by Megan Hart

Created on: December 08, 2009

Gone are the days when writers scribbled their tomes by hand, hunched over manuscripts with a feather quill and a pot of ink. Gone too are the times when we had to compose our novels using typewriters that made the hunt-and-peck an art form – even with electric typewriters, crafting a novel from rough first draft to a final, polished piece ready for submission was a long and arduous task.

Actually, writing is still often a long and arduous task, no matter how it might be helped by the addition of a computer with word processing software that spell checks, formats and saves a document in as many versions as you like. While most writers today rely on computers for their work, a computer is not the only tool a writer needs. Aside from the related computer equipment of printer, ink and paper, the following is a list of other useful, necessary, and sometimes simply fun tools for writers:

A good workspace.  While not exactly a tool, the fact is that many writers don’t have the luxury of a dedicated office. We work at the kitchen counter, the dining room table, on the couch between piles of unfolded laundry, in our beds with laptops balanced on our knees. Yet while it’s good to be able to write where the world puts you, a good workspace is nevertheless essential to a writer’s productivity. It might be possible to write your novel one-handed while you fry up some eggs for breakfast with the other, but it’s going to be a little easier if you have a place to sit. A workspace doesn’t have to be an office with a fancy desk, though. It can be a lap-desk placed next to your favorite chair, or a basket or tote-bag containing your materials that you take with you as you move from place to place. Because some writers prefer to be stationary and others enjoy the freedom of moving around, the best workspace is the one that suits your needs.

A comfortable chair. Writers spend hours in front of their computers. A comfortable chair is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Whether it’s an expensive office chair or your favorite arm chair and footstool, the more comfortable you are, the better you’ll be able to work.

Notebooks and notepaper. While scribbling notes on the backs of envelopes might sometimes be the only option, a better one is to keep a supply of dedicated notebooks. One for story ideas, one for notes on your current project and others for whatever you need.

Your favorite pens.  There is nothing quite as special

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