Maybe this is a sign of my old age, but I think better when I write things out by hand. Once I get started writing, the words are coming too fast for my hand to keep up. Since I can’t be bothered to learn shorthand, I reach for the keyboard once I’m in the flow. But to get the tap flowing, I have to start out with a pen and notepad.

Specifically, I write with a fountain pen. I got into the habit of writing when I took the train to work and now it’s automatic: I get on the Max, and the pen comes out. It is amazing how many looks I get writing with a fountain pen. It fascinates people.

I recommend using a fountain pen if you can. The ink flows easily and you don’t have to press down, but unlike most gel pens, it’s easy to refill the pen and keep going. You can keep the same pen for years. Some people don’t like to loan their pens out to other people. They say the nib has been worn down in a way that just suits the way their hand pressed the pen onto the paper, and loaning the pen out changes the shape of the nib. I don’t know if that’s the case, but it is true that all fountain pens are not created equal. I’ve purchased pens that were a pain to write with. And I’ve purchased others that were a joy.

Another thing I like is that the ink comes in a variety of colors. I experimented with loading my pen’s cartridge with a mixture of turquoise and navy blue inks, and I’ve found this is the shade I like best for autographing books. But you can also get ink in purple or pink or green or… well, there are a lot of options.

I have just found a new time sink: an ink comparison website.

Warning: once you start writing with a fountain pen, you might become addicted. Proceed at your own risk.

When I started to think of myself as a writer, it never occurred to me that I might need business cards. I’ve had business cards given to me as a result of different day jobs, but I never came close to using half of the cards I was given.

So you’d think I’d be the last person to recommend writers go out and get business cards. Ha! Fooled you. I think writers do need them. For specific uses.

A writer might use business cards if:

• They’re introduced to an agent or editor at a convention.
• They meet a bookstore owner who might want to stock their books
• They are going to visit subject matter experts such as museum curators or docents at historical villages.
• They’re giving ARC copies to reviewers
• They’re mailing copies of their book to winning contestants of giveaways

And if you’re going to get business cards, I have to put in a good word for Moo. I love their cards. I’ve tried companies that offer free cards and only charge for shipping, and frankly I’d rather deal with Moo. I love the quality of the paper and the swiftness of the delivery, but what really won my heart was two things: a) you can order the cards in as low a quantity of 50 cards and b) you can create up to 5 different kinds of backs for the cards. They have a large selection of graphics on offer, but I uploaded photographs instead. I am very happy with the result!

The cards come in a sturdy little box that you can use to store other people’s business cards as well. They’ve included a couple of dividers to help you keep things sorted out.

One odd thing: I understand the tabs that are labeled “Mine” and “Theirs” but I don’t understand why there’s a tab labeled “NSFW.” Doesn’t it defeat the purpose to have a business card that is Not Safe For Work?

I’m working on a story that needs to have equal “screen time” for both the hero and the heroine’s POV. Plus, it has to have elements of romance, suspense, and faith. When I’m in the middle of writing the story, I find it really easy to lose sight of all these different threads that need to be woven into the plot.

In Pat Haggerty‘s very useful Scrivener class, he showed us how to change the background color in the Binder view so that you can see which scenes are in the hero’s POV and which are in the heroine’s. I chose purple for the hero, and light green for the heroine.

Recently, I learned that you can also add custom icons. I took a photograph of a flower and added it as an icon to symbolize Romance. Scrivener already had an icon I could use for suspenseful scenes, but I created an icon for scenes that emphasize inspirational elements. I also created an icon specifically for scenes that I knew would need to be rewritten.

Then I went and applied these icons to the scenes in my chapters.

I love visual aids like these. Trying to keep track of all these details in my head only guarantees that I will lose track of at least one of these threads. Laying it all out on the screen lets me concentrate on making the story as good as it can be.

Note: the following is not a paid infomercial. I bought a tool and found it useful. I thought you might too.

I wrote a book in a week. I wrote it in a mad rush, spewing out a lot of words in a short span of time. I was in a rush to get the story out of my head and onto the page. The word ‘obsessed’ could be used. I did not have time to plot or plan or outline. I just wrote. So when I went to revise it, I needed help to see how it all fit together, laying out all the scenes.

It has a lot of scenes that have to be in a specific order because the suspense is (or should be) building with each scene. Plus, I need threads of romance and suspense woven into the plot. I need to know where each character is during each scene, who’s active vs. just standing around, and I need to know the time of day of each scene. And I need to be able to see all this information at a glance.

Insane? Well, all right, maybe it is. But it is also doable, with the right tool.

Aeon Timeline is designed to do all this.

I assigned each scene to one of three arcs. (You can have as many arcs as you want, and turn them on or off. I set this up to view the main arcs to ensure I was including enough suspense scenes and enough romance scenes.)

I create timelines for each of the main characters, and selected whether they were in the scene to participate, observe, or in one case, die. If I’ve got a character who spends most of the scenes participating, I question whether I need this guy around at all. Maybe I can combine him with another character.

In this story, the action takes place over 12 hours. I assigned each scene to a specific time of day because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t grouping all the actions scenes together, but pacing them out with romantic scenes or character development.

Tip: When I first tried to set this up, I got incredibly frustrated. No matter how often I tweaked the settings, I ended up with a screen that showed the last 30 years, with all the events I needed to track scrunched up all together in the last 10% of the screen. If you’re in this position, make sure the Timeline Bounds are set up correctly, then exit the app and open it up again.