Writer's Toolkit

[TANSTAAFL58]

I can't for the life of me write when I'm drunk! Alcohol makes me want to do other things but never sit down and write.

That's why it's ONE. If I have two I'll want to do other things, like first hand research of the sex scenes. If I have three I will want to discuss politics with the cat or play cribbage with the dog.

 

[NotWise]

That's why it's ONE. If I have two I'll want to do other things, like first hand research of the sex scenes. If I have three I will want to discuss politics with the cat or play cribbage with the dog.

The cat would be better at cribbage. The dog better at politics.

 

[Alice_Rosaleen]

That's why it's ONE. If I have two I'll want to do other things, like first hand research of the sex scenes. If I have three I will want to discuss politics with the cat or play cribbage with the dog.

If I'm drinking whisky, I'm getting drunk In all seriousness, I'll add some to hot apple cider on occasion, but it just makes me want to curl up by a fire.
Cats only understand monarchies and never bluff against a dog in poker.

 

[KeithD]

I often drink wine while writing (like now, for instance). That isn't alcohol, is it?

 

[gunhilltrain]

In addition to loving language, I'm also a very visual person. I often create Pinterest boards for characters (their appearance, style, hobbies, favorite quotations) and settings (city scapes, nature, decor, color palettes) and use them like inspirational writing prompts. . .

I have started to look for photos on-line of settings from a period, generally more than forty years ago for what I've written so far. I've also begun to visit certain neighborhoods and take a few photos, although places like Long Island City in Queens have been changing very rapidly.

It can be strange to be at some place and realize that what I imagined happening there is completely fictional.

 

[Alice_Rosaleen]

I often drink wine while writing (like now, for instance). That isn't alcohol, is it?

Just like weed isn't a drug

 

[SamScribble]

My writer's toolkit:

• Imagination
• A keyboard. I've grown accustomed to having a 'fair copy'. Longhand is too messy.
• A large screen. My eyesight has never been great - and it's not getting any better.
• The Oxford Dictionary for Writers & Editors
• A cup of coffee or a glass of red wine.
• Music. Jazz, instrumental, no vocals.

 

[Hypoxia]

I have started to look for photos on-line of settings from a period, generally more than forty years ago for what I've written so far. I've also begun to visit certain neighborhoods and take a few photos, although places like Long Island City in Queens have been changing very rapidly.

It can be strange to be at some place and realize that what I imagined happening there is completely fictional.

One technique I've pushed is to see a picture, maybe an iconic masterpiece, as the end and maybe start of a story, and devise the tale that gets there. An old fashion shot or war shot or street shot or snapshot or whatever -- what erotic stuff happened around it?

Here is a hi-res B&W still of two WWII-era babes with bobs, bangs, and overalls, hugging and laughing. Are they sisters? Friends? Lovers? Bridge-building or ammo-loading cow-orkers? Who have they shared? Who took the photo? What boss died of a stroke after fucking them in his office?

Write that, then find that the stories are out there; it's already happened. Fiction must make sense but reality doesn't. Let reality run away with you.

 

[Handley_Page]

That's why it's ONE. If I have two I'll want to do other things, like first hand research of the sex scenes. If I have three I will want to discuss politics with the cat or play cribbage with the dog.

The cat would be better at cribbage. The dog's better at politics.

My cat was never good with politics, per se.
Great at discussing the latest incarnation of mice under the garage, though.

 

[Sara2000Z]

ok, well ... these are my tools

laptop
music
I have a list of words and phrases that I like and act as a stimulation to look up alternatives in the thesaurus
so - the thesaurus
some handwritten notes per story that might encompass things like little family trees, short notes on backgrounds for the characters, floorplans of where they live (this, mostly for longer pieces of writing that aren't on this site), and anything else that is relevant to a character - historical events or other things that exist in the real world so should be sort of accurate
some notes about where the story might be going (until the characters tell me different) which might be couched in terms of basic plot/event, or something one of the characters might say or feel
beer, sometimes
chocolate, sometimes
patience - to work through the scenes that take a bit more energy to imagine, or waiting for the characters to make up their minds about what's next
a list of some of the nice things readers have said about stories I've already written, for those times when I believe everything I write is shit
the internet, for researching things, finding inspiration/supporting evidence for things I want to write about
did I mention music?!

