Hack of the Month: My Writer's Toolkit

What's a Writer's Toolkit?

Think of it as a Go Bag where all your supplies are ready to grab and go at a moment's notice for its intended purpose. A Writer's Toolkit might not be as mobile, but it holds the essentials that you need as a writer to write, create, plan, and craft. This spans the practical beverage, chapstick, ect. to the specialty items that are unique to your creative process. Listening to others, I've heard some Writer's Toolkits being minimalistic as only requiring special pens and paper while others included specific comfort items such mints, fidget toys, multimedia journal, as well as other basic necessities.

A Writer's Toolkit are the items a writer needs in order to write, craft, and create. Mine is somewhere between minimal and lavish with items that enhance my writing ritual. These items include:

• Pens (plural since I've been known to go through a few)

• Paper

• Story Reference Notes

• Music and Earbuds

• Hot Beverage (usually mochas)

Shadow Cat's Writer's Toolkit

My pens and papers double as the act of writing as well as a medium for me to draw out character designs, scenes, or layouts if I'm having trouble describing these or need to visualize it before putting it into words. Drawing is also a state change for my brain, assisting in the reboot process whenever I feel stuck. Next, Story Reference Notes are essential to maintain consistency and key plot points. Instead of digging through my written excerpts, it helps to have a cheat sheet to reference with information that I frequently refer back to. I recommend this to anyone keeping track of titles, army platoons, spells, and other details in your story. Next, Music and Earbuds are essential to my focus and establishing a barrier between me and the outside world so that I focus on my work at hand. The Hot Beverage is very much a Pavlov focusing technique that I unintentionally cultivated throughout the years and now is part of my focusing ritual.

Ritual? Yes! Rituals create sacred spaces as well as disciplines yourself. Rituals can be ornate or simple everyday activities. Brushing your teeth. Being grateful for your food. Handwashing. The list is infinite. A ritual brings your attention to the moment, and often, has meaning behind each action or item included in said ritual.

We writers often need to define and defend our writing time and space. Rituals -including the items in your Writer's Toolkit- are a great way to do this. Every person's writing process is as unique as themselves, and so are their Writer's Toolkit. What would you put in your Writer's Toolkit?