amJolene! (Is this the Jolene from writerspace? How the heck are you?) I don’t have a huge office, but I have a lot of desktop space, which is cluttered to the max. Maintaining the kids calendars gets more challenging every year. You should also pop over to http://www.mamawriters.com – lots of good stuff for moms.
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 7:06 amyep its me.. lol.. (nascarandbeans….) im doing ok..its been a long few months, but i am hanging in there..i will be sure to go check out the website..good to see you..
by Jolene February 10th, 2009 at 7:11 amWhat a great post! Thanks for sharing so many great tips Roxanne!
by Lauren February 10th, 2009 at 6:24 amMy favorite writing tool? http://www.thesaurus.com
I’m also a google-slut. And although I own a flip dictionary, I confess I’ve never really cracked the spine. Guess I should, huh?
by Kristen February 10th, 2009 at 6:31 amCRACK the spine, girl. You’ll like it.
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 7:06 amI love post-its for plotting and my dry erase board. Plus, my thumb drive so I can work at work on my lunch hour and my alpha-smart so I can work anywhere. I have a big love affair with my Dell mini since it’s so light and easy to use. Love those writing tools.
by Carol Shenold February 10th, 2009 at 6:57 amSomebody beat me to Rodale’s Synonym Finder. I find it much more helpful than Roget’s. I use thesaurus.com in a pinch (like when I’m writing at Starbucks and can’t lug the 2.5 inch thick Rodale with me, and yes, I measured it with the ruler that’s always on my desk).
I bought a Flip Dictionary too and have used it several times. It fills a different need than a regular dictionary. I use http://www.dictionary.com and I also have Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary loaded on my computer.
I like http://www.thinkbabynames.com because it will give you names popular in each decade. So if you’re looking for a good name for a character who is 75 years old, you can go to the proper decade and voila!
Oh, yes, Google. And Google Earth. And Google maps too. When I needed to know how long it would take my H/h to drive from Atlanta to the north Georgia mountains, I just mapped it in Google maps and it gave me the drive time.
Yellow pads, mechanical pencils (a throwback to my school days I suppose), gel pens in a variety of colors (I always edit in green because it’s less disturbing than red, which makes the paper look like someone bled all over it).
And absolutely a jump drive. I have several small ones and a couple 1 gig ones. When I was doing NaNo, I backed the WIP up on 2 jump drives. I have a wireless mouse but not a wireless keyboard. And I got a great desk chair for $15 when my husband’s company shut down a satellite office and sold off the excess furniture.
When I’m trying to block out the world as I write, I go to http://www.pandora.com and listen to instrumental music with a set of good stereo headphones. I had to play around and create stations that worked for me. And I also have a CD set by Sonicaid with music designed by Dr. Lee Bartel to help you concentrate, sleep, create and relax. Something about the brain waves. I have the creativity one on a flash drive so I can take that with me to Starbucks and block out their music. If I hear lyrics, I’ll start singing and stop writing.
I also have my lucky feng shui I-ching coins hanging in the prosperity corner of my desk. Don’t laugh. After I put them there (and also put red curtains on my office window) I sold my first short story.
Sorry this turned into a novella. Great post!
by Marilyn February 10th, 2009 at 7:10 amI love that novella, Marilyn. (Athough you are not in the drawing for French Twist, I know you’ve read it!) Must try pandora.com and thinkbabynames. Great suggestions!
Where exactly IS the prosperity corner of one’s office? I’d like to go sit there for a while. Maybe move my desk into that corner.
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 8:41 amI use the bagua map I got from Bella Andre’s Feng Shui for Writers class. Everything in the room is oriented toward the entrance, so standing in the doorway, looking into the room, the prosperity corner is the far left. You can apply that to a smaller area like your desk. Mine has a hutch top, so I hung the I-ching coins from the back left of the opening in the hutch. I had some I improvised with but I bought nice pretty ones in Chinatown last summer. They even have 8 coins and 8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture. I even bought them in 2008. I should be the luckiest girl in the world. However, I’ve learned that the harder I work, the luckier I get.
P.S. I’ve read FT twice.
by Marilyn February 10th, 2009 at 9:31 amHmmm. Not a lot in my far left prosperity corner. Perhaps that ‘splains my economic situation….
