Writing is a journey. And as each journey must begin with a single step, so must one book start with a single word.
About My Writing
Writing has always been a huge part of my life. My mother has told me, for as long as I can remember, that I always had a pen in hand, scribbling away on a sheet of paper. Or I would prattle on and on about all these worlds I was creating in my head. Writing has been an escape that I have utilized for all of my life, and I doubt that will change.
MUST HAVES
Music
Can’t have writing without the good tunes
Flexibility
Literally none of my writing gets done on a schedule!
All the Distractions
Three kids, two cats, and a husband. Need I say more?
My Tools
Laptop
for literally everything
What is writing without a handy-dandy laptop? Painful. It’s painful. For me, anyway. Writing by hand is usually a no-go
Writing programs
for writing, editing, and plotting
I actually use a variety of programs! I started using Scrivener a few years ago, and I’ve never looked back. It’s such a helpful program designed to organize thoughts into a usable manuscript.
Then I stumbled onto EmberWrite not too long ago and decided on a whim to download the beta. I am so glad I did. It is honestly one of my favorite programs to write, plot, and organize characters/places in. The only thing that would make it better is if it had a mobile app. Maybe in the future…
I also use Ellipsus which is a web-based program similar to Google Docs but does not have AI. Which I appreciate. I use this one mostly as a way to back writing up to another location than just my Dropbox, OneDrive, hard-drive, local server, and my emails. (Phew.)
Formatting programs
For designing beautiful book interiors
Atticus is a wonderful, user-friendly program used for formatting books. I’ve used it to format my—and an author friend’s—books, 8 in total. It’s a one-time purchase that has come in handy many, many times.
I also use Lacuna Formatter, pretty much exclusively, these days. It may not have a cute doggy companion like Atticus, but it does have quite a lot of customizability, which I really like!
Social-based platforms
for connecting with authors and readers
Thing.pub was created by a writer for the bookish community (authors and readers alike). The platform costs users exactly $0.00 a year. Yep. It’s free. For authors, it offers security (nonstop encryption for manuscripts, which means NO AI or scrapers), one place for managing your team(s), and a way of finding new readers that isn’t the whim of an algorithm. For readers, it offers a way of keeping track of ARCs, being able to apply for ARC and beta teams from one place, and having one localized place to be found.
There’s also Fiction Addicts Anonymous, another platform bringing together readers and authors. Its creator is also a writer, as well, and this platform is AI-free. It’s free for all readers, and there are really affordable membership tiers for authors. It’s fantastic. Truly. There are “rooms” for you to chat about books with other readers and “rooms” for your favorite indie authors (if they’re a member of the site!). It’s beautifully designed, and it’s incredibly intuitive and easy to navigate.