office supplies!!!
This is one of my favorite topics, because there’s nothing that can energize my writing more than the right supplies. Or a trip to Staples.
I like to write longhand – there’s something about the feel of pen to paper that’s very soothing to me. But I don’t write a book exclusively like that – I’m probably closer to half longhand, half computer with no rhyme or reason as to why I choose one over the other any given day…or hour. It’s all about what I’m in the mood for. But when I use the computer, it’s always my laptop which is always on my lap – I get really sore wrists when I try to sit at the desk with my desktop.
I always used to write longhand on letter sized pads – I started with white or yellow but in recent years switched to light blue because I think the color’s a bit more soothing on the eyes. Nothing fancy – the Staples brand was perfect. And then I discovered the lure of the Claire Fontaine notebook and I’ve become a complete and unabashed addict. The paper is so smooth and it makes your writing fast. I don’t like fast pens but I like fast paper.
I realize that many people wouldn’t understand that last statement, but I think this group here will.
For pens, my favorite it the Pilot Precise Grip Extra Fine in black. I also like the plain old Papermate stick pen (also black…I’m not a blue pen kind of girl.) I never write in pencil either. I’m a lefty and I’ve got to be careful of the smudge factor.
I think most of us are probably, can write anywhere, anytime with anything if we had to, types. But if all is perfect in your writing world, what writer tools do you enjoy? Pen or paper? Special ones or anything that you can find? Laptop, desktop or Alphasmart? Sticky notes? Index cards? Special place?
November 19th, 2008 at 6:05 am
I use a pencil and shorthand pad for notes, but for actual writing, it seems that it must be my laptop. It’s like my muse has a symbiotic relationship with the lappie and just doesn’t function the same with other devices. I’ve got an Alphasmart, but I can only really use that for notes too. It doesn’t *feel* like real writing when I use it.
November 19th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Man, I couldn’t write anything more than bills in longhand these days. I’ve got a kid that I sponsor thru a program in Asia and I write him and even the short letters, and I mean short, less than a page, get my wrist to cramping.
Oye. can imagine doing a whole book! Or half…
November 19th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I gave up the handwriting years ago because I’m way faster on the keyboard. I have an Alphasmart and it was a godsend when my old laptop was dying. My Alphasmart is the basic model so all I could do was write on it. Now I have a good laptop which I like for it’s size and the fact that I can pack up and go with it.
November 19th, 2008 at 7:46 am
A voice recorder for when ideas strike in the car is a must. I haven’t needed it lately because the ideas have behaved themselves, but it’s a good safety net.
If I could keep from losing them, I’d want to have a small notebook in my pocket at all times. I don’t know why those always disappear. They’re great for situations where talking to yourself is frowned upon. I’m a huge fan of the Pilot G2 pens (fine or extra fine).
When it comes time to crank out the words, the laptop has been my preferred platform. My wife just got me a new pair of headphones that totally rock, so I bring the rock and let loose.
November 19th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I used to write longhand, but I wrecked my thumb a few years back, and holding a pen for any length of time makes my hand ache. I can touch type - with my own style, lol - and it’s much faster than my ability to write now.
I have notebooks lying about that I grab if something strikes me and I *know* I’ll forget in 3 seconds (I have no memory). I also have an Alphasmart Dana, and I know what you mean Portia about it not being real writing. I have a Macbook and I think the ability to surf every 10 minutes helps me write, bizarre as that sounds. With the Dana, there’s nothing else to do on it, lol
And my surf time is up. Back to the wip
November 19th, 2008 at 9:24 am
I learned how to type on a computer with 2 fingers in the 3rd grade. My handwriting’s always been awful, and I’m soooo slow with a pen. I took typing in high school and graduated from 2 fingers to 10 and have never looked back.
I write everything on the computer, except for one small spiral notebook I keep in my purse as a sort of organizer/calendar/idea catcher. I would use a Palm Pilot or similar device for that (I used to), but am not allowed to carry one at my day job, so I am stuck with paper.
I recently tried to address an enevelope (query letter to an agent..hope springs eternal!), and found that I had no pens in the office. I had to hunt down my purse, where I found…one. The one and only pen that’s always stuck in the metal spiral of my little notebook.
Maybe I should consider fixing that…
November 19th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Laptop. Definitely laptop. Although I do get a lot of writing done here and there on my desktop at work during stolen moments. I do understand the lure of pen and paper, however. I am in love with fountain pens and leatherbound journals. I frequently make notes on characters or whatever, but more often than not, I’m at a computer, so it’s typically done there.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Notebook fiend=me.
