Are Your Writing Tools Versatile?

I try to avoid acquiring single-function items because they are usually good for one thing:  taking up space.  Ask anyone with a bread maker or an indoor grill.

Actually, some items can function exceptionally well at a single task and enrich our lives.

Take the Rubik's Cube.  I spent countless hours feeling challenged, frustrated, and ultimately fulfilled.

Yet, it's still a 'single-function' puzzle.  I needed variety.  So I ended up buying scores of different 'single-function' puzzles.  Each with a different twist (obvious pun).  It wasn't until I discovered the Rubik's Revenge (4x4) that I became enamored with its versatility.

The Swiss Army Knife of Puzzles

I expected the Rubik's Revenge to be more complex than the Rubik's Cube.  It may not be apparent at first, but it has four mobile center pieces on each of its side.  They are not fixed to a center axis like the Rubik's Cube.

What I did not expect was the Rubik's Revenge is actually three puzzles in one.

In addition to its four slices on each side, the Rubik's Revenge can be operated as two other puzzles shown above.  So, with this single puzzle I can emulate three totally different puzzles.

Okay, I did not discover the Grand Unified Theory of physics, but it was still a pleasant surprise.

Another Versatile Tool

I recently discovered another versatile tool:  the Kindle.

I wanted an eReader specifically for one thing, and one thing only:  to read.  Strictly a single-function item, right?  I did not want a tablet computer.  I did not want games.  I did not want the Internet.  I wanted the eInk variety.  The small Kindle, WiFi only.

But I discovered the Kindle is much more than a simple eReader for short story collections and novels.

If you are the type of person who likes to read in a jazzy coffee shop but instead find yourself reading on a bustling commuter train, you can use the built-in MP3 player to listen to your favorite music.
You can also create an eInk photo album on your Kindle.  Create a folder called "pictures" on your Kindle while it's connected to your computer.  Inside that folder create a sub-directory named "Album 1" with picture files copied into it.  Once you disconnect your Kindle and navigate to the Home screen, press Alt+Z.  Your new album of photos should now be listed in your library.

The Kindle can also be an extra USB memory drive in a pinch if a friend or colleague is trying to get you electronic data.

Not Just For Reading eBooks

The Kindle is great for reading documents, too.  I stare at a computer screen all day for work, so I avoid reading on a back-lit screen as much as I can.

It's great for the editing process.  I will transfer my WIPs and my critique partners' pieces to the Kindle for the initial read-through.  Of course I wouldn't do a complete red-line on the Kindle, but I do capture some important notes so I won't forget them later.

For my day job, I will also use my Kindle to read sales proposals and technical requirements documents.  It not only saves printer ink, but also saves my eyes.

Finally, if you are one to store your favorite recipes in a document on your computer, consider storing and viewing them on your Kindle.  They'll be quickly at hand and you can bookmark your favorite recipes.

Although I originally thought of the Kindle as a single-function item, it is more versatile than that.


What reading or writing tool is more versatile than you thought at first?

Do You Embrace Technology Or Resist It?

Rubik's Revolution & Rubik's TouchCube

Do you embrace technology or resist it?

It seems everything is virtual, electronic, or computerized.  Nothing is off limits.  Even the Rubik's Cube.  It's now available in two electronic forms.

Yet, I prefer the old fashioned, mechanical Rubik's Cube.  I guess I'm a traditionalist.  Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have an inkwell and a feather quill for writing.  And I don't belong to a historical reenactment society signing Benjamin Franklin's name on parchment.

When it comes to writing, I have embraced technology whole-heartedly.  I used to get a thrill from writing longhand.  It was just me against that blank notebook.  The physical act of my hand trying to keep up with my mind was an adrenaline rush.  After an hour writing that way, I'd flex my hand open and closed and look over the pages smeared by my palm.

Writing is hard enough.  I don't need to endure the pain of cramped hands and strained forearms.  Maybe it's just arthritis, but I embrace technology now.  There's freedom in not having to be constricted when I get in the flow.  I just want to get my thoughts down in a flurry of keystrokes.

Like most other writers I compose my stories on a computer.  But I also take advantage of a few other pieces of technology.  Each helps me in different ways:

1. Email
2. Portable keyboard
3. Private blog
4. Kindle eReader

1. Email:  Story ideas will come to me at inopportune times and I'm not always in front of my laptop.  I'm lucky enough to have a phone with email, so I can capture these tidbits before they fade and email them to myself for later.

2. Portable keyboard:  Whenever I'm traveling or otherwise out of my normal routine it's easy to make excuses not to write.  If I'm not in front of my laptop, I'm not writing.  But with my foldable keyboard it's more difficult to come up with reasonable excuses to not write.  I can synchronize it to my phone and compose without the overhead of my laptop, or worse yet the temptation of the Internet.

3. Private Blog:  I have set up a private blog.  This is for me and me alone.  Okay, so it's the virtual version of the leather-bound journal.  But the neat thing I discovered about this was that I can submit blog posts via email.  So it is a great way for me to jot down notes without having to worry about which scrap of paper or notebook I wrote something down in.

4. Kindle:  I just got a Kindle.  I love it because reading on it is like getting a massage for my eyeballs after a long day staring at my computer.  The unexpected use case I found for it was the ability to read drafts of fiction.  I can transfer documents to my Kindle and read at my convenience without having to print out reams of paper to edit my work or critique others'.

Technology is what works for me right now.  I still write longhand, but mostly for writing exercises or to jot down ideas.  In fact, there is a large following of Julia Cameron's the Artist's Way that advocates writing out three pages of longhand first thing every morning.

What about you?  How much writing do you do in a notebook?  Or do you prefer the keyboard?

Even Snoop Dogg enjoys new technology.  Here he is with the Rubik's Revolution.  Me?  I'm not as cool, so I'm going to stick with the original Rubik's Cube.

Happy Writing!