A Few of My Favorite Writing Tools. (897 words)

Ah, yes. Writing implements. As a creative writing major, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t always looking for different ways to hone my craft. That being said, I’ve used a fair amount of “tools of the trade,” some of which people swear by, and others swear will ruin you as a writer. But that’s neither here nor there. Below is a (brief) list of the writing implements I’ve used over the years – brief, because with the amount of word processors I’ve attempted to use, there’s no way I could remember them all.

1. The pencil – the first story I wrote was in the third grade. All I can remember of it was that it involved mummies and the protagonist was myself, aided by my two best friends. I wrote it in between classes (and sometimes during, if I could get away with it) and as a third grader, there was no way my teachers saw me advanced enough to warrant using a pen. A pencil and wide-ruled notebook paper were my first tools in learning to write.
2. The pen – I don’t remember exactly when I graduated from pencils to pen, but I reckon that it has something to do with the cringe-worthy sound of a dull pencil on paper. I simply couldn’t stand the sound, but I also couldn’t get up and sharpen my pencil after every five words I’d written. Thus began my love affair with the pen, and my even stronger love for correction tape.
3. Paper – Now, of course, you can’t have a pencil or pen without paper. Some time after third grade, I found college-ruled notebook paper, and in my junior year of high school, I discovered grid paper. Occasionally along the way, legal pads stolen from my mother’s work would more suit my fancy. For whatever reason, I’ve always had very strong opinions on the type of paper I use when I’m creating.
4. The computer – Here’s where things get serious. The computer was where I started writing longer pieces, both in and out of school work. Like I said, I’ve used way too many word processors over the years to remember them all, but here are the most significant ones.
   • Microsoft Word – My first taste of word processors. The one that started my love/hate relationship with all of the rest of them.
   • Google Drive – An updated version of Word, one that allowed me to sync my projects between my computer and my phone. It seemed like the holy grail when I first discovered it.
   • Wattpad – Wattpad was perhaps the first site that introduced me to online reading and publishing works online. It was also my first glimpse of fanfiction, which definitely played an integral part of developing my views of digital media.
   • Tumblr – Tumblr introduced me to an entirely new way of communicating with people online. Within Tumblr, I was able to find blogs dedicated to writing, blogs dedicated to fandoms I was interested in. It encouraged me to publish my own writing online and see what kind of response I would get.
   • Mibba/Archive of Our Own/Livejournal/etc. – Similar to Wattpad, this was where I found a lot of my reading material.
   • Evernote – Evernote is perhaps the word processor I’ve been using most consistently since I first got a computer. It was the easiest way for me to sort chapters and books I was working on, and it, much like Google Drive, allowed me to sync across different devices. I still use it today, albeit not often anymore, but I do believe Evernote was perhaps the most influential computer application in terms of changing me as a writer.
   • Open Office & WPS – Whenever I found myself getting bored of Evernote or Google Drive, I would try to return to Microsoft Office. However, when my free trial ran out on my person computer, these were the software I found that I used for a short time.
   • Scrivener – Scrivener is the newest addition to my arsenal of word processors. It also marks the first time I’ve ever paid for a product to write with. Specifically designed to write novels, screenplays, and longer pieces of text, it is definitely the most advanced tool I own. I have yet to discover all of its features, but I’m working on it (and loving every minute).

I’d say that, from the list above, the pen and Evernote have been the most influential tools for me as a writer. The pen is a timeless tool, one that I always carry with me. I can use it whenever I need to, and I thoroughly enjoy the feel of ink creating words on the page. Evernote has been the tool that helped me organize my writing process and stay organized throughout working on a project. It has helped me discover what works and doesn’t work for me when I write electronically.

When looking back at the tools I’ve used over the years, I’ve come to realize that literacy is always changing, and digital literacy is always moving forward. The progress undergone from Microsoft Word to Scrivener is absolutely incredible; so much has changed that Scrivener requires almost an entirely different vernacular to understand everything that goes on within it. It’s certainly interesting to look back on my own digital literacy, and how much it has grown from that first look at Microsoft word to my new thoughts on WordPress.