Must-haves
Tea. Green tea to be exact. It calms you down, it's good for your health AND it tastes delicious?! I think I've made myself very clear.
Snacks. Sometimes your brain craves sugar, and when it does that obey it. Give it what it needs. You know you want to! It doesn't have to be candy, fruits are really good as they keep you energized for longer.
Hula-Hoop. This is not a must for everyone, but for me it is. Whenevery I get stuck on writing I get up and hula-hoop for a couple of minutes. It keeps my bloodflow going and slowly but surely I'm achieving that golden waist-line!
Motivational qoutes. I have them hanging on a notice board on the wall which I am facing when writing. Things like "A professional writer is an amatour who didn't quit" and "I believe more in the scissors than I do in the paper" are what keeps me motivated to write. And writing is very hard to do, so at certain points we need that motivation.
Hardware
I write on a 17.3" HP pavillion g7 laptop. It is about 3 years old and it is reaching the end of its short life. I once dropped it, and since then it has slowly started falling apart piece by piece. Other than that the internal fans are pretty much dead. Dust gather up in there so fast that cleaning it helps for five minutes and then it sounds like a vacuumcleaner is going off in my room. Also it is pretty big and heavy, which is another reason why I am saving up for a new computer. But as for right now, it does the job. One thing I love about it is the keyboard. It is amazing to write on, and I don't think I could ever get used to a new one.
Software
We all have certain programs that we dedicate to our writing. I use a few different functions on my laptop.
Dropbox. I save pretty much everything on my computer to it. This way even if I were to drop my laptop (again) I would still have everything.
Scrivener. It is great because it autosaves your work every second, so even if my laptop was caught on fire, I would still have everything. That and I link my scrivener projects to my dropbox.
Word. Just... yeah. Word. Can't live without it.
Sticky notes! It sounds nasty, but I love this program. If you are using windows (or at least windows 7) you should have it on your computer. It is a program that sticks notes on your desktop screen. On these notes I write all my future story ideas and have them stare me in the face until I sit down and write them.
WriteOrDie.com. Now, I really only use this when I am in severe need of writing or show symptoms of writer's block. It is a program that pretty much forces you to write. There is a free online version, or you can get a desktop version for a small amount of money. I just use the online one. I'm cheap like that.
NaNoWriMo, or other writing communities. Writing is not something you have to do alone. It is actually really motivating to talk to people who is in the same boat as you.
Editing tools
Printed manuscript. Someday (hopefully) my book is going to be in a book store, and that means it is going to be in print. At some point or another you need to print that book out and look at it. It is a whole different experience editing in hand and on the computer. So just do it.
Markers. I buy way too many of these, but highlighting what needs to be fixed is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Notepad. What I like to do is craft my sentences in hand and then write them into the next draft on the computer once I am done crafting the entire book. This takes a while, but it is what works for me.
Last but not least
Sunlight. When I have been working on my novel for hours on end, I need to see that bright light and feel the fresh air. Writing can consume my entire life, but that shouldn't be the case. For me to function right I need to go out and spend time with my friends and family. They are the ones who is going to support me once I send my manuscrpt to that publisher. And they are going to be there if I get a rejection letter. Therefore it is important to cherish and nurse those relationships.
Keep Calm and Write On.
- Nanna.
