by Rachel Blain

Created on: October 08, 2009   Last Updated: October 09, 2009

Who knows why we do what we do. Each writer is unique and has his own personal reasons. Some of us are drawn to a blank piece of paper, the need arises to write something, anything, God forbid a piece of paper be blank. Some write because they feel the need, some to purge their own souls. Still others write purely for entertainment. At any rate we write for readers and we read in order to write.

The better the reader and researcher the better the writer becomes. It makes sense then, that writers need reading material - books - magazines - e-zines - etc...closest to the subjects that spark their interests. Magazine subscriptions are extremely inexpensive and very informational for the aspiring writer as well as the veteran good voice recorder is also very handy. Many writers fail to write an idea down for lack of a pen or pencil and it gets lost in the hustle and bustle of a busy day.

Having a good voice recorder in your pocket at all times eliminates that need. To go a bit further - it puts all ideas in one place. when the writer goes to his desk he need not sift through scraps of paper with tidbits of ideas written all over them. He only needs to hit a button and all the ideas are there. Hitting erase is the only way to lose them. Writers Market - In order to sell articles the correct market needs to be targeted. If not the writer will not sell, but only spend hours upon hours submitting otherwise good articles to the wrong market.

Some Writers markets are updated yearly and others monthly. They are a fairly inexpensive and essential tool in selling your writing. Attending writer's workshops as frequently as possible is a good rule of thumb. Even if it doesn't sound like a tool - attending writer's workshops is actually a very valuable one. It helps to keep abreast of current trends in the marketplace as well as keeping those creative juices flowing. Puts the writer in contact with others who share the same interests and is extremely encouraging. Writing seems a lonely business. Therefore all writers need encouragement to aid in their creativity. And of course some of the basics - though the Internet is good for submitting articles - many large publishing houses still prefer to receive them it the old fashioned way, through good old snail mail.

Having a nice supply of stamps and envelopes will help to decrease that procrastination many writers have in submitting articles and novels for publication. A good Thesaurus can work wonders when you're searching for that perfect word. A very good book on grammar, "The Elements of Style" is what I use - updated yearly. I find a calendar very useful. It helps to write down on what day I'm headed to the post office to submit that article. Or on what day I'll be submitting that article online. It helps me to keep abreast of the latest writing contests and, well, organize my writing day. A Timer or an alarm clock. Every day I set my clock for 2 hours. I find that if I take 2 hours each and every day and dedicate it to my writing it helps to ward off writers block. I set mine and start writing.

The goal is not to be perfect - but to write something, anything. When the timer goes off I usually have a fair amount of writing done. A List of Goals is my last and final tool. I find a list of goals sitting on my desk helps to keep me on track with my writing. Creating deadlines for myself keeps me moving along at a very nice pace. The list of goals needs to cater to your lifestyle and not be overwhelming or it won't prove to be beneficial. Tools are essential for any trade and writing is no different.

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