Welcome to day 3 of the party hosted by Read Another Page! Today we
are answering the question of favorite writing tools . . . and we can
pick only one. One! I always have a hard time picking a single
favorite of anything (except for color – blue is an easy winner),
so I was waffling about my favorite writing tool until the last
minute.
I was going to say my laptop, but that’s a given. So, I shall
broaden the definition of “tool” and say my writing friends. The best thing about these “tools” is that I
can’t control them, so they aren’t really tools. They are
infinitely better than that! They are supportive, independent, and so
very smart and astute, giving me advice, feedback, encouragement, and
inspiration. When I first started writing seriously, I was terrified
of letting anyone read and honestly critique what I wrote. I’m a
fairly private person, so it’s not always second nature to share
something so close to me as my writing. (Publishing is hard!) But
once I do, I’m always amazed at how much my writing companions help
me.
Most books or other pieces of writing aren’t meant to resonate
with one solitary person, so it’s very important to get
personalized advice from someone outside your brain, preferably
several someones, at different stages of your writing. They can tell
you to [cross out] what doesn’t add to the story; they can ask you
to clarify your ideas; they can help you when you don’t know where
to go next; they can give you the encouragement you need to carry on
when you think your work is no good. Writing and especially
publishing would be a whole lot harder without these understanding
people. Join with one or more honest critique partners and/or mentors
to help your writing really blossom!
What would you
say has helped you with writing the most?
My role in the party is finished, but make sure you visit Read Another Page tomorrow to find all the last-day posts. And don’t
forget to enter this outstanding giveaway (full of writing tools).
There is now a second-place prize of a $10.00 Amazon gift card!
The next stop on the party blog tour...
What a lovely post! Yes, others can be very helpful not-tools. :) Lately, one of my favorite tools has been Scrivener (which helps with my recent tendency to write things out of order), and I also really love my writing journal, which is where I keep random ideas, plot scribblings, and writerly thoughts. It's so helpful to know I have somewhere I can keep track of these things and not lose them. :)
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed this blog series! And I wouldn't have known about it without you, so thanks! Enjoyed your posts as well! ^_^
Thanks, Deborah! And thanks for sharing about your tools. I've heard about Scrivener, so it's cool to know it really works for someone I know. And writing journals are really helpful. I keep them off and on.
DeleteThanks for stopping by and joining in the series! :)
What a great "tool"! Yes, friends can be so helpful when it comes to feedback of stories. Some will just say they love everything, but the helpful ones will point out things that might need looking into.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing.
They sure can! They've pointed out so many things to me that I would never have noticed myself. So invaluable. :)
DeleteThanks for coming by!
I completely agree with you about the value of writing friends!! Couldn't do it without them! And too funny about them sometimes being "uncontrollable." ;) Yep!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely true! Yep, sometimes "uncontrollable" is a good thing, haha. :) I think it's really neat how much you involve others in your writing.
DeleteThanks for coming by!