It’s the month of love! So, with the help of my friends, I made a list of some of the many weird, useful, and surprising things writers love to play with, eat, do, and use while writing.
- Space heaters (warmth is a common theme!)
- Scrivener
“Literally have no idea how I ever wrote, let alone edited, without Scrivener!” –Lindzee Armstrong
- Hand bound journals
- Note cards
“I use them all the time to write ideas on, outline, remember some grand idea (ha!), or to help keep me on track. When back-to-school supplies are on sale, I have to buy some. I also love using the sticky notes that are like 1/3 of the size to use as tabs with a note on it to mark places in books for research.” –Wendy Jesson
- Highlighters
- Lemon drops
- Dove chocolates
- Toys and good luck charms
“I have a figurines of Rey and BB-8 from The Force Awakens watching over my laptop when I work.” –Melanie Bennett Jacobson
- Fountain pens
- Pilot Frixion pens, extra fine point
- Ergonomic keyboards
- Slippers
“Slippers are a must. You can’t be creative if your toes are freezing.” –Micheal Bacera
- Liquids
Whether it’s Diet Dr. Pepper, Mello Yello, tea, or straight up water, writers need the perfect drink to sip or guzzle.
“My writing needs are simple–beautiful folders, Uniball ink pens, hot tea with cream in a pretty mug and a brilliant idea. I can typically pull off three out of the four” –Vicky Lorencen
- New notebooks (Oh! How we love our office supplies.)
” .17 Spiral bound notebooks. Seriously. I leave the store with like ten of them when they’re on sale. I always have a notebook with me.” –Chantele Sedgwick
- Smooth writing pens
“I love these extremely specific spiral notebooks that I buy at Barnes and Noble. They are maybe 5-1/2 x 8″, and they have colored edges (red, blue, grey, light green, purple, and real) with lines that match the edge color of the particular page. They are by Miquel Rius and made in Spain. And they have perforations to remove the spiral edge if you pull them out. Covers come in red, blue, black, and purple.I love Pilot Precise V5 RT pens in blue because they write super-smoothly.” –Kelly Ramsdell
- Raw almonds
” Me, writing: *Need a metaphor, can’t think of one, decide to eat.* Almonds contain the damage.” –Melanie Bennett Jacobson
- Ergonomic chairs
- The app Self-control to keep ourselves off of social media
- Mobile ways to keep track of all our words and ideas
“My current favourite is the voice memo function on my iphone. My ideas come while I’m driving rather than in the shower, so I hit record and talk out loud to myself about plot and character arc ideas, worldbuilding details, etc . . . And sometimes I write whole chapters with my thumbs in my “Notes” app and then email them to myself. This is probably why I get so annoyed when my phone rings . . .” –Kimberly VanderHorst
- Cajun trail mix from Walmart
- An uncluttered mind
“I also like a clean space. My head is so full of stuff that I like to look down at my laptop and only see it.” –Christine Eller
22.Storyboards
23.. Silence
“I need silence when I write. Music, people talking, the TV… all of that is SO DISTRACTING that I can’t hear the voices – I mean the characters – in my head.” –Shaela Kay Odd
24. Dark chocolate
25. Skinny Pop popcorn
26. Cardigans
27. Legos
“Dark chocolate and Skinny Pop or the words don’t work. I have an Eddie Bauer “sleep cardigan” that covers my hands and can be wrapped around my body several times. I keep LEGO mini figures on my desk to play with, and often will put together LEGO sets while I think. In the last few months I’ve done the Millenium Falcon and the Mines of Moria. I have a stuffed Moomintroll that I hug, and my dog sleeps under the desk so I can roll her around with my feet.” –Jessica Day George
- Goldfish crackers
- Chocolate chips
- Pajama Pants
“I have to be in pajama pants when I write. My favorites are the men’s lounge pants from Walmart (because POCKETS). I have Captain America, Batman, Superman, and Jack Skellington.
I usually prefer to have a snack nearby. Chocolate chips are a frequent go-to, as well as goldfish crackers, or sometimes potato chips. If I’m feeling heathy it’ll be sliced apples.
I ALWAYS have my water bottle nearby. Cold water helps me focus.
(Last one…) I have to write sitting on the couch. I *can* write other places, but that’s pretty much my spot.” –Darci Cole
- Camera
“My camera!! I have a 500mm lens that lets me watch wildlife from afar, and document their behavior with photos. In every season, I lug it with me, hiking, kayaking, sailing. I also use the photos at school visits to talk about descriptive words.” –Tamra Wight
- Fuzzy socks
- Hoodies
- Pellegrino
“I need a hoodie and fuzzy socks. When things aren’t going well in my writing, I can hide under my hood. In the summer – Pellegrino and dark chocolate almonds. In the winter, hot chocolate and trail mix.” –Jolene Perry
- Pens
“I’m a pen snob. Nothing is more frustrating than having a creative thought and having nothing with which to record it. My weapon of choice is Papermate blue ink. They never explode, and don’t dry out. These are preferable to chanting in line at the bank, and having everyone wondering if you’re nuts.” –Robin Martin
- An empty bladder
- Entertainment for wee distractors.