I think that's my list

 

[SolarRay]

I have started to look for photos on-line of settings from a period, generally more than forty years ago for what I've written so far. I've also begun to visit certain neighborhoods and take a few photos, although places like Long Island City in Queens have been changing very rapidly.

It can be strange to be at some place and realize that what I imagined happening there is completely fictional.

Check out the Urban Archive phone app. It gives you a map of the city with dots you can click to see what that spot looked like at some point in history using digitized historical photos. LIC is there (all 5 boroughs are represented). If you want to get real nerdy, you can do one of the scavenger hunts that will lead you through a neighborhood and have you hunt for landmarks using old photos and match them up to the present using your camera.

 

[SolarRay]

The cat would be better at cribbage. The dog better at politics.

I've given up taking the necessary precautions when playing card and board games around my cat. All that led to is her finding a way to turn hot sauce into a slip-n-slide and a cheese fondue into a Jenga collapse. Suddenly the threat of the cat - in the living room - with a rope - doesn't seem so bad.

 

[Alice_Rosaleen]

I've given up taking the necessary precautions when playing card and board games around my cat. All that led to is her finding a way to turn hot sauce into a slip-n-slide and a cheese fondue into a Jenga collapse. Suddenly the thread of the cat - in the living room - with a rope - doesn't seem so bad.

Lol! I once thought I was very clever by covering up a jigsaw puzzle I was working on so my cat wouldn't mess with it. Which worked until she decided to show me who the clever one was by doing a running jump and landing on the nearly completed puzzle in such a way that it slid off the table and fell apart.
*Oh, and very difficult to host a D&D game at my house without my cat trying to sit on the middle of the tact map or rolling peoples' dice for them.

More proof of what a big weirdo I am- I can't write to music, even classical. It's actually more helpful for focusing my mind if I have a show or movie playing just for background noise. Supernatural, Stranger Things and Inuyasha are my favorite choices. Maybe I have ADD cause coffee actually calms me down

 

[SolarRay]

Lol! I once thought I was very clever by covering up a jigsaw puzzle I was working on so my cat wouldn't mess with it. Which worked until she decided to show me who the clever one was by doing a running jump and landing on the nearly completed puzzle in such a way that it slid off the table and fell apart.
*Oh, and very difficult to host a D&D game at my house without my cat trying to sit on the middle of the tact map or rolling peoples' dice for them.

More proof of what a big weirdo I am- I can't write to music, even classical. It's actually more helpful for focusing my mind if I have a show or movie playing just for background noise. Supernatural, Stranger Things and Inuyasha are my favorite choices. Maybe I have ADD cause coffee actually calms me down

If you think about it, a bunch of humans sitting around giving nonstop attention to a nice wide, flat surface is probably asking for trouble from the get-go. I wondered if maybe Operation would be safe to play, for obvious reasons, but no, not according to the Internet. Apparently the buzzing sound is a declaration of war to them...

I'm okay with music, but I agree background noise is the best for productivity. Behold! A soundtrack for the AH Coffee Shop, perhaps: https://coffitivity.com/

 

[NotWise]

Maybe I have ADD cause coffee actually calms me down

Wow! I wouldn't have thought that OCD and ADD were even possible together.

 

[Alice_Rosaleen]

Wow! I wouldn't have thought that OCD and ADD were even possible together.

There are a lot of overlaps between the two conditions, actually. Being restless or fidgety, perfectionism, anxiety induced compulsions. But I'm not really trying to label myself, just be aware of my own eccentricities so I can use them to my advantage as much as possible.
I think of most writers being oddballs, though, so I hope I'm in good company

 

[karaline]

I use scrivener -couldn't be without it.

I've been known to use pinterest for collecting articles to help me character build and world build.

I have a tracker in my bullet journal to keep me motivated.

So yeah, quite a few!

 

[TarnishedPenny]

The cat would be better at cribbage. The dog better at politics.