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 10:13 amoh, hey, that’s cool — that’s where I just put my desk when I moved into this room as an office. Maybe that’ll make the difference.
by Toni McGee Causey February 10th, 2009 at 6:49 pmWith 1 office, 2 kids and a husband, we could not get by without our “own desk”. With my girls each having their own computers (thx grdparents), they need their own space. I share a desk with hubby, he has his basket, I have mine–never the two shall combine. Own space and note paper–could not survive without some type of note paper/scratch pads handily by.
by Catherine February 10th, 2009 at 7:54 amHaven’t heard of “Flip Dictionary”, sounds perfect for my 12yo speech class. She has a minimum of 9 presentations per quarter–that’s only for a “B”. I’m seeing a trip to Barnes/Noble today. Thanks!!!
You are a better woman than I to share a desk with your husband. Mine is OCD and he can’t even walk into my office without *straightening* the stapler or tape dispenser. Our marriage would never survive a shared desk. We have separate *knife* blocks in the kitchen – LOL.
Good luck with those nine presentations. School projects are so tough now, aren’t they?
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 8:43 amRocki, I have to get that Flip Dictionary!
For me with my arthritis, the thing that helps me is the mouse pad with the wrist rest, and I also have a wrist rest at my keybaord.
I’m heading over to the mamawriters blog now.
by Jen Lyon February 10th, 2009 at 9:49 amHands down my favorite online and backup tool is Dropbox. I spend approximately 14 hours a day on a computer between home and the evil day job and as such I am always connected to the internet. Dropbox allows me to sync files across computers. So instead of having to email my current WIP to myself and inevitably forgetting to save it in the current folder instead of the temp folder (God, how many times did I screw that up?), I always can open the current document from either computer. AND it’s saved on an external server (completely secure) so that if my computer crashes, I haven’t lost my work. I keep all current projects here (and of course have multiple DVD backups of my hard drive with all old projects). You can download the software (free) at http://www.getdropbox.com. Oh, and in case you accidentally delete something, there are regular autobackups of your files. There’s also a share feature if you are inclined to share files with someone like a crit partner or whoever.
by Kait Nolan February 10th, 2009 at 10:14 amKait – VERY cool suggestion! Thank you!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 11:49 amI’m with Jen, I have to get that flip dictionary! I love google with alla my heart.
by Karin Tabke February 10th, 2009 at 10:20 amI’m soo jealous. I have to share the computer w/ my hubby and 5 kids.
I love google and Office Word 2007. I also search our local newspaper and watch the local news.
I’m going to amazon now for the Flip Dictionary.
by HollyD February 10th, 2009 at 10:24 amI hope the Flip Dictionary writer does a blog on hot bodyguard romantic suspense novels and helps MY amazon numbers someday! (Kidding!)
Local news is a fountain of story ideas!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 11:50 amRoxanne, you always have the very best posts! I, too, love my Synonym Finder!
by Debra Webb February 10th, 2009 at 10:41 amHi Roxanne,
I have a fabulous home office but find with my young son, I end up using the kitchen counter as my office most of the time
I really need to invest in a new chair. This one looks good, but does absolutely nothing for supporting my back.
I also have the Flip Dictionary that Terry mentioned. Great tool.
Great post! Looking forward to your post tomorrow.
Renee
by Renee Knowles February 10th, 2009 at 10:50 amThe cost of a new chair far outweighs the chiro or massage therapist. I recommend it. The kids do have a way of changing things around.
I’m so excited about guesting at the mamawriters tomorrow! Can’t wait to spend the day there!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 11:51 amGreat resources! I’m definitely getting the flip dictionary. We’re looking forward to having you at MamaWriters tomorrow!
by Helen Hardt February 10th, 2009 at 11:31 amAnother sale for Flip. Ka-ching! See you tomorrow!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 7:25 pmI forgot to add my Ergonomic keyboard, cordless mouse, and several research books.
by HollyD February 10th, 2009 at 11:32 amof my computer. my phone and pens and pencil. like the pencil sharper and highlighters. your tools are great
the dictornary, the catalogs.
by kim h February 10th, 2009 at 12:35 pmHey, everyone!
I agree with you – Google is a Godsend for . Dictionary.com is a great “at your fingers” resource, too, but you should have built an astore for residuals on Flip Dictionary- I’m off to buy one! I also love my napster subscription, so I can find songs from any time frame at any given moment!
As for physical things – I couldn’t live BIC Z4 easy grip pens (dreamy to write with), and my manilla folders. I have a folder for each WIP with synopsis – for when the spirit moves me.
As a historical romance writer, I love History Undressed – a blog by Eliza Night which tells you everything from jobs in the middle ages, to types of corsets. VERY informative!
Look forward to catching up with you tomorrow on mamawriters!! Nice to meet you!