“The only thing I need when I write is a second computer, right beside mine, so my youngest can watch truck shows while I work.” –Bethany Wiggins
“Netflix for my kids. Freedom app to disable my wifi. A trip to the bathroom before I get started. And frequently, chocolate chips.” –LaChelle Hansen
- Pencils
- Fun sticky notes
“Ticonderoga #2 pencils for first drafts; Pepsi Max; sticky notes with funny sayings; my harmonica of rejection to use when necessary; white out to name a few.” –Linda Boyden
- Hand lotion
- Inkjoy pens
- Covered knuckles
“A cardi with long sleeves that come down over my knuckles. I like my knuckles to be covered. It’s like I’m about to softly punch the world with knitted knuckles.
And if I can, I love writing under this picture:”
–Sachiko Burton
- Motivation
“My favorite writing companion is a contract, so I can be sure I’ll get paid. Unfortunately, that’s not usually with me in the creative process, so I need to content myself with a good cup of coffee.” –Tim Davis
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“I love Pinterest. It’s perfect for pulling up pictures that look like what I’m trying to write about, and then I have something that I can look at to write a description.
Recent searches include floating cities, mermaid Tiaras, inflatable space stations, and plunging necklines. Pintrest really delivers.” –Don Carey
- Detailed outlines
“I have a printed, extremely detailed outline (50-ish pages) next to me. And I have to have a second monitor where I can display my writing log (an Excel spreadsheet). I also have a credenza on which is displayed my large Lego sets that kids don’t get to take apart. (I know. I’m the dad in The Lego Movie.)” –Robnison Wells
- Things to play with when we’re stuck.
“Ecojot notebooks. My laptop. Also, I have an abalone shell full of really smooth pebbles on my desk, and I play with them when I’m stuck.” –Kate Messner
- Ambience
“I like to burn a candle while I write–especially at night with all the lights off. I’ve even started making my own candles.” –Julie Daines
- Coffee shops, libraries, dark and abandoned corners (aka places we can write without distractions)
- Inspirational pictures on the wall
” I like having pictures and other items that inspire me and remind me why I am in my writing space.” –Scott Rhoades
- Comfort
“I wear onesie PJs sometimes…and drink Crio Brü like crazy.” –Jo Seable Schaffer
“I have a fuzzy blanket on my lap, sitting in my recliner, and my music playing. Sometimes it’s Piano Guys Pandora station, sometimes Celtic – whatever fits the book mood.” –Jaclyn Weist
“Sweats, with a fleece blanket and the chihuahua on my lap.” –Linda Budzinski
“Bra off and pajamas on.” –Courtney Willis
- Cuddly company
“My favorite writing accessory? Cats. Cats. Cats. But not kittens – they keep trying to roll around on the keyboard when I’m writing.” –Hillora Lang
- Crunchy snacks
- Music
“Extremely inappropriate music for the work in progress. The sweeter the topic, the punk-ier the music. Stupid loud too. I’ll be sorry someday.”—Hayley Barrett
- The perfect spot
“I write in the basement on a section of the couch that kicks back with my laptop on my lap, and I turn on a space heater in the winter or I’ve used a heating pad for my back.” –Alice Beesley
“This is going to sound weird, but writing with a standing desk. I write more when standing than when sitting.” –Adrienne Monson Torkildson
“I have this cool editing stand that elevates the pages and puts them at an angle and has space for pens and other writing implements.” –Susan Law Corpany Curtis
56. Sharpies
57. Scrap paper
58. Silly mugs
59. Mirror
60. Tower fan
61. Reference books
“*Sharpies, highlighters, and scrap paper for the ideas that pop up where they don’t belong
*chocolate covered fruit or cocoa-roasted almonds or wasabi almonds (depending on my writing mood)
*water to refill my Shakespearean insults mug (from the Unemployed Philosophers Guild)
*carefully culled Pandora station of stalker songs (when writing appropriate scenes)
*a handheld mirror for figuring out which muscles do what while experiencing [insert emotion of choice]
*”The Emotion Thesaurus” by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi for when the mirror fails me
*tower fan with remote control so I can turn breezes on (or off) as needed” –Teresa T.L. Bruce
- Inspirational words.
“Writers that I enjoy act as a Muses to me. Before writing I read a few chapters by them and that fuels my desire to produce work of the same inspiring quality.” –Tom Baldwin
- Books about writing and creativity
“Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott and Poemcrazy by Susan Wooldridge are my go to books.” Heather VanHoose Truett
- Perseverance
“I used to think I needed certain things and a perfect environment to write. But ever since we moved I do most of my writing in my car while I wait for my kids at some kind of lesson or other. It turns out all I really need is something to type on and a place to sit my butt.” –Elissa Barr
Erin Shakespear writes silly pictures books and middle grade fantasy full of quirky creatures, magic, and strange adventures. After all, they say, “Write what you know.” And with six kids, her days are full of…quirky creatures, magic, and strange adventures.
Thinking Through Our Fingers 