A Grab Bag of Tools and Tips
By Kristan Hoffman | February 12, 2020 |
Let me be honest: I’m probably not the person you should be taking writing advice from right now. I have a toddler and an infant, which means that most days, I’m just barely hanging on.
(Thankfully, things are getting better now that the baby is sleeping through the night.)
But then again, maybe I’m exactly who you should be taking writing advice from. Because I’ve never had less time, energy, or brain power to spare — and yet here I am, still writing.
(Well, some days.)
Today what I’m offering is a hodgepodge of small, practical things that have been useful to me and my writing lately, in the hopes that you may find something to take away for yourself. There is no through-line between them — and no further preamble!
Wavemaker
A lot of writers love Scrivener — I myself have used it and loved it, at times — but if you’re looking for something that’s slightly less intimidating, more designerly, and free, then check out Wavemaker.
It runs through your web browser, but can also pretend to be a program/app on most computers, if you prefer.
Podcasts
In a post several years back, I said that “I’m not big on podcasts.” Oh how the times have changed! These days, as I spend hours each week driving my daughter to and from daycare, or just cruising around the neighborhood to ensure that my son gets a good nap, podcasts have become my jam.
Two in particular fill me with creative energy and inspiration, both featuring conversational interviews with authors (and occasionally other kinds of artists):
The internet is full of things to read and watch, and the only way I can keep up with even the small fraction that I’m interested in, is through Pocket. This website/app allows you to save items for later, and with text-based content, it can even generate a stripped-down version for you to read offline.
Twitter Lists
Twitter can be fun and funny and full of good resources and inspiration — but most of the time, you have to wade through a whole lot of junk to find the gems. The mental and emotional drain of that is sometimes overwhelming.
Unfortunately, Twitter’s content controls are not especially flexible or robust — probably because allowing us to customize our main feed would reduce their ad revenue, or something. But they do have Lists, which are better than nothing.
Recently I made a (private) List of people whose tweets typically charge me up, rather than bring me down, and that is the feed I now check by default. Sounds kind of trivial, but it has had a significant positive impact.
“Lesser” Writings
In this season of my life, writing a book just doesn’t feel feasible. (Some manage it with small children; I cannot.) But while novels are my greatest passion, they are not the only writings that I find worthwhile.
These days, I make it a point to use my skills in small but meaningful ways, to enrich the lives of people I love. I maintain a family blog. I send letters of encouragement to friends who are going through hard times. I write heartfelt thank you notes.
As my chunks of time grow chunkier, I’m hoping to pen — and place for publication — personal essays and short stories. To stretch my muscles, and my reach.
Writing is writing is writing. No, it’s not all the same, but yes, it all counts for something.
Non-writing bonus: Canva
If you ever need quick, simple, professional-looking graphics — blog image, party invite, e-card, poster, etc. — Canva is fantastic and free.
Care to share any tricks or tools that are currently in your grab bag?
Originally from Houston, TX, Kristan Hoffman studied creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University and later attended the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Now she lives with her husband and two children in Cincinnati, OH, where she writes both fiction and nonfiction with a focus on feminist, multicultural stories. Her words have appeared in the New York Times, Switchback, and the Citron Review, among others. She is currently at work on a Young Adult novel. For more, please visit her website.
Hang in there, Kristan! Life changes. During a tumultuous time, I worked on poetry, stories, and essays. Now that things have settled down, I’m immersed in a novel.
Thanks for these recommendations, especially the podcasts. I love Scrivener, though I only use the most basic functions. Having set up folders and files there for the structure of the novel, I have a place to stick bits of writing (such as responses to prompts here on WU) where they belong in the novel’s structure so they don’t get lost.
I also use a technique from Twyla Tharp’s book Creative Habit. When she gets ideas for something new while in the midst of a big project, she puts them away in boxes, physical boxes, one for each potential project. This enables her to concentrate on her current project while not losing valuable ideas. I’ve started to do this too, with a folder on my computer and a box for written notes and relevant articles from magazines or other research I stumble across. My current WIP was one of these, and it was helpful to start out with so much already sketched and researched.
Good luck with your writing–and treasure this time with your wee ones who are changing every day.
Just finished Twyla’s book, then went out and got a box for my new WIP!
