Tools of the Trade: 10 Items This Writer Can’t Live Without
March 25, 2008 · Written by Melissa Donovan
Every writer is different and we all have our quirks and preferences… a special notebook or a specific pen that we love, a favorite place to go for inspiration, or a dog-eared thesaurus. I started putting together a list of things that a writer cannot live without, but then I realized that it wasn’t a list for all writers — it was my list. I’d like to share it with you anyway. Here are some of my favorite tools of the trade — the ones I can’t live without:
Journals and Notebooks
Over the years, I’ve acquired quite a collection of blank books and while I like them all, the Watson-Guptill Sketchbook
I also use a lot of spiral-bound notebooks. I use a large size (8.5 x 11 in.) for keeping notes on my freelancing business, web site, and blog development. I have a half-sized (about 5.5 x 5.5 in.) for blog post ideas and brainstorming, and a few really teeny tiny ones that I keep tucked into my purse, my car, and my nightstand. I love spiral bound notebooks because they can be opened flat, or folded back, and the pages can be removed easily if need be. I usually look for notebooks with a three-hole punch and perforated pages so that I can tear out pages I want to keep and pop them into a binder.
Writing Instruments
Pens, pencils, markers, and more! I love my writing instruments, but when I sit down to write, I like a basic run-of-the-mill BIC (my favorite is the BIC Round Stic Grip Ultra Medium Ball Pen - Black
The Computer
Where would I be without my computer? It’s decent machine, although I think it hums too loudly and too often. It’s a Dell Dimension 4700 and for the past three years it’s done a great job handling all my writing, web design, graphics, budgeting, music, photos, and more (the My Documents folder is over 60 gigs right now). Its biggest problem is that it doesn’t support a microphone. I have no idea why this is. In fact, I’m surprised that they make sound cards without mic capabilities. Luckily, I have a backup IBM laptop that I purchased used from a company I used to work for, so if I really need to do any recording, I can.
Having said all that, my next computer is probably going to be a Mac. Since I started buying computers, I’ve debated heavily over desktop versus laptop and Mac versus Windows. I’ve consistently gone with desktop PCs, but I’m going to make a huge leap within the next couple of years and get a Mac notebook. I bet it will be quite an adjustment since I’m so thoroughly acquainted with Windows. But I’ve had it with Microsoft and all their products. I used to be a fan but now I’m just frustrated.
Microsoft Office and Especially — Word
Even though I’m super annoyed with Microsoft, I can’t imagine life without Word, or the whole Microsoft Office Professional Suite
Reference Books
By now, you all know that I’m a huge fan of The Chicago Manual of Style
Stickies, Index Cards, and Scratch Paper
Okay, I could probably live without these, but they sure do come in handy. I love to use the smallest Post-it notes 
The Internet
Okay, I know that writers got by for centuries without the Internet. But how? It’s almost incomprehensible to me. Here are some sites that I access frequently, and some applications that I use regularly for writing and for business:
- Google - mail, search, RSS reader, Analytics, Adsense
- Reference.com - dictionary and thesaurus
- Amazon - great not only for buying, but also for researching books and music
- Wikipedia - first stop for any research, and sometimes my only stop
- WordPress - I use this platform now exclusively for both blogs and other types of web sites
Some Bonus Necessities
There are a few more things that I can’t write without. One of these are my glasses. I can squint through a bit of text if I have to, but in recent years, I think all the time I’ve spent curled up with a good book and using my computer has taken its toll on my eyesight. I used to sort of ignore my glasses, and rarely wore them after they were first prescribed, but now I really need them. I think they make me look like a librarian.
I think that I would have been a fair writer without my education, but I know that studying English and creative writing at university had a huge impact on my growth and development as a writer. It’s something I’m proud of, because it was not an easy goal to achieve, and it’s also something I treasure, because I appreciate what my education gave me in both life and writing experiences.
Last, and every writer needs these three things: inspiration, imagination, and intellect.
What are some writerly things that you can’t live without?
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I really like the Moleskin notebook. I have tried many others, and just like the size and portability of the moleskin. It is clean, thin, and still has enough pages for a decent amount of writing. I keep a random notebook around for my to do lists.
I like the Uni-ball Vision Elite. I have this thing with strong, black lines and letters. I am sure there are other pens, but I this one is the most consistent.
I love Google for e-mail, blogging, even for some docs. I really like Google Notebook and the NoteThis feature (add-on in Firefox) for collecting articles and information from the web.
My computer is a Sony Vaio laptop (a couple of years old). It is the only technology purchase I have ever made that I didn’t regret after a few months. It is getting older, but it is still going.