I have these very particular types of notebooks I use and my pens are either the Sharpie pen or the Zebra F-301 Fine tip. I usually use micron pens for my outlining since they’re archival ink (no smudge, no smear, no fade).
All my big idea outlines are done in big sharpie marker on butcher paper, newsprint (gotta watch the marker bleeding through on this though) or posterboard. When I’m done with the story I take a pic of these and then shred and recycle. LOL.
Almost all my writing is now done on computer. I wrote in flowing script and my brain has to keep bringing my hand up to speed. LOL. It’s irritating.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:42 am
One quick note…I use an ASUS eee laptop. It’s roughly the size of a portable DVD player and I carry it with me everywhere. (Fits in a med. sized purse, a portable DVD case, a backpack, etc) and pull it out to type whenever I get the chance. LOL.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I love office supplies. I too will write longhand - usually my sex scenes start out on paper.
My weakness is coloured pens. I don’t care who makes them, but if I can write in any colour under the sun when the mood strikes I’m in. Of course, I’ve also developed an unhealthy fondness for Japanese pens, especially the ones Pilot makes for the Japanese market.
November 19th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Oooo Stephanie, I’m afraid by posting the link to Claire Fontaine notebooks you’ve unwittingly added to one of my favorite addictions: notebooks! I don’t write nearly as much by hand anymore, mostly because my mind moves to quickly and the only way I can possibly keep up (when writing fiction) is by using a pooter. But I still LURVE notebooks and pads for journaling, brainstorming, world building, and a whole host of fiction (and non fiction) techniques/practices/etc.
The only thing I’m pick about are my pens. I need something with ink that glides smoothly from nib to page, and doesn’t easily smudge–for I too, am a southpaw. Thanks for the great post.
November 19th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I am like you, when I am stuck on a WIP, I switch to pen and paper. The draw back is that I have to remember to type it in. :\ I love whitelines notebooks. But they are expensive, but sometimes I fall for temptation
November 19th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I have an unending obsession with notebooks of the paper variety. Problem is that I never have enough ideas for said notebooks. My favorites are the marble compositions and…anything that strikes my fancy. Lately it’s the Jordi Lebanda ones from Target. Someday I’d like to work up to one of those real fancy $25 notebooks from Barnes & Noble, but I really need to find uses for the ones I have, first.
November 19th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I pack a pencil and notebook for ideas and those voices that go off in my head in the most inconvenient of times and places. If, horror, I happen to leave them behind, I just make notes in my multifunctional miracle device, a.k.a. my cell. For all actual writing: I suggest Miss Parker, in the Study, with the Laptop.
My notebook is one of the longest running writing jokes between me and the hubby. Shoenista that I am, I bought a beautiful notebook with a vintage high-button boot on the cover and a detail of it on the back, intricate and tasteful. That is what I thought.
I’m scribbling away one day and my husband asks to look at the cover. I show it to him. He smiles, then starts laughing. “I take it this is your…red shoe diary?” “No,” the lady did protest too much, but then it hit me. It was what it said on the tin. The boot was red and the writing was smokin’. My mind may have made the connection as I bought the thing. My clever husband certainly did. And he has kept me in those beautiful notebooks ever since.
November 19th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
For as long as I can remember, it’s been Bic Mechanical Pencils. And if you want to date my love of these, here’s a starting point: I miss the black erasers. Though they were awful and smudgy, I liked the way the pencils looked with black erasers. What I am, my friends, is shallow.
My preferred method is the laptop (I…don’t know what an AlphaSmart is? But I shall rectify that with Google after I finish this post and check in up the page a bit), though I have a messenger bag that I carry around with me. I’d carry a purse, but a purse doesn’t hold a legal pad, which is my own brand of poison. I just switched from a huge yellow one, with the crinkly pages of use and tear, to a new white one that’s only slightly dinged. Don’t worry, give it time.
And Dita, your notebook sounds rather fabulous. I wonder where I can find one that pays homage to my beloved pair of black chucks (I’m getting plaid ones next)!
March 21st, 2010 at 8:29 am
Laptop memory is so very important not only in terms of the hard disk memory space but also the RAM that helps in effective data retrieval and usage. There is no wonder then that around the globe, when people look at buying laptops and notebooks, they look at the RAM requirements that they have to effectively complete the tasks that are at hand.
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