Thank you! And hey, I think a friend gave me that Twyla Tharp book. It’s somewhere around here… I’ll be sure to go find it and check it out!
Great post! I would also add that BookBrush, while not free, is a fantastic tool for image making, especially for those who are making promotional images for book purposes. It’s like a more powerful version of Canva (thus the additional cost).
And Pocket… I would be lost without Pocket!
Again, great post! Thanks for sharing! And good luck with the writing and the kiddos. Mine are older now, and I promise, it does get easier!
Oh, haven’t heard of BookBrush, that’s good to know!
Thank you. <3
Great info to share, Kristan.
As for kids, well, they eventually grow up, so I’m told. I’m waiting on mine. LOL.
In the meantime, cut yourself a break. The writing will always be there. The kids will not. Enjoy your time with them.
Yours,
Dee
Yes, thank you. Embracing this time with them has been a worthwhile mental shift. To be honest, it’s not always easy, as I don’t relish the mind-numbing baby/toddler play… but they’re SUPER cute, haha, so that helps.
Kristan, I couldn’t write long fiction when my daughter was small (what? Focus? Really???), which opened up the world of poetry to me. Lemons, lemonade. I also gained a new appreciation for authors of children’s books. Thanks for the wonderful tips. I’m just wading into the podcast stream, having recently obtained a Smart phone. As someone with Luddite tendencies, I veer away from things like Scrivener. But I have developed a system that works for me involving folders, files and boxes. I also love that you use your writing to “enrich the lives of people I love.” To me that sounds like a writer doing important work in the world .
Yes, I think we can be very focused on the idea of audience or compensation as the factors that determine the worth of art, but in reality, I think it’s much more about hearts and minds touched, whether that’s one or one million.
I adore Scrivener and have used it for years, but I plan to check out Wavemaker. It might suit friends who find Scrivener a tough learning slog (which it is, but oh, so worth the effort).
I’d never heard of Pocket, but I plan to download and use it. A lot.
Thanks for taking the time to write this post, especially given all the parenting duties you’re juggling.
Haha, yes, I found Scrivener to be somewhat… impenetrable, until I forced myself to watch a brief tutorial. And even after that, I still only use a small percentage of its capabilities — but I’m amazed by how much it can do!
Kristan, as another near-Luddite, my biggest tip/accomplishment is to get the kids to take a nap at the same time! I used to nap with the kids and the afternoons automatically became quiet times even when they stopped taking naps.
“These days, I make it a point to use my skills in small but meaningful ways, to enrich the lives of people I love. I maintain a family blog. I send letters of encouragement to friends who are going through hard times. I write heartfelt thank you notes.”
This struck me deeply because sometimes I think these private notes and letters might be the most important writing work I might be doing.
Enjoy this time with the kiddos. They grow up so fast. Mine are in college now and I miss the days when they were little and life was simpler.
Oh man, when both kids nap at the same time, it’s like magic!
And yes, I do think those private writings are of immeasurable importance. <3
These are great tips, thank you!
When my kids were small, I wrote my novel in a notebook which I slid under the sofa/bed/bag whenever my attention was needed elsewhere. I’m grateful for that now, because I always carry a small notebook with the latest story I’m nutting out. I write in it whenever I have a moment, even though I’m always editing/revising/polishing my main project on the computer at home. This way, when I finish a book and start querying, I have a choice of new projects to distract myself with.
Haha, what a cute mental image, the notebook slid under the sofa!
Kristan, I love both the podcasts you mention–and I’ll add PrintRun Podcast to the list. It’s two agents talking about big issues in the publishing industry, and it has given me a much wider view of the industry than my own little corner (MG fantasy).
Oohh, I haven’t heard of Print Run but it sounds right up my alley. Thank you!
“Recently I made a (private) List of people whose tweets typically charge me up, rather than bring me down, and that is the feed I now check by default. Sounds kind of trivial, but it has had a significant positive impact.”
I don’t have Twitter, but it seems to me that that’s a technique which could be adapted to a lot of areas, to result in more edifying (i.e. building-up) inputs. Because as someone (can’t find who) once said, what goes in through your eyes comes out in your life.
Yes, Twitter is definitely just ONE place to apply this kind of technique to. I’m working on finding as many places to eliminate needless mental/emotional drain as possible.