Well, my dog was just terrible at poker. He was bright enough but hadn't the thumbs to keep from dropping the cards.

And, not to be argumentative, but I actually think cats should be pretty good at politics - selfish, self-serving to the end and showing up only when somebody's at the can opener. But we keep petting (electing) them all the same.

 

[Hypoxia]

My partner and I, both well-paid for software at the time, built our first micro, a HeathKit H8-H14-H19 system. 'Built' meant soldering components onto PC boards and assembling a printer from parts. The cats tried to help. One leap upon a hot soldering iron convinced each to supervise from a safe distance.

Writing tools:
* The reconditioned ThinkPad in my lap, or the pawnshop Samsung tablet to sketch ideas, but the laptop for actual writing.
* The free Jarte text editor and its included WordWeb thesaurus-dictionary.
* The Bald-Headed Hermit and the Artichoke; An Erotic Thesaurus.
* Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg.

Paper assists:
* State, national, and world atlases.
* Rhyming dictionary and baby-name book.
* Old comix to plagiarize er I mean be inspired by.
* UNESCO encyclopedia of world musical instruments.

Necessity:
* Quiet, except for the instrument by my side, to strum for inspiration.
* Voices in my head directing me.

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

Well, my dog was just terrible at poker. He was bright enough but hadn't the thumbs to keep from dropping the cards.

And, not to be argumentative, but I actually think cats should be pretty good at politics - selfish, self-serving to the end and showing up only when somebody's at the can opener. But we keep petting (electing) them all the same.

The dog is horrid at poker. He has an obvious tell; every time he's got more than two pair he wags his tail! (Br ump bump ching).

The cat is an unrepentant Socialist, but at least he listens to my oposing view before dismissing it and demanding supper.

Cribbage runs in the family, both sides. My wife is a good player, my Dad was a shark and my Grandpa was an old railroad man and ruthless if you missed points.

 

[JugheadJane]

Check out the Urban Archive phone app. It gives you a map of the city with dots you can click to see what that spot looked like at some point in history using digitized historical photos. LIC is there (all 5 boroughs are represented). If you want to get real nerdy, you can do one of the scavenger hunts that will lead you through a neighborhood and have you hunt for landmarks using old photos and match them up to the present using your camera.

This sounds amazing!

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't think cats are socialist. I think they're fundamentally non-political. Kind of like what Seth Brundle said about insect politics in The Fly. There's no such thing . . . with insects, or with cats. Cats are brutal and selfish and primal. Politics requires a sense of reciprocity, and a willingness to defer one's own immediate gain for the sake of the group. Cats don't think like that. Politics is beside the point, for a cat.

What this has to do with a writer's toolkit, I don't know, but I felt compelled to comment.

 

[NotWise]

I don't think cats are socialist. I think they're fundamentally non-political. Kind of like what Seth Brundle said about insect politics in The Fly. There's no such thing . . . with insects, or with cats. Cats are brutal and selfish and primal. Politics requires a sense of reciprocity, and a willingness to defer one's own immediate gain for the sake of the group. Cats don't think like that. Politics is beside the point, for a cat.

What this has to do with a writer's toolkit, I don't know, but I felt compelled to comment.

I think cats and dogs are a part of many writer's toolkits. Not always helpful parts. My (distinctly unpolitical) cats would rather play cribbage. Or knock cards on the floor and flip their tail in my face.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think cats and dogs are a part of many writer's toolkits. Not always helpful parts. My (distinctly unpolitical) cats would rather play cribbage. Or knock cards on the floor and flip their tail in my face.

I like dogs a lot, and cats quite a bit less, but I have neither, so neither is part of whatever I might call my toolkit. But if I had one I could imagine it helping my writing in one way or another.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Check out the Urban Archive phone app. It gives you a map of the city with dots you can click to see what that spot looked like at some point in history using digitized historical photos. LIC is there (all 5 boroughs are represented). If you want to get real nerdy, you can do one of the scavenger hunts that will lead you through a neighborhood and have you hunt for landmarks using old photos and match them up to the present using your camera.

Thanks, I'll definitely take a look at that.