Tools of the trade

It's been a while since I've served up some original writing. The wheels of denouement have been turning in the background, but at this time (for many reasons) the stony glare of the internal censor rests heavily upon me. So I'll do what writers do, and keep writing steadily (and privately) until the censor backs the hell off.

But while I'm already here, typing, I'll type a little more, keeping it light and fluffy. And it’s a festive time of year, so how better to celebrate the season of 'Giftmas' than to talk about STUFF.

Specifically, writing stuff.  

Tools that I’ve discovered or rediscovered this year:

• Pencils, specifically The Blackwing Pearl

I bought my first Blackwing out of the pure conceit of having a writerly pencil. But as lovely as it was, it wasn’t quite right, a little too soft. Then I tried the 602, again, not quite right. Then I experimented with a range of cheaper pencils, including larger-barrelled learner pencils. No, no, no. Finally, in a ray of blinding white light, I stumbled upon the Blackwing Pearl. Somewhere, a choir of angels sang.

I don’t know whether this is actually The Best Pencil in the World, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s the nicest one I’ve ever written with. It gives the perfect balance of smooth writing, without the lead running down too fast, provided you use their long-point sharpener (which is also beautiful).  Just don’t try to buy your Pearlies cheaply on eBay, as you might be sent the same duds I got.  They look the same, but they sure don’t write the same. It’s the difference between margarine and butter. Just buy butter!

• Paper - lots of it

If my Pearlies are the butter, then paper is the bread. Paper appears in this list because, after years of labouring over a keyboard, I’ve rediscovered the unadulterated thrill of the scribble. While I type fairly quickly, handwriting allows me to get ideas down even faster, and improve the writing really swiftly. It means my first draft is actually a first/second/third+ draft, and my second, typed draft is a well-advanced piece of work. (Also, it lets you write in the middle of the night without polluting your brain with light).

My favourite paper is the Moleskine notebook, in large for my handbag and extra-large for real writing, but these are too pricey to be my go-to scribble paper. So instead I buy the 3-packs of spiral bound A4 Marbig notebooks. Added bonus, they have perforations for dramatic tearing out of pages when the writing is not flowing (see, internal censor, above).

• Roget's International Thesaurus

Confession: I own many thesauri. They are all good for different things (eg, different classes of word-finding lists) but the queen of them all is the Roget’s. It takes a little longer to operate than the dictionary-style ones, but when you need a word that captures a specific nuance, Roget’s is the thesaurus to consult. I love (esteem/prize/treasure/value/appreciate) mine so much.

• Standing Desk

Or in my case, a Standing Second-Hand Cabinet that cost $20 and has got the previous owner’s butterflies/flowers stencilled all over it. No matter, it’s the perfect height to function as a standing desk. This single thing makes desk-ing for long periods bearable. And the added bonus is you can dance while you’re writing. (Don’t knock it until you try it).

Other than that, this year I’ve used all the regular mod-cons: hot tea, fingerless gloves, and lots and lots of encouragement from the gang at my fabulous writers’ group.