At the last meeting of my favorite writer’s group, we were asked to reveal our favorite tools for writing that we just can’t live without. My list was pretty simple, so I’ll share:
Writer’s Digest and The Writer magazines: They are old favorites from my high school days, and are still relevant today. They manage, each in their own way, to kick-start my creativity when I’m in a slump, and they stay updated on current affairs that affect any style or type of writer. Subscriptions are a must (although sometimes they hit the newsstands before my mailbox anyway).
Pentel R.S.V.P. Pens: Every color is on my desk (they come in regular and gel types for bouts of fanciful doodling), but the standby black is always a good choice for extended moments of creativity.
BIC 4-Color Pen: For times when you don’t want to, or should not, carry a bunch of different colored Pentels around with you, one of these will help you take effective notes and separate the Eurekas from the chaff when you put them down in red, blue or green. Still, the black ink runs out first, but they’re refillable and are sold in pairs.
Sticky Notes: 3M’s are always top notch and don’t tend to leave funny residue anywhere you stick them, and you can find a size that’s perfect for you to jot down those sudden Eureka ideas. If you haven’t gone down that aisle in the office supply place for awhile, break out your trusted credit card and go now, because you are guaranteed to come out of there with something you’ll be thankful for.
Without some good tools, it would be hard to keep track of all the ideas that I exorcise from my head onto something tangible. The challenging part is pulling all those sticky notes out of each magazine issue and getting them typed somewhere else, but at least magazines and sticky notes are portable and smaller than the tiniest laptop.
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