Q: What tools do you write with?
A: The obvious tools are my laptop and Microsoft Word. I’m not much of a pen and paper person. For starters, my handwriting is atrocious, so I often can’t read what I’ve written a few days later.
I’m also not much of a plotter. I’ve met a few plotters recently and have been impressed with the tools they use. Scrivener for detailed outlining and planning, spreadsheets, multiple character summaries, scene descriptions, etc. It’s not that I don’t plan at all, but it’s mostly done in my head. A key concept, an idea of the ending, a character or two. When I have attempted to write down plans or character descriptions in the past, I find I’m writing the story. So, I tend to just keep going and write it.
The downside of being a pantser is I do multiple, extensive edits and re‑writes of my first drafts. Well, some might call it a downside, but I weirdly enjoy editing. Add in a bit of internet research, draw on some lived experiences, a grammar and spell check, and that’s about it for my writing tools.
Michael Gardner’s story “Infinite Possibilities”
in Metaphorosis Friday, 30 September 2022.
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