New ... brooms!

[silverr]

It's an old saying: "A new broom sweeps clean."

I've found that this can apply to writing as well. I don't just mean changing your methods or approach (e.g., writing out of sequence if you're usually linear, or freewriting if you're usually a detailed planner), I mean actually trying a new writing tool--or even switching to trusty paper and pen. Sometimes it's just the jolt you need to get things flowing--or at least save you some hair pulling.

So, what tools do you use? What do you use them for? Why do you love them? What do you wish they did better?

Comments

[silverr]

I hope the take-away from this topic is that there are a lot of tools, lots of ways to wrangle one's words, and that different things work for different writers (and at different times).

I think the toughest part is figuring out how you work, what you need as a writer, and then poking around until you find a tool that feels right for how your creative flow works.

(I have to say, I ultimately gave up on yWriter because it felt too rigid to me - the version I used a few years ago was very persnickety about my identifying a main character for each scene. What I've come to appreciate about Scrivener is that it's more open ended ... and that it keeps a lot of its tools out of sight. I'm sure that there are other (probably free) outliners out there, but for now Scriv works for me.)

And yeah .. those pieces that just flow out like lava, I think they're only ... 1 in 20 or so? almost always one shots, under 5,000 words. I did write a novella once, in a 26 hour marathon but that was a looooong time ago. (it was written on a manual typewriter. :p)