paper graffiti

Finding what tools work for you as a writer is kind of like trying to find the perfect bag–it’s going to take a lot of searching, a lot of trial and error, and you may have to settle for something functional rather than flashy.  I’m always on the search for the perfect bag (fine leather goods are one of my vices!), but I have been lucky enough to find one thing that really works for me as a writer.

I am always exploring new software that does everything but write the novel for you; I really like being able to do quick searches of my notes, keep a detailed database of facts and plotlines, and have many digital copies squirreled away in case of file management apocalypse.  But, like many other writers I know, I also have a love affair with the analog tools.  I’ve written about my secret passion for paper before, but I have to say that I love index cards even more than I love my fancy notebooks or my favorite, beat up Dr. Gel pen.

Index cards have been a big hit on the Internet in the past couple years.  The “Hipster PDA” (a stack of cards bound by a binder clip) and its many incarnations are super popular among the organizational crowds, but I’ve never really gotten into using them in that way.  When I’m writing, I use index cards for a number of different things:

1. Quick character reference - When you’re working with a lot of characters, it can be easy to forget exactly who is who.  I try to keep an electronic database that holds all the details, but I also use index cards to capture quick sketches of each character.  I include name, a brief physical description, and any integral plot points they’re involved in.  When I’m writing, it can be distracting to have to stop, switch over to where I’m keeping all my character information, look it up, and then get back to where I was before.  Flipping through index cards is a lot easier and quicker.

2. Plot points - I tend to write in “chunks” that center around a particular plot point.  A lot of the time, I’m not a linear writer…I will get inspired to write a certain bit of the story and I just can’t resist.  I use index cards to help organize my thoughts and get the plot points to flow together.  As with my character cards, I will create a plot card for each plot point that I’m working with.  I keep it brief, make any notes I need to that refer back to my draft (page numbers, characters, questions, etc.) and then I can rearrange them to my heart’s content.  I’m a very visual person so this helps me a lot when I get stuck.

3. Snippets - I have a habit of thinking of almost fully formed “snippets” when I’m doing mindless tasks like driving, cooking, showering, or cleaning.  Lots of the snippets are dialogue, expository “filler” for a scene I’m working on, or even just an idea about the plot or for a future story.  I try to capture them as quickly as possible, so here come the handy index cards again.  If it’s something related to a project I’m working on, I can file it where it needs to go in the story, and if it’s something that I can use for inspiration later, I can tuck it away until it’s needed.  I also use Evernote for this purpose and intend to transfer many of my snippets into the software when I get the chance.  Maybe I’ll even scan them!

Index cards are cheap, easy to use, and they are a universal tool that can be whatever you make of them!  I have taken to punching mine with the 3×5 card setting on my Levenger punch, and then I thread them onto a couple of Levenger Circa discs to keep them all together.  It works like a charm–I even cut out some plastic covers from an old filled up spiral notebook I had in my office.  My notes are protected while they’re rattling around in the bottom of my bag, and they’re easy to take out and reorganize thanks to the Circa discs.

What’s your favorite writing tool?

Word Counts - Today: 7,725 | July: 8,341 | 2008: 12,814

I always get ideas in the most inconvenient places. I know a lot of writers and other creative types suffer from the same problem–the ideas flow best when you’re not really trying, when you’re occupied with something else, and most likely when it is difficult to record your idea to remember for later.

The lightbulb always turns on for me when I’m driving, when I’m in the shower, or right before I’m about to fall asleep. All these situations make perfect sense, because those are probably the only time I’m actually letting my thought processes rest. But how am I possibly going to capture those ideas before they get away? I’ve lost too many great snippets of poetry or song lyrics, pieces of dialog, or plot ideas because I had no way to safely and quickly record them. So how can I manage inspiration when it hits out of the blue? Here are a few tools that I’ve found invaluable:

1. Evernote - I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–Evernote is a killer writing tool. When I have an idea that hits right before I fall asleep, I’ll grab my Windows Mobile phone off the nightstand (I use it as an alarm clock, so it’s always handy), fire up Evernote, jot down the idea, and then sync the note to my Evernote account. It’s then accessible from the desktop version of Evernote (Mac or Windows), my mobile device, or the Evernote web interface. I can tag the note with a story name or other identifier so that it’s easy to call up later when I’m ready to use it. I honestly don’t know how I got by without Evernote on all my devices.

