Posts Tagged scrivener

A Gift Giving Guide for Authors

By on December 20, 2019   /   For Writers  

You say there’s an author in your life and a holiday is fast approaching? No worries, we’ve got a list for that! For many of these ideas, I’m indebted to brainstorming sessions with my critique-mates and the Mixed-Up Filers.

Books!

At the top of the list, since authors are readers too, you can’t go wrong with something of the printed variety, preferably delivered with the following message: “I got this for you from a local independent bookseller.”

  • Reference Materials – How about a nice leatherbound dictionary? Or a dictionary/thesaurus set? For a style guide, many people swear by Strunk & White’s Elements of Style, while others prefer the gold standard that is Merriam-Webster’s Concise Dictionary of English Usage.
  • Books About Writing – The usual suspects include On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, as well as the long-awaited Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, based on the screenwriting books of Blake Snyder.
  • Professional Development – The current year’s Writer’s Market is a definitive guide for finding a book publisher. Also available from Writer’s Digest Books is the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, Poet’s Market, and Guide to Literary Agents.

  • Guilty Pleasures – That rare out-of-print edition from their childhood, a signed edition from a favorite author, or an ARC from a promising upcoming title. For author/readers who love Star Wars like I do, Wrapped In A Ribbon has a great list of gift ideas from a galaxy far, far away.

Book Accessories

  • Bookends – Just the thing to keep reference materials at your author’s fingertips on the desk as they work.

  • Bookmarks – Because dog-earing the corners of a book is a sacrilege.
  • Booklights – Authors have many special powers, but seeing in the dark is usually not one of them.

Office Embellishments

  • Mini-Fridge – Dorm style!
  • Electric kettle or mug warmer – For a beverage that won’t go cold.

  • Screen wipes – Because monitors tend to smudge when you bang your forehead against them.
  • Wireless keyboard/mouse – Because sometimes you just need to cut the cord.
  • Second monitor – Because Facebook and Twitter are less distracting if they have their own space.
  • Inspirational Calendar

  • Printer/Ink – Those CMYK ink cartridges that are always running out make a practical gift.
  • Typewriter – Fun, personal, classy, antique typewriters can still be found in working condition. They are amazing to type on and inspiring to even just gaze upon.
  • Wall Art – Whether an inspirational poster or a framed cover, book page, or shadow-boxed paperback.

On the Go

  • Notebooks – Big ones, small ones, sketch pads, and a waterproof notebook for ideas that strike in the shower or bath!

  • Pens – Fountain pens, gel pens, quill & ink, waterproof, or the huge box of ballpoints that everyone needs.

  • Headphones or speakers – If your author compiles a book soundtrack or has a preferred channel of writing music, noise-canceling headphones are a must.
  • Laptop stickers – To personalize their writing tools.
  • Fidget Spinners – Because for some people, ideas flow best when their hands are distracted.

Software

  • Scrivener – A word processing, formating, brainstorming, outlining, and ebook rendering program.
  • World Anvil – A browser-based world-building service.

Educational

  • MasterClass – I’ve heard good things about the class by Neil Gaiman. Other lecturers include Margaret Atwood, R.L. Stein, Judy Blume, James Patterson…

Ergonomics!

  • Comfy Chair
  • Bright Lamp
  • Footrest
  • Standing Desk
  • Lumbar Support Cushion
  • Carpal Tunnel Supportive Wristpad

Wearables!

  • Book-Themed Shirts – I like the designs at Threadless, but there are many others.

  • Book-Themed Scarf – This one has text from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and can be found at storiarts.com

  • Book-Themed Jewelry – Lots of fun stuff on Etsy.

  • Book-Themed Skirt – One such as can be found at ModCloth.
  • Book-Themed Socks – As can be found at Out of Print.

  • These Fingerless Gloves Called “Wristies” Which My Critique-Mate Swears By.

Swag!

  • Buttons – With their book cover on them
  • Stickers – With their book cover on them
  • Bookmarks – With their book cover on them
  • Business Cards – In a fancy box or card holder? Yes!

Charitable Donation

  • A list of book-themed charities compiled by Caroline Bologna includes organizations that promote childhood literacy, make books available to children and communities in need, and bring families together to bond over books. A donation in your author’s name would be a gift that does good.

 

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The Longhand Writing Challenge

By on January 18, 2013   /   Book Lists  

Back when I spent a lot of time on the (wonderful) Absolute Write forums, I loved it when someone would mention a writing program like Scrivener or StoryMill. Because comments like these would inevitably follow:

Writing Longhand

Credit: Abizern

“Pshh…Hemingway didn’t have Scrivener. He got along just fine.”

“All those extra features are so overwhelming! Give me good old Microsoft Word any day.”

“Word processor? Please. I write by hand.”

At which point I’d come in with something like:

“Pen and paper? Ha. I “penned” my first novel with stone and chisel.”

My passive aggressive point being that every writer has his or her own method, so let’s not judge someone for wanting to use a high-tech option. And yes, it was a bit defensive of me, because my love for Scrivener knows no bounds.

But I have a confession: I never write by hand. In fact, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I wrote by hand last year (and of course I mean wrote creatively, not signed documents and filled out forms).

And I want to try longhand.  Maybe not an entire novel, but just a little something every week. I think writing this way engages the brain a little differently – I’ve even heard some writers claim that their prose is more natural when they write by hand because they use smaller and/or simpler words (or maybe they’re just not constantly clicking open the thesaurus).

Of course, then you have writers like me, with handwriting so godawful it’s practically undecipherable. But what’s really stopping me from writing longhand? The following are the embarrassing but true reasons why:

  1. It physically hurts. That’s how out of practice I am. When I write solidly for longer than five minutes, my hand actually begins to cramp up. (And I’m a percussionist – you’d think some of those developed muscles would help me out a little bit.)
  2. I’m so lazy it’s ridiculous. Every time I glance at a notebook, my brain is all “come on, you’re just going to have to type it all into your laptop eventually anyway…just skip this step.”
  3. Seriously – if my handwriting were a font, it would be called “drunk chicken stepped in paint and did the conga.”

The funny thing is that if I could just get over number 2, I could probably fix numbers 1 and 3 with time and practice. So that’s what I’m going to do.

My personal challenge for 2013 is to write longhand. An entire book? Probably not – but I’m aiming for a scene per week or two. By the end of this year, I don’t want to glance over at the bottom of the bookshelf and see that sad little notebook I bought months ago with so many blank pages. I want notebooks – plural – filled with scribbles and scrawls and drunk chicken scratch. I want to find out for myself whether or not writing longhand changes my prose, or anything about the stories I tell. Heck – I just want to spend less time on my laptop in general.

None of this is to say I’ll give up Scrivener – never! It makes keeping track of separate drafts so ridiculously simple, and it’s very practical for keeping my books organized.

What about you – do you write by hand often? Do you want to? And for the love, if anyone has any tips on how I can improve my first grade teacher nightmare handwriting, I’m all ears.

 

Michelle Schusterman is an author, musician, screenwriter, and Vogon poet living in Queens. Her middle grade series, I HEART BAND, will be launching in January 2014 with Penguin/Grosset. You can find her on KidLit Network, Twitter, and Tumblr.

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