So even now, September seems like a new beginning. When I see moms with those lists and kids gleefully choosing notebooks, pencil boxes, just the right markers and themed binders, I feel an overwhelming need to purchase some paperclips. Or at least a new red pen.
Today's post from a Facebook friend about her Top Ten Writing Tools of the Trade inspired me. Since I agree with many of her top ten, I'll let you click over there and won't repeat. HOWEVER, one of her top ten may be something the rest of the writing world hasn't discovered. So I'll share right here.
And since I can't say it any better than she did, I'll just quote her word for word:
FLIP DICTIONARY. It’s not a thesaurus—exactly—but it’s similar, kinda. It will help you find the term or word that’s eluding you. It might even get you thinking of a whole new story to tell. I just can’t emphasize how totally awesome it is.
I found out about this Flip Dictionary from another writer.
Sometimes a writer friend gives you a gift and never realizes how much you appreciate it. So all these years after she told me about this book, I'd like to say thank you to Selene Castrovilla.
I met Selene at a New School class we took together and again at a terrific Highlights Founders weekend. I still remember her holding up her very obviously loved Flip Dictionary and sharing it with the Highlights group.
So my Top Ten Tools of the Trade would include my trusty Flip Dictionary, my absolute favorite colored paperclips (Thanks, Teddie!), my Office Depot black pens (cheap and good- often oxymorons), my collection of writing books (though I'm thinking I should move away from the craft books and just start revising already?).
And one more writing tool that I don't think I could live without. Truly. And anybody who reads my blog knows what I'm about to say. Yeah, that's it. SCRIVENER. Yes, I'm a broken record (does anybody even say that anymore??) on this one. But I'm not sure I can write another novel without my trusty Scrivener software. I know I don't want to try.
Does September seem like a new beginning? Are you ready with your writing tools?
2 comments:
I was just thinking about a tool I'd really like to have, not a physical tool, exactly, but a pretty useful one: a perfect memory. To avoid such mistakes as, "Wow, this paragraph is going so smoothly, it's like I'm just copying down what was already there before. Oh, wait, I am just copying down something that was there before. I wrote exactly the same thing five pages ago."
Rebecca, Sorry I somehow missed you comment all those years ago. Reading it today, as I'm about to link to this post, makes me smile. I do this ALL THE TIME. Scary especially when I don't realize- hey, I wrote that already and loved it both times.
;)
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