~Ashley
by Ashley Ludwig February 10th, 2009 at 1:46 pmSneaking in between tornado warnings… I MUST have The Flip Dictionary. The one thing I can’t live without is sticky notes. They are my BFFs! That and my “writer’s board” for write on/wipe off notes and sticky pins to go with the sticky notes. lol
by Silver James February 10th, 2009 at 1:56 pmWhen my daughter steals my post-it stickies, I want to just cry. Cry. I actually hide them in a secret place so I know they will be there when I want them. BFFs indeed!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 7:26 pmA pen and paper are my best tools to jot down ideas, no matter where I am or what I am doing. I know they are old fashioned but they still work! Post Its, of course, are wonderful for this and for arranging and re-arranging thoughts and ideas. Another must have, for me, is quiet.
by Paula Teixeira February 10th, 2009 at 3:25 pmHey Paula! I was kind of ashamed to admit my attachment to legal pads, but now that I’ve gone out in the open, I feel better. I could not work without the low-tech pen and pad, evah.
And what is this *quiet* you speak of???? Could I have some? PLEASE?
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 7:27 pmOne of my favorite books is Word Menu which sounds similar to the Flip Dictionary.
And I couldn’t live without Post-Its.
by Tori Lennox February 10th, 2009 at 5:20 pmRandom House’s Word Menu is an amazing tool for idea generation. That’s not exactly what it’s for, but just leafing through it helps to shake loose the cobwebs some days.
Love the blog!
by Karen in Ohio February 10th, 2009 at 6:23 pmI just ordered the flip dictionary based on everyone’s comments here.
Great post, Rocki. My must-haves in my office are my big white-erase boards my husband mounted on easels for me (one is 4′ x 8′ and the other is 4′ x 7′ because that wall is shorter).
My must-have writing tool has become Scrivener. I had heard about it from several people and tried it out. Loved it enough to switch to a Mac, and ohmygod, if I had realized how much more I would love a Mac than my PC, I’d have switched years ago.
by Toni McGee Causey February 10th, 2009 at 6:53 pmWhat is Scrivener????
by Roxanne St. Claire February 10th, 2009 at 7:28 pmIf you have a Mac, you will love this program…http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html
It’s like having a corkboard and white erase board and collage tool and word processor ALL wrapped in a super intuitive organizational package. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s uber organized. I’m using it on brainstorming the new book, and because I can grab stuff off the web and plunk it there in organized folders, and cross-reference stuff, all without much work, I’m thrilled. I didn’t think it would be as useful as people claimed when I first read about it, and there are other programs which do some of this stuff. I just find it incredibly useful. (I sound like an ad, don’t I?)
by Toni McGee Causey February 11th, 2009 at 10:22 amRoxanne,
Loved this post! I have to get the Flip Dictionary. I didn’t know there was such a thing! Something I couldn’t live without is a series of stretches I put together that I can do from my chair (it’s a tool – sort of). Sitting all day is hard on the bod and I can’t write if the bod is hurting! So just taking a 2 minute break every 30 minutes or so, doing some stretches and, voila!, I’ve done a full-body flexibility workout.
See you tomorrow over at the MamaWriters blog!
Tiffany
by Tiffany James February 10th, 2009 at 9:12 pmThis is so hard to remember and so important to do! I’m going to print this as a reminder to stretch!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 11th, 2009 at 4:34 amI love using Outlook’s Calendar to track writing progress and to map out goals.
by June Bowen February 11th, 2009 at 3:50 amJune…I’m going to see you very soon. Will you bring an example of that and give mea remedial Outlook lesson?
by Roxanne St. Claire February 11th, 2009 at 4:34 amWhile you’re all buying the Flip Dictionary, take a peek at the Descriptionary too. It gives more than words. It’s divided into categories, so if you need something about hairstyles, or architecture, basketball, military terminology, or stringed instruments, it’s all at your fingertips. You don’t need to know what it is before you can look it up. I have both. Wouldn’t give either of them up.
by Terry Odell February 11th, 2009 at 6:02 amYou know, Terry, when I checked amazon for The Flip to be sure readers could find it, I came across that Descriptoinary and admit I was mighty intrigued. I think I’ll buy it. Thanks for the nudge!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 11th, 2009 at 6:05 amIf you were closer, I’d let you peek at mine first, but I think you’ll like it. Your writing vocabulary is always so spot on with your POV characters –this is a great resource for getting a feel for things beyond just the words. Especially when you don’t know what words to look up! You can turn to “Scuba and Skin Diving” and get names for things you have a ‘feel’ for — like what you call the red flag with the white diagonal stripe (although that’s too easy; I’m sure you already knew that one).
