Writing is a lonely occupation, or, in most authors 'lives, a lonely passion. A passion for moving that story from the author's mind onto the paper, so that others can stress, or ponder, the plight of the protagonist, fall in love with a character, or shake in fear at the words on the page.
Each writer puts their words down on paper in a way that reflects their writing style. The chosen style of the writer is unique to their personality and writing style. Often, the style they adopt may look similar to someone else. However, it is the small differences that make their style unique. From the pen they use, the journal, or the height of the desk they type at. Do they touch type, or do they write in a journal first? All authors define their style to perfect their art. Here I will state my style and the tools I use. Where possible, I will give you an insight into why I do it this way and provide a link to where you can read more about the product.
First Steps
Thoughts and scenes pop into my head constantly. I cannot stop them. When sitting eating dinner, I will overhear someone saying something that reflects a character's personality or I hear a phrase that lights up a scene. I will lose each of these statements in the ether if I do not note them or log them while I finish my meal.
I journal these thoughts on one of two devices. The primary device is the Notes application on my iPhone. I can do this verbally by saying 'Hey Siri, take a writing note,' and Siri will write my words and store them in a folder on Notes called 'Writing.' This is my preferred method. However, I find sometimes I cannot do this since it is in a quiet place or in bed at 2 am. So I carry a notebook and a journal. I can note my thoughts quickly and update them when I have time or wake up. This method is not as precise as the Siri approach. I remember having a dream about a character that found something in a wall, so, I made a note in the middle of the night, that said 'She finds a ball.' That's it, when I woke up I struggled, where did she find it, what was it for. These days I use the note app much more when taking journal notes.
Journal notes
When taking notes, I like to use a small, pocketable journal and a fountain pen.
We often see the Journal as a simple notepad, but for me, it has to be quick to retrieve from the pocket, has multiple pages, and holds its shape well. Obviously, I could use any paper, even folded up A4, but for me, it is as much about the act of writing the note as it is the note itself. I use a Black notebook that has a feature to hold a pen. The reason is that I may need a pen fast and do not want to be searching my pockets for one at the time I take the note. I use this one most.
Pen
A pen is a very personal item. How it feels in the hand, how it puts ink on the paper, or how it flows. Its weight and length are also important factors. When signing books I find I need something that is quick to use, writes beautifully, and looks good on the page. Over time, I have found a fountain pen to be the pen of choice. I use dark blue ink and a fine nib. This provides a quick flow and looks beautiful on the page. Although I own many fountain pens, some of them are very nice, my pen of choice for journaling and signature writing is the Lamy Safari fountain pen. This pen is cheap, has a beautiful flow and the shape of the front half makes for perfect handling. The hand rests nicely and moves easily. I can grab the pen and be writing in a second because of its design. I love this feature. The Lamy Safari is available in many colors and I love the louder colors because it is easier to find on a busy desk.
Sounds
I struggle with tinnitus. This ailment has been a part of my life for over twenty years. To reduce its impact, I use additional sounds to cover the high-pitched whistle that rings in my ears 24 hours a day. Although tinnitus does not restrict my lifestyle, I suffer in loud situations like noisy restaurants. When writing, I can hear these whistles more. To counter this sound, I use headphones playing non-descript music. I play music I do not know or that reflects the scene I am writing. It is important to me I do not know the words, or I will sing along and this challenges my ability to write. Over the years, I have tried many headphones and headsets. I have used in-ear, on-ear, and around-the-ear, and without a doubt, the most efficient and best I have tried is the Bose Quiet Comfort range. The in-ear models make my ears sweat over time, the on-ear is similar. However, the over-ear I can wear them for hours at a time and not be disturbed. This is also excellent for working on a plane or in a busy coffee shop or hotel lounge. I use the QC35s but will be stretching for the wire-free QC45 or QC700 this year. I prefer hands-free. The battery life is also fantastic.
Writing Application
I have mentioned my favorite writing application, in emails previously. There is a wide variety of writing programs and applications available to the budding author. Many are simple to use and known to almost everyone, including Microsoft Word, Google, or other standard apps. these allow you to write and will keep your documents safe (mostly). However, these are NOT author applications, they are writing apps. They attempt to meet everyone's needs, business, school, and home use. Yes, they will work for authors but are difficult to move around as you develop your 300-page opus. Trying to locate a scene or a character can be challenging. This is where Scrivener comes in. Scrivener is the writer's application. It allows you to find scenes, chapters, and characters quickly and easily. Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators, and more. Scrivener won't tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to write and keep writing.
To close
Whatever your writing style, however, you write, enjoy the journey. There is nothing more fun than telling stories and being able to write a story and tell your story to hundreds of people is a joy that anyone should not miss.
Write and have fun.
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