TNT 1: Notebooks galore

[azuire]

Good evening everyone (at least, it's evening where I am). Hope you're all well. Welcome to the first Tips and Tricks column! All future entries will be searchable by the "tips and tricks" tag. Members, if you have an idea for a TNT discussion, feel free to PM it to us!

Allons-y!

I like to scribble. My current notebook has several pages that go on in messy longhand. When I was younger, I had my own typewriter and used that to hammer out my work. But to share writing on the internet, I have to type it on my computer, and for this I use OpenOffice: it has very convenient folders. I sometimes use WordPad if I'm in a hurry. I don't like Microsoft Word because it continually eats my work (and corrects my spelling). Recently a friend of mine bought Liquid Story Binder, and I saw another explaining how to use yWriter. Both seem very satisfied with their respective writing programs. So, what do you think about these programs? Which one(s) do you use? And where do you prefer to write, in notebooks, or on keyboards?

Share away :-)

Comments

[pipisafoat]

I could use the notes app but I am not speedy with it and it doesn't take much to fill a note :(

I AM AWESOME. I am very awesome. I am so awesome, I have to be careful not to explode.

[pipisafoat]

o hai thora, welcome!

and whenever I get a new one I get all excited, thinking longhand is going to change me forever.
*facepalm* I DO THIS TOO. ahahaha.

It's a different set of muscles to write than type; my forearms get so tired when I write. I am glad to be writey-ambidextrous because otherwise I could not survive classes. Maybe I should practice over the summer to get my writing arms in shape? That seems so weird. Obvsly I should do it, then. :D

[pipisafoat]

I really only use the sticky note + wall system to remind me of things. I have separate sections of the wall for it, too. One is "things to take care of first thing in the morning" (by the door), one is addresses (tucked in the corner by my desk; why don't I get an address book? that'd be so much more useful), one is long-term reminders (i.e. credit card payments, it's up high so I can still see it but it doesn't distract me), one is a short-term to-do list (right behind my desk), and I'm trying to find the best place for notes, ideas, and prompts for writing. Not entirely sure where it'll end up.

Borders :( We used to have one, but right about the time I got a nice big gift card to it, it closed.

[pipisafoat]

When I still used Windows, I liked WordPad and TextPad an awful lot. Depending on how I was writing. TextPad if I was writing in HTML (which I do automatically now - you wouldn't believe the time I have to spend fixing school papers) and WordPad if I wanted to format it right there.

I can't keep up typing, either, but it's faster than writing, at least. I think maybe we all just think too fast. The curse of the writer!

[thorarosebird]

It's odd, I've never been able to use Word Pad! It's too empty. XD

[thorarosebird]

I'd be scared to do that, I might cut ALL the binding XD

Ouch! That sounds so painful. :( I think I had it when I played badminton then, because my wrist used to tingle a bit if I played for ages, but it never came back.

You said you had a brace for it? At least that gives it some support? :)

[thorarosebird]

Haaaai :D

Why is that?? I always think writing it out in a notebook is going to create EPIC PROSE and it's always worse then when it's typed! XD

Hee you should! So you don't have that weird feeling in September when you go to write in class and it feels weird because you haven't picked up a pen all summer. Was that just me? :P

[selkath]

Oh, yeah. I use NotePad for HTML (and I use HTML tags in all my writing as it is, since pretty much everything gets posted on the internet. I occasionally leave them in a document that meant to be formatted and have to go back and remove them after I've printed it, because I don't notice 'til then.)

Indeed! The curse of the writer!

[selkath]

Haha, really? I always liked that very fact. Microsoft Word's so cluttered!

[thorarosebird]

Ah but that's what I like!! I open Word and it's all BUSY BUSY BUSY and it makes me write. Word Pad is just a completely blank screen. :( It scares me.

[selkath]

But it's much more convenient to have a little empty screen if you want to have it hanging over an image-- something I really like doing, because a lot of my ideas stem from something I see. Concept art or some such. Plus clutter feels . . . I don't know. Rough, sort of. Not distracting, exactly, but irritating nonetheless. ._.

