I’ve been in the business since typewriters were the tool of choice. And I’m pretty damned happy those days are gone.
But a few habits have hung on from the good old days.
For example, I’m on my fourth copy of The Elements of Style. What a book. I don’t look to it for instant inspiration, but use it for the occasional tune-up.
There are several other books that have stayed on my bookshelf over the years, but this one has been a constant companion.
And while I write everything on my computer, I still do a lot of concept level work on paper. But I don’t use ballpoint or rollerball pens; I hate the idea of disposable things.
Instead, I use pencils and fountain pens with converters. As long as they keep making lead and bottled ink, I can keep using the instrument. That’s appealing.
Memories
I’m a terribly forgetful person. So I keep a small notebook in reach. The kind pictured is handy and cheap, though the binding goes quickly and you’re smart to add some packing tape to the spine.
My ideas get scribbled there (including the idea for this post).
One of the handiest tricks I ever learned is to use the full-sized “composition” version of the little notebook. In it goes everything you write – interviews, client calls, new biz calls, etc.
That way, you never scour your desk for that number you scirbbled on a piece of paper. Or go digging through a couple folders looking for a quote from that customer you interviewed.
It’s all in the composition book.
You’re might not be entirely sure exactly where in the book, but at least it’s in one place. That’s a lifesaver.
Some people love the Moleskine notebooks – and I own a couple – but can’t get past the expense of something I can fill up in a couple weeks. Call me cheap.
Your Turn
I have a lot of other books in my bookcase, and use an ever-increasing pile of software. But I’m interested in the “holdout” stuff other writers do, and why.
My wife thinks my dislike for disposable pens is a little odd.
Any odd stuff in your writer’s life? Holdouts from the past? Quirks?
[tags]writer, copywriter, copywriting writing, moleskine, fountain pen, pencil, elements of style[/tags]
Nice meme. My quirk is that I’m a 3-by-5 geek. I fold a 3-by-5 index card in half and carry it around in my pocket with a pen, jotting down notes, to-do’s, inspirations, thoughts, things to remember, people’s names, etc. as needed. This relieves my poor brain to no end! Then all I have to do is “digitize” (type up in the right places) and/or purge the notes on the card and throw it away.
I get all nervous if I don’t have a pen on me.
I have a big whiteboard calendar that hangs beside my desk. You’d think I’d use scheduling software, but there’s something about having that calendar there, looming over me, that keeps me on pace.
CDB
I prefer fountain pens too, but do use a good rollerball from time to time.
I’m a huge fan of those slick colored Post-It things popping out of the pages of your books. I use them constantly–but I stick them on the side of the page rather than the top to indicate the pivotal sentence that inspired me to mark the page in the first place.
I’m also a huge fan of the ONE notebook. My quirk is that it has to be colored paper. Not only is the single notebook/pad useful but it tells a life story when found stuffed in a drawer a year down the road.
Christine: What’s a ONE notebook? A specific type or brand?
As for the Post-it flags, I’ve got ‘em on the sides and the top. I don’t lead a neat, ordered life…
tiny post-it flags! and i never go out of the house without my flask of coffee.
Uh-oh, a caffeine junkie. That’s probably a separate post unto itself…
Ahh. “The Elements of Style”. I still have the first copy ever given to me by a newspaper editor in Elko, Nevada and I still use it.
Excellent. If that copy has a lot of sentimental value, I’d buy a new Elements of Style now and wear it out first…