2. Jott - I have a long commute to work each day, and some of the best ideas hit me when I’m in the middle of the highway. I can’t exactly pull over and grab my notebook, and it’s not very safe to try and use Evernote while I drive. Jott to the rescue! Jott is a phone service that allows you to manage your life hands-free–you can take quick notes, add appointments and get schedule reminders, add to your to-do list, Twitter right from your phone, blog, and more! I added the secret Evernote email address (Tip: Check your Settings page to find your own Evernote address!) as one of my addresses in Jott. The Evernote email address allows you to email yourself notes that get automatically added to your Evernote account. Adding it to Jott means I can call up, Jott to myself, and the note will get transcribed into Evernote. Now I can take notes on the go without ever lifting my hands from the steering wheel.

3. Circa 3×5 PDA - This is my favorite analog writing tool for managing ideas. If I’m at home, or sitting at my desk at work, or anywhere that I can write things down the good ol’ fashioned way, I use notecards. They help me break my ideas down into plot points, character cards, important notes, etc. Then I punch the cards using my awesome Levenger Circa punch and file them on a set of rings set up to handle 3×5 cards.  I even made hard plastic covers for each end of the Circa PDA to protect my notes. I am experimenting with entering my notes into an interface like StorYbook or SuperNotecard to have a digital backup of all my analog inspirations.

How do you manage inspiration?

Word Counts - Today: 0 | May: 4,473 | 2008: 4,473

On Saturday night I upgraded my trusty eeePC to the newest version of Ubuntu, Hardy Heron. I had managed to mess up my installation of Gutsy Gibbon due to a software update gone awry (long story), so I decided to take the plunge and do a clean install of the new OS. I can’t have the eeePC not performing its best due to my manufactured software problems if I’m going to use it to write!

I have to say, the people behind Ubuntu Linux really know what they’re doing. They make installing the operating system as easy as possible. One thing I really appreciate is the redesign of the dialog windows during installation of Hardy Heron, because they are now able to fit perfectly on the tiny eeePC screen. When I installed Gutsy Gibbon, they were too large and I could not easily view some settings, which made installation a bit of a pain. It may seem like a little thing, but the fact that the windows were resized made me really happy.

Once I got it installed, I had to follow some tweaks on the eeeuser wiki to get the wireless and a few other features on the eeePC to work properly under Ubuntu. I had to do this for my install of Gutsy Gibbon as well, and the instructions laid out on the wiki are very easy to follow. I was nervous the first time around, but making the tweaks for this second install was a piece of cake.

Finally, I got to what I think is the exciting part–once everything was reinstalled and configured, I started my uninstall/install/tweaking process. For some reason I find it fun to start with a clean slate and get everything tweaked just the way I liked it. I uninstalled some stock things like Evolution (mail/calendar), a CD ripper, and a CD/DVD burner–I’m not going to use the CD/DVD programs, and I prefer Thunderbird for my email. Then I installed my personal essentials for writing and beyond that aren’t included with Ubuntu–Mail Notification, Writer’s Tools, Thunderbird, VLC, Gnome-Do, BasKet Note Pads, Java, the Flash plugin, and a bunch of Firefox extensions like Tiny Menu, del.icio.us, Adblock Plus, and Colorzilla.

I find that Hardy Heron is very snappy and responsive on the eeePC. Even though my eeePC only has a 900Mhz Celeron processor (clocked down to 630Mhz for battery longevity) and a modestly beefy 2GB of RAM installed, Ubuntu does not lock up on me or cause problems when I am using it for the basics–writing, research, web surfing, email. I am sure I could tax it out and freeze it up doing things like tons of graphic work, programming, etc., but that’s not really what it’s meant for.