[thorarosebird]

I don't usually write from images but I can imagine that that's really convenient. :)

I find all the clutter (toolbars and stuff) gives it a more polished feel actually. Word Pad is the rough "notebook" where I have occassionally shoved character ideas and stuff like that.

I may try Word Pad next time, just to see what happens. :P

[selkath]

Haha, good luck! : )

[mythochromos]

Everything is kind of scattered for us at the moment. We use an old version of Easy Note for Android to write down memory joggers on the go. (We hear the latest version has obnoxious ads. Sadface.) Gmail for idea capture at work, where we can't access Wave. Wave for outlining and brainstorming. Back to Gmail for first drafts, which then get copied to hess_makes for sharing and Gdocs for archiving a full copy that can later be edited.

This could use some work.

I'm downloading LSB; it looks great...aside from not being a web app or instantly shareable with our partners in crime. Still, hauling all of the ideas back into LSB and keeping full copies there instead of Gdocs is tempting. We'll try it out.

-Shaynin

[mercredigirl]

Lucky you. :P

*surreptitiously kicks Electrochemistry under the table*

[mercredigirl]

I have heard nice things about (though I don't actually use) Storybook, perhaps that'd help to keep all your stuff together? :D

(And, wow, you use a lot of software indeed!)

See me. See me babble. Babble me, babble

[whatawaytoburn]

I go pretty back and forth. There are months where I can use nothing but the keyboard and months where i switch pretty easily between a keyboard and a notebook.

I know when I'm going to school on a regular basis notebooks become a lot easier to work with. I can scribble down notes and parts of stories and then go hoe to type them up.

For a while I used to carry around a role of index cards and write on those. I was really fond of them and the only reason I still don't do it is because I can't find them anymore. I especially liked using them for writing drabbles/one sentence type things.

As for programs, I'm really fond of DarkCopy. I find the minimalist ting works well for me when I'm really trying to get words out. WriteOrDie is another one I am a bit partial to but that's a recent development.

Jumping back to notebooks, I usually have about three on me at any given time. One for ideas one for quotes and one for writing. I'm actually starting to carry around for since there's one particular idea that's been hounding me a lot lately and I wanted to try and keep everything separate for that. I would probably carry more but I know I would receive many a facepalm, so I try and resist.

....Though now I want to try and find a roll of index cards. I sort of really miss doing those, now that I think on them.

Re: See me. See me babble. Babble me, babble

[azuire]

I use index cards quite interchangeably with post-it notes. I somehow like the idea of sticking an idea somewhere, losing it, and then rediscovering it when I'm cleaning my room. Gives me a fresh perspective on things.

WriteorDie is quite good for wordcount goals! I found it indispensable during NaNo.

[azuire]

I get cramps if I'm holding the pen wrong. Luckily I have two hands to use LOL.

Yay another WordPad user!

[azuire]

I had one spiral notebook. It got on my nerves, because I scribble at all sorts of absurd angles (upside down, sideways, at odd angles across the page, not to mention the ARROWS). Class notes are MUCH neater. It's like a whole different breed of person is writing each set of notes.

I despise Word. It continually corrects my spelling, which I find incredibly irritating, because some words end up spelt the British way, and some are edited to American. Inconsistency does not a happy azuire make.

[azuire]

I tack mine everywhere! haha. I like being surrounded by things and it annoys mum. Mostly because it annoys mum.

[azuire]

Those Piccadillys look tempting. I will explore them once I find a Borders, thanks! :)

[azuire]

I create epic prose on my notebook kthnx. It's worse on a computer because I get distracted. Very distracted. ;) Like now? I'm supposed to be typing editing guidelines...

[azuire]

[insert maniacal laughter]

I should get you one of those keyboard rest things so you can rest your hands after using the computer. Carpal tunnel!

[azuire]

Me too! I have several notebooks of all sizes to keep in various bags. This is also why I am paranoid about my bags, I do not want my ideas stolen.

Portable typewriters are cheap in the US. I can get you in touch with someone. ;) What say you?