Writing Tools To Enhance Your Creativity & Make Writing Easier
By Glen C. Strathy
Writing tools are not nearly as mysterious and specialized as those used by a car mechanic or surgeon. Most of tools you need to write a book are common as dirt. Before the 20th century, all a writer needed was a pen, ink, paper, and a collection of great books to draw upon for information or inspiration. But the most important tool was the human brain.
The last hundred years have given us the typewriter, the computer, a few good software programs, and a few other technical gadgets. But it still all comes down to the brain.
That said, there are a few tools you should know about – not because you must use them, but only because you may find them helpful. Some are very low tech and have been around for generations. (They are consequently, very cheap.) Others are products of our current fascination for gadgets, but they're pretty inexpensive too.
Sometimes the best tools for creative work are games, because games stimulate the imagination. They give us a framework (rules) which we can fill with creative ideas. Since writing is often a solitary activity, writing tools are often games we can play by ourselves. The best ones are those that offer enough challenge to be stimulating, are easy enough that we feel confident we can always win, and are open-ended enough to fit whatever we want to write.
Some writing tools and we recommend...
Step-by-Step Novel Planning Workbook
A collection of worksheets and instructions designed to guide you in a fun way through the process of planning your novel.
A low-tech, old-fashioned tool for writers that is still one of the most useful tools for working out the sequence of events for your story or simply recording ideas on the fly.
How useful are websites as promotional tools for new authors? Discuss the pros, cons, and secrets to making them work.
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