I love having Ubuntu practically in my pocket with this ultra-portable sub-notebook. I sound like an eee(PC)vangelist, but I can’t help it! This is the best machine for me to carry around and use for writing. I know many writers live and die by their Alphasmarts, but give me the eeePC any day! Thanks for another great release, Ubuntu, I’m hooked!

Word Counts - Today: 200 | May: 4,473 | 2008: 4,473

When I first got my eeePC, I wanted to get it all set up with the proper software so that I could use it as my portable writing workhorse. After I installed Ubuntu, I set about getting my GMail IMAP set up in Thunderbird and then started saving all my works in progress from Google Docs to the 8GB SDHC card I use in the eeePC for storage. Then, the real work began.

On the Mac platform, I have become fond of a few different utilities that I use when I’m writing. I have a handful of timer programs that I use for keeping myself on track (I like Minuteur the most, because it’s simple), and most often I use Scrivener on the Mac to write because I absolutely love the way it is set up.  Well, there really isn’t a full answer to Scrivener on Linux, so I decided to look for a few programs to compliment Open Office.

I decided to search the Technology forum on the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) forums, because people are always posting about what they’re using to write.  In my search, I discovered an extension for Open Office called Writer’s Tools, created and maintained by Dmitri Popov.  I was pretty excited–I hadn’t even realized that Open Office had extensions, much like Firefox or Thunderbird.  The more I read about the tool, the more excited I got.  I suspected it would be the perfect tool for me, and I was right.

Writer’s Tools adds a great feature set to Open Office.  When you install it, it adds a context menu along the top of your Open Office window–it feels totally seamless.  It features things like a lookup tool, translation tool, mapping tool, multiple backup options, writing and word games to make you think when you get stuck, a timer, an internal wiki, a database for your project, a to-do list, an app launcher, a document converter, and more!  It really is like a Swiss Army knife for writers.

The feature set I love the most has to be the powerful set of backup choices.  Over the years, I have learned the hard way that technology is not as infallible as I want it to be.  I still remember the sick feeling of dread when my college laptop ate my big bibliography project off the hard drive, corrupted my 3.5″ floppy backup, and screwed me into getting a C on the project.  Multiple backups are KEY.  I utilize the backup features in Writer’s Tools every single day when I write.

I use the Remote Backup to send a copy straight to a folder on my personal FTP.  When you select Remote Backup from the Writer’s Tools menu, you can either type the FTP information in manually every time, or you can edit the Macro for Writer’s Tools to automatically populate your FTP information.  Then, you just have to click OK and wait for the completion message.

I use the Email Backup to send a copy straight to my GMail account.  I have a filter set up for items sent to myemailaddress+writing@gmail.com.  When items like that hit my Inbox, they are automatically starred, archived in All Mail as read, and labeled with “writing” in GMail.  I can easily access all previously uploaded drafts simply by going to that label.  It is especially nice on the eeePC, because my labels become folders in Thunderbird–all my drafts are accessible via IMAP in the “writing” folder.  It is quite slick, and I feel safe knowing that I have backups of my projects in multiple places.

I also love the timer feature in Writer’s Tools.  One thing that NaNoWriMo advocates are writing sprints, where you write as much as humanly possible in a certain length of time.  It also calls to mind one of the productivity tenants used by Merlin Mann: the 10+2*5 scenario.  Work for 10 minutes, break for 2 minutes, and repeat 5 times–suddenly you’ve worked for an hour, and you’ve been incredibly productive.  When I’m having trouble focusing, I will turn the timer on and start a sprint, or get myself in the groove of 10+2*5.  It works like a charm every time, and having the timer built right into Open Office is very convenient.

I haven’t even tapped into the full power of Writer’s Tools–yet.  It is becoming more and more a part of my regular writing routine, and I hope to start using more of the tools as I get deeper into my projects.  Thanks for such an amazing toolbox, Dmitri!

Word Counts - Today: 1,605 | May: 1,605 | 2008: 1,605