by Terry Odell February 11th, 2009 at 6:29 amThank you, Terry! Uh, “diving flag” ??? All right, I’ll buy the book!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 11th, 2009 at 1:04 pmLOL! Close. According to the Descriptionary, it’s a “diver down flag”. Which is what my parents called it, so it’s undoubtedly right. My father has NEVER made a mistake. Me, I stay on top of the water at all times.
by Terry Odell February 11th, 2009 at 1:15 pmOne of my other favorite tools that I find incredibly helpful in organizing my plot is yWriter, which is a nifty program designed for writers by a writer. From the website: “it’s a word processor which breaks your novel into chapters and scenes. It will not write your novel for you, suggest plot ideas or perform creative tasks of any kind. It does help you keep track of your work, leaving your mind free to create.”
I really love being able to drag and drop and move things and reorganize stuff and get various reports and overviews. You can set the status of your scene (outline, draft, etc.), whether it’s an Action scene or a Reaction scene, put down the GMC of the scene, make notes, put in character profiles. You can also write the book in it (which I’ve not done as I still prefer Word for that). I love the organizing capabilities.
It’s available free from: http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter5.html
by Kait Nolan February 11th, 2009 at 10:29 amGreat post! For me, I have to agree re: Google. Wikipedia is also a great source for a quick overview. Excel is essential for me to plan blog posts w/a calendar. I use it to plot my WIPs, noting plot points, characters, etc. My Moleskine is my constant companion for notes away from the computer. For ideas, the local watering hole is an endless source of ideas & characters.
by Chris February 11th, 2009 at 10:57 amTop Five Tools I Absolutely Cannot Do Without When Writing
1. The Big Book Of Filth. My momma always said I had a dirty mouth, but I sound like a nun next to this tome of 6500 sex slang words and phrases.
2. Q10 wordprocessor. Stream of consciousness writing when all I want to do is throw up a draft. No formatting. No spellcheck. Just pure words. Typewriter sound reminds me of my old days at Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
3. Visual Thesaurus. The number of words this baby can produce when I’m stumped for another word for “looking” is unbelievable.
4. Concept Draw MindMap. I’m a visual person. I use this for brainstorming at my day job, too, to literally see how an idea can branch out into my conflict, backstory, subplot, etc.
5. Yuengling Lager. Sometimes I just need some liquid inspiration.
annie
by Annie Oortman February 11th, 2009 at 12:39 pmMiss Annie – how nice to see you! Oh, I forgot about the Visual Thesaurus. In fact, I forgot I had it. I loved that – although you sure can lose a few hours playing.
Did I know you worked at the Post Gazette? I’m a Pittsburgh girl, too, you know. The things we have in common!!!
Love the Yuengling. And you.
by Roxanne St. Claire February 11th, 2009 at 1:14 pmAnnie, I love the visual thesaurus, too!
Rocki, Google is my best friend. I love google. Sigh. For me, my most dog-eared reference book is FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES and FORENSICS both by Doug Lyle. Love them. FFD is when I just need a quick answer (I know most of this stuff, it’s really just a basic book) and the latter I use when I need more detailed information. (I actually have a bunch of the books in the Writer’s Digest series which I use.) the DSM-IV MADE EASY is another book I’d really have trouble without. But I love research books. I’m an addict.
For office supplies? Hmm . . . probably the heavy-duty pencil sharpener I managed to break while working on my copyedits of FS . . . what I REALLY need is some good colored pencil. I have to use Crayola and they don’t stay sharp long . . . but I can only find quality pencils in red or if I want to spend $100 on an art kit.
by Allison Brennan February 11th, 2009 at 1:51 pmAny Winner
by k February 16th, 2009 at 9:48 pmI am planning to announce the winner next Tuesday (Feb. 24), when I blog again. I thought it might get buried or missed way down here!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 17th, 2009 at 6:43 amAnd on my birthday, too.
by Terry Odell February 17th, 2009 at 7:44 amRocki,
I was thinking about this again – yellow notepads aside – I don’t think I’d ever be brave enough to share my writing with ANYONE if not for a Critique Partner I trust.
A Critique Partner who can call you out on the remotest detail can be worth their weight in gold…
PS – I enjoyed reading your post on http://www.mamawriters.com — thank you for sharing your wisdom & success with us!
~Ashley
by Ashley Ludwig February 17th, 2009 at 7:53 am