My writing tools and why having good instruments matters
My philosophy on tech stacks in general: start immediately with what you have right now and improve quickly on the go
Hello there!
One of my little pleasures in life is sewing my own clothes. As a result, I have a ton of supplies at home—boxes of fabric, a sewing machine, and a large collection of buttons, ribbons and other bits and bobs I can use to open a little haberdashery.
Also, I paint D&D minis. So add boxes of paints, sprays and brushes to the pile above and not much room is left in my little European midtown abode. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Most creative pursuits require some sort of tools and supplies starter kit for you to even begin learning them. Compared to my other endeavours, writing requires very little “stuff”, which makes it something of a “low entry” activity.
You don’t need much—most of us already have a laptop, or a tablet of some sort, and as long as the screen and keyboard are working, you are good to go.
But not me.
Theoretically, I can write with pen and paper, or use my two thumbs to type on my phone, if need be.
But since I’m doing this writing adventure mostly for my personal pleasure and enjoyment, I would like to romanticize it a little bit. Or a lot. If it all goes well, you’ll see a lot more “magic making” in the next couple of months, so stay tuned.
So, what do I need to start writing?
I am a huge fan of starting scrappy and small and improving in tiny steps often and as quickly as possible. So the answer to the question above is “Nothing new.”
As I already said, I have a computer, and that’s enough—I’ve already started writing, and starting will always be the most important part.
An object at rest remains at rest, or if in motion, remains in motion at a constant velocity unless acted on by a net external force. —Sir Isaac Newton (or Ike, as he is lovingly known around here)
However, a month of daily typing left me hating my black mechanical keyboard. It’s clumsy and ugly and loud. Also, I use it for all other work, not just writing, so it breaks the immersion of this little magical bubble I’ve created for myself around my daily writing routine.
So, I got a new keyboard and mouse. This is the first and only purchase I’ve made so far and I don’t need anything else at this point. I wanted a keyboard I could use with my computer, tablet and even phone, and I got this one.
And that’s all.
Here are the most important things to remember when looking for the right tools for your new creative adventure:
Start now. Whatever it is you want do, just start it right away, use whatever you’ve got at home, and start learning, doing, and having fun.
Don’t make do at all costs. Yes, creativity is born from constraints and limitations, but you need to learn to recognize when you’ve outgrown your “learning shoes”. Part of the “turning into a pro” journey is understanding your process and finding and using the proper tools that will help you to do your best work every day.
So no, tools are by no means the most important thing when you are starting out, but they do matter and they sure make the work more fun. Start with the absolute minimum you can get away with and slowly get the tools you need and like.
And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun.
With magic, hope and light,
Lina
