Writing Post – Tools of the Trade
When it comes to writing , writers talk a lot about not simply the act of writing but the industry – publishing, marketing, etc. We talk about research and inspiration. We talk about when and where to give away your work – and more importantly, when NOT TO give away your work. There’s the “social†issues of writing – how to behave when dealing with fans, editors, and other professionals (aka – Don’t be a Jerk).
So to (sort of) kill two birds with one stone, I’m going to talk about “tool of the tradeâ€. What tools I actually use as a writer to do this writing thing I do – and combine a nice little pen review into the mix at the same time. That gives me a two-fer post in a short and hectic week. Yay for time management.
Obviously, the major tool in any writer’s arsenal is a computer with an internet connection. For the most part a writer doesn’t need a printer for a lot of things, since many – including some major publications and publishers – take e-subs. As long as you have email and the wherewithal to save often, you can keep from being a tree-killer.
Though, for me, I do rather enjoy the low-tech parts of writing. The actual act of handwriting on paper. I also do a lot of editing on hardcopy – and hardcopy is easier to read than screens for some things. In my opinon. When it comes to handwriting, I like a good bold ink – preferably fountain pen or rollerball. For the longest time (and to some degree, still is) my favorite was the Pilot G2 for your basic rollerball gel ink pen. Good, solid ink, with a variety of points. I prefer a fine line. 0.5mm or smaller – Pilot G2 now comes in a 0.38mm. Pilot also comes in pretty colors.
However, there’s a new pen in town. The Office Max Tul roller ball (retractable and stick). I won a set of them in an OfficeSupplyGeek.com giveaway. Three medium (0.7mm) blue, two medium black, and a fine point black (0.5mm). I’m okay with the medium point. The colors are vibrant, the point is smooth. I’ll use the medium points – but I love the fine point most. I love the fine point black to the point of wanting to go out right now and buy all the colors and beg them to make more (after all they only come in blue, black, red, green, and purple [the G2 0.38 does NOT come in purple] – there are so many OTHER colors…) because I like the way they feel and write and click and well…yeah.
It’s important to find what works for you. I find I want to write more when I have a good fitting/feeling pen – or just a novelty one. But it has to work well. The TULs work well. They’re cool. And they may oust Pilot G2 for the “go to†pen when all else is “ehâ€. Now to see if the TUL ink barrels fit in other pen barrel like the G2 does…