I would also that I prefer a good environment. I like an old library with lots of books and good woodwork, my home office with soft lighting and bookcases, and sometimes being in nature.
Journals and Notebooks - I like double-wired, hardcover, and lined books by Markings for journaling. I have 3-holed binders with tabs for my column and my blog; and eventually will have one for general business. I print my own calendar pages for these. I like white portfolio pads for formal brainstorming or if I need to look professional. For reporting gigs I do not like the standard “reporter’s notepad” or even the steno pad; my preference is a roughly 7×9 wire bound multi-subject notebook. Mead currently has one that has clear pocketed dividers where I can stuff business cards and brochures at events; and this one has a nylon fabric wire cover with a pen loop so no more snagged sweaters. Hmm, can I get these by the case?
For writing everyday I am partial to PaperMate. I’m sorry but lefty’s and BIC do not go together (I hate inked hands). For my journal I have a commemorative pen with Cross medium refills that I love because it never skips or bloops or drags. For signing important letters and addressing business mail I have a Waterman which is nice and balanced but it came with a fine point which I need to replace because I have a heavy hand.
I am curious though about why you won’t touch Access? Yes it looks daunting and even a bit intimidating, but it can be a great back-up in the event of an Outlook crash or an email hack. I decided for our big anniversary shindig years ago that I was going to master it or else. It made managing all those invitations, responses, reservations, accommodations, caterer, etc and etc so do-able. I could write a query (and I am a brain-dead when it comes to rigid script-writing) and get exactly the information I needed about any aspect. Since then I used for a 30th reunion and I DB’d my high school graduating class so I could see how we turned out after all these years.
I only use unlined sketch pads for sketching and so forth. However, I am using visualizations like sketches to look at writing projects in new ways. Will I change; probably not.
I found your comments on education interesting and similar to my own perspective. I was writing well (compared to the average joe/jo on the street) before I went back to finish my degree. What university did for me was to develop depth more quickly, to write about anything regardless of my personal attachment to the topic, and to start writing more quickly because the deadline was coming.
What I get from writing a weekly column on soft local news is source and lead development, lede writing, story development on a micro-scale, and regular practice in “getting it done vs. getting it right” because a less-than-perfect story can be amended in a later edition, or become fodder for a workshop, but blank slot puts an editor in a bind. (It doesn’t help your credibility either.)
This was a fascinating topic. Thanks for posting.
You hit most of mine. Although, while you mentioned curling up with a good book at the end, for me it’s a daily necessity–it informs, relaxes, and entertains me–and lets me curl up with my dog rather than sitting behind a computer. I prefer fountain pens to ballpoints, though, and blue ink to black. I always preferred blue anyway (or green, if I can get it), but I still remember in my first job out of college, one of my co-workers pointing out that if you signed your letters in black, the reader wouldn’t be able to tell that it was a REAL signature and not a photocopy. (This, of course, was before color printers.) But it’s true–I like my handwritten notes to stand out from any printed text, and a different color helps.
@Eric, Those Moleskines sure are popular. I’ve never owned one; in fact, I can’t even recall seeing one other than online. I recently started using Google Docs, which allows me to switch back and forth between my office desktop PC and my laptop. Quite useful! I especially like keeping my to do list there!
@Deb (gscottage), Access. Hmm. Here’s my problem: whenever I open a new software application, I can usually work with it in just moments. I am mostly self taught, though I did once take an Illustrator course. Oddly enough, I’m far more proficient at Photoshop and am completely self-taught. When I open Access it’s totally foreign to me. Plus, I’ve never had a need for an extensive database. I would like to learn it, but I probably won’t unless there’s an impending need. Basically I’m spoiled by the fact that software usually comes easily to me. Access doesn’t. I’m willing to give it a chance though!
@Deb (punctuality), As a writer, I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I really don’t know the difference between a fountain and ball point pen. Maybe someone can enlighten me? I have a gazillion pens, all different kinds in all different colors but I can’t tell you the specs on any of them. I do know more about paper, so maybe that can be my saving grace. I love acid-free archive quality, which is another reason those Watson-Guptill sketchbooks top my list. As for black ink or blue, I’m indifferent but I do have a hot pink (ball point?) pen that I love so much I hardly ever use it save for special occasions.
@All, It’s fun hearing what everyone’s favorite tools of the trade are. Maybe I should have made this a tag. Let me know if you post something similar to this on your own blogs and I’ll do a roundup so we can all see what everyone’s preferred writing devices are!
