Your Muse (i.e. your unique creative spark) is a delicate being that requires nourishment and coaxing. These 5 tools are what I have found indispensable in charming my Muse.
1. To write on, you cannot beat the legendary Moleskine. This may seem like an obvious choice on this list, but the Moleskine has become popular for a reason. Moleskine’s are where I begin all of my writing, and I highly recommend you to do the same. My Muse lurks inside the pocket behind the back cover…
2. To write with, the smoothest, easiest, best-free-flow pen is the Pilot G2. The G2 is the pen of choice for the majority of Moleskine owners, a particularly selective breed, and that should tell you something. As a gel pen, it runs through ink fairly fast, but you can solve that problem easily: Sam’s Club has great deals for replacement pens or refills. I don’t leave the house without a G2 next to my wallet, and a Moleskine in my back pocket or hand. I think my Muse has a summer home in my G2…
3. To sustain you while writing, Caribou Coffee is the nectar of the gods. In fact, I’m convinced that my muse drinks a cup every morning. Caribou Coffee is: fresher, less bitter, tastier, more natural, chemical free, and offers more unique coffee beans than (you guessed it) the ubiquitous Starbucks. Those who replace their Folgers or Maxwell with Caribou will become best friends with their Muse.
4. One month ago, I turned to typewriters to cure my increasing irritation with using computers to write. (Writing on computers has often frustrated me, because I am not producing words or meanings, but pixels that can be wiped away or destroyed at the drop of a hat. Sometimes, it just felt fake.) Whacking away with real ink on real paper with real machinery jumpstarts the writer juices. Just like writing by hand, engaging in something physical and immediately real stirs up the Muse without fail.
5. The less intensive and non-expensive alternative to a typewriter is to minimize all your computer distractions by downloading and using DarkRoom. DarkRoom is free software (mmhmm, free!) that maximizes into your whole screen, blocking out all distractions. When you fire it up, all that’s there is your writing. Beautiful! All Muses thrive on focus and minimal distraction, and this software does the job for a lot of folks.
(screenshot by they.misled.us)
What are some tools you use when you write? Maybe they aren’t even on this list! Leave a comment, I’d love to learn about your favorite tools.
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leafless said:
Wait, do typewriters still exist?
August 1, 2008 @ 12:56 pm
Edward Atkinson said:
There’s quite the underground community keeping them alive. You definitely should explore! It’s lots of fun.
August 2, 2008 @ 9:20 am