What's in your writer's toolbox?

We writers have these obsessive tendencies anyway, and most of us like to have the right tools for the job. Writing is a craft, just like plumbing or engine rebuilding or even music, and most of us have our favorite set of tools when doing the thing we do.

Of course, tools are just that -- tools. Nothing can replace talent, or skill, or tenacity, or the right level of focus, or good research. A skilled auto mechanic can do a better job with a $10 set of tools from a dollar store than your weekend hacker can do with professional-grade equipment, so maybe the toolbox is a tad overrated. But like the master mechanic, we don't feel right unless the tools feel right. At least that is the case with me.

I've written for a living for years, and still make much of my income from stringing words together into a cohesive whole. And over the years my toolbox has evolved. When I first wrote for money my favorite tool was an ancient Underwood typewriter I found in a thrift store, along with a ream or two of bond paper and correction tape (never the fluid). As I turned to computers I developed a love for the DOS-based PC-Write, one of the best free word processors around. I worked up a handful of macros to automate some tasks, including hyphenation and the ability to strip all the coding out to leave me with a straight-text file.

Now, I still have my favorite tools. I'm sorry, the Underwood is not in my workshop these days, as I've gone almost fully tech. Well, almost.

So what's in my tool box these days?

- Computers: I have a 10-year-old desktop at home, and a netbook I picked up last year. Only the netbook is Web-enabled, but I have most of the same programs (and a similar Linux operating system) on both. To transfer files back and forth, I save them to an eight-gigabyte thumb drive.

- TextRoom: This is my writing workhorse. Since I'm so easily distracted, I work best with a text editor that takes over the entire screen. What I'm left with is a black background and blinking green cursor. I can't get to a Web browser or solitaire game while using TextRoom. It's as old school as it gets, and plays into the single-tasking idea -- when it's time to write, write.

- Google Mail: I love this, though I have yet to really scratch the surface of its power. But having Google Mail also gives me access to ...

- All the Google goodies: Google Docs allows me to share documents online, and Google Voice gives me a second phone line through my cell phone. Google Calendar is great for keeping my schedule straight. I also use Google Reader for job-related RSS feeds, allowing me to do some rainmaking with the Web-enabled cell phone.

- RSS Owl: I'm a news junkie, with several hundred news feeds. It takes a few minutes to download all my feeds, and I can read them offline. I can tag items to be used later, or search news items for something specific. A great research tool, but it can be my biggest time-suck.

- xMind: I'm big on outlining and mindmapping, and for my Linux box this is the best such program I've seen. Another good one is Freemind; it's Java-based and can run on Windows or Linux.

- Thumb drive: I save all my work files on an 8-gigabyte USB drive, and can take my stuff with me anywhere. On any computer. If I need to print something (I don't have a printer) I can take the thumb drive to the library, log in, and print what I need. Plus, I have room on the thumb drive for a few tech toys I'll mention later.

- Dropbox: This creates a folder I can access from any computer, as it is stored online. I primarily use it to back up the contents of my thumb drive. It's free.

- Evernote: Also free, this is another system where I can upload text files or short messages online and get to them from any computer. I can even make short notes to myself and email them to my Evernote box. Don't see how I functioned without it.

- Web-enabled cell phone: I don't have an Internet connection at home. I did have one for a while, but I found myself playing around online instead of writing. If I need to do some fast research or email checking when away from a wireless hotspot, this is the ticket. My phone has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, very useful.

- Hipster PDA: In its purest form, a bundle of index cards held together with a binder clip. I've gone fancy here, with an eelskin index card holder. I keep my lists, agenda, editorial calendar, and article outlines here, and it goes with me everywhere. I'm lost without it. Check out 43 Folders for construction details and applications -- the website is a real hoot, but it's a great idea.

- Index cards: This is the one item that keeps me from having a paperless office.

- Fine-point pen and hi-liters. 

- Whiteboard: I have a small one, about two by three feet. What I'd really like to do is get a bunch of showerboard -- alllegedly this is good whiteboard material -- and do up at least one wall of my office with it.

- Fishing line, paper clips, half-sized index cards: This is a bit of an experiment, but I'm working on a larger project. I have fishing line stretched across the length of my office, with index cards being used to help me visualize and organize the plot line. Call it "live mindmapping" and you're not far off. If a plot line branches off, I can use more fishing line.

- Kitchen timer: I find I work best in 25-minute bursts, with five-minute breaks, and I'm pretty good at estimating how much work I can get done in 25 minutes. For those five-minute breaks, I'll get another cup of coffee, raid the fridge, stretch, or step outside. Just so long as I disconnect from the task. To see how this works, check out the Pomodoro Technique.

- Portable Apps: I love this. Almost like having a computer in your pocket. Portable Apps gives me the essential open-source programs (AbiWord, a Web browser, text editor etc.) on my thumb drive, and I can run them straight from there. 

- Puppy Linux: Shoot, if I can have a suite of applications in my pocket, why not a whole operating system? Just shove the thumb drive into a computer and boot it up, and I'm running a highly functional (though miniaturized) Linux system. Hard drive? Who needs a hard drive?

That's my tool box. Although I'm a writer, I have little need for a word processor -- a text editor does the same work without getting in my way. With the exception of the computers and cell phone, all of this stuff is free or pretty close to it. All of the software and Web services, likewise free. Of course I like free, but I like function even better.

Oh, yes. There's one other item in my toolbox -- an mp3 player, and cables to run the computer to my stereo. Must have my music. But that's another story, and I'll probably write about my rig in the future.

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