I posted a more explanatory and full post on my blog.
http://www.themergeblog.com/2008/03/10-writing-and-creative-tools-i-cant.html
I know you meant the other Deb but I’ll ring in since I know the answer (that doesn’t mean I can explain so that you’ll know the answer).
Fountain pen - first there was the quill, a sharpened feather dipped in an ink well. It was slow, messy and tedious.
Also quills don’t hold a point for long so metal tips (nibs) were developed to fit on the end of the quill and later more elegant manufactured instruments.
Then, to eliminate the dipping, a cartridge to hold a reservoir of ink was developed to fit in the shaft of the “pen” and would gravitate down a channel like a fountain to the nib which had been modified to control the flow (more or less).
Some of these had a little “pump” lever on the side by which the reservoir could be refilled by dipping the tip in an ink well (bottle) and pumping the lever.
Fountain (cartridge) pens are the “Excalibur” of the handwriting realm. They require practice and a definite “touch”. They also work best for righties as the ink takes sometime to dry (this why there is the little box of sand/powder in most movies about the American Revolution being shaken over the wet ink.)
You can also see variations of early fountain pens in the form of Calligraphy sets. Also most today have sealed and replaceable cartridges which eliminates the messy refilling.
@Eric, That’s a great post! Hopefully some others will pick up the topic as well.
@Deb (gscottage), Ah, that’s pretty much what I had in mind about fountain pens. I think I’ll get online and try to find some pictures too. I always wondered about when they sprinkled sand/powder on the documents in those historical films… I figured it was to help the ink dry, but it seems like it might cause smearing. Well, what do I know — I’m a ball point pen girl.
ditto on the post-it notes. they are great for jotting down flashes of inspiration and for shuffling around ideas as you can stick them and rearrange them on your desk.
And since I am always on the internet I also recently started using Google Notebook. There is a plug-in you can add to the browser so that if you come across something interesting while you are surfing then you can jot it down in the Notebook. My main reason for trying this out is that it offers the possibility of searching the Notebook (which I imagine will be quite useful after I’ve been using it for a few months or so)
I NEED my journals. I have been writing in them since I was a teen..Um..a long, long time ago..
Also, I have paper and pens everywhere of every size, shape and type.
I am also a bookaholic. Bookcases in every room of the house. My motto is read twice as much as I write. I also read on the web all the time. I search googgle relentlessly for interesting, obscure info.
Then my art stuff. Too much to even discuss. For me, painting and writing go hand in hand. Sometimes painting inspires writing, and sometimes something I am writing will inspire a painting.
This was a fun post!
A fountain pen you have to refill and ballpoints, well you know when they run out. When I was a kid I had a pen with a digital clock on the side. The 80’s got love it.
This list is a great starting place. I personally can’t make do without a printer. (I didn’t see that on your list.)
While I do use notebooks and work online, I often find that printing something out makes it easier to edit.
@Neil, Yep, I love my post-its! I have the Google Notebook plugin but I never use it. I’m still stuck on bookmarks I guess.
@Wendi, Thanks, we definitely have a lot in common with regards to notebooks, pens, and paper. Oh, and books. Books everywhere. I love books!
@Coby, You know I love the 80s even though I never had a fancy pen with a built-in clock! I did have a Swatch watch though!
@Laura, I can make do without a printer! In fact, I don’t even own one
Someone on blog catalog referred me to your site, and I love it! Very straightforward and a bunch of ideas for my own website. All of these are on top of my desk and I hadn’t realized how important they are to the writing process until now.
@Rika, Thanks! I’m glad you found us here. I’d love to read the ten things you can’t live without as a writer! Putting this post together really gave me new insight to the tools I use.
I forgot I had written this ditty in August 2007 about Writing Instruments
@Deb (gscottage), That’s a nice ditty you’ve got there on writing instruments.
“Yet for brainstorming, outlining and jotting down stuff the colored inks are perfect because they imbue a sense of fun, creativity, hope, and connection.”
I couldn’t agree more! As for mechanical pencils, I’ve tried but I still like the feel of a good old-fashioned wooden pencil
Melissa wrote: “As for mechanical pencils, I’ve tried but I still like the feel of a good old-fashioned wooden pencil”
But sharpener crumbs migrate everywhere. Yucky.
@Deb (gscottage), I use a sharpener with a built-in catch for the pencil shavings. It really does the trick. Actually, I rarely use pencils at all (I’m a pen girl). I used to have a really good electric sharpener that also captured all the shavings but I have no idea what happened to it. Lost it in one of my moves I guess…