Best Extra?

[Elektra]

My new printer (which I love because it just spits out MS in no time) got me to thinking--what's the best "extra" that you invested in your career as a writer? Not necessary things, like time and stamps, but stuff like a "Requested Materials" stamp or new software and the like...

[ClaudiaGray]

Honestly, my first thought was, "Every well-written novel I bought and read."

[C.bronco]

Using Staples copy center instead of printing out my ms. I love going there.

[stormie]

Time-wise:Spending some time on these boards every day. Seriously. I've received so much great info, that for me it's the best investment, time-wise.

Purchase-wise: Several years ago, when I first started seriously submitting to editors, the Writer's Market book. By the end of the year, that book was so marked-up and the pages dog-earred.

[sunna]

Using Staples copy center instead of printing out my ms. I love going there.

I've been thinking about that myself, but keep shying away from the though of spending for it - then I remember that my little printer probably couldn't do my whole MS without catching fire; sadly not from the stunning prose. :-) Is Staples expensive? I know the UPS Store in my area is awful.
so far, my own best expense is probably high speed internet - way out here in the boonies that's not an easy (or cheap) thing to get.
and: free but time-consuming - AutoREALM. a definite improvement over PaintShop Pro for map-making.
PS: love the chickens! I had a friend in 8th grade who thought it was the "Poet Surprise" - that still makes me laugh.

[IrishScribbler]

My new laptop. My fiance and I got it for me when we decided I would quit my job when we get married.

[C.bronco]

Staples charged about fifteen bucks to print out my ms. Plus, they'll do it on paper with holes in case you want to send a copy to your mom in a 3 ring binder (which I did).

[maestrowork]

A shredder. I can't live without my shredder!

The iPod is nice, too. So is the 2GB thumb drive.

[willietheshakes]

Any number of the fountain pens I use on a daily basis. (This morning was the Lamy 2000, for the record.)

[NicoleMD]

Oohhh! An endless supply of Pink and Turquois pens for editing. The colors are so pretty, that I completely forget about the pain of slashing up my MS! Almost.

Nicole

[Novelust]

My cheapo-wonderful laptop, and a supply of Uniball Vision Elite pens (I run through 'em like water, but they're amazing).

[The Grift]

The Mobilepro 790 I bought off eBay earlier this year. Doesn't seem like much, but it helps me focus on writing and only writing when I have it out. It's a great little portable machine for writing anywhere, anytime. A big comfortable keyboard, instant on/off, plenty of memory, and weighs a pound and a half. I can fit it in my coat pocket.

[blacbird]

Lexar USB Jump Drive.

caw

[Michael Dracon]

docs.google.com

Much better than a small USB stick that can get lost.

It saved me a few weeks ago when my laptop harddisk decided to stop working completely. Even when put in a USB case my laptop (outfitted with a new harddisk and freshly installed Windows) refused to talk with it.

[blacbird]

docs.google.com

Much better than a small USB stick that can get lost.

It saved me a few weeks ago when my laptop harddisk decided to stop working completely. Even when put in a USB case my laptop (outfitted with a new harddisk and freshly installed Windows) refused to talk with it.

I do a lot of work in places off-line (though I'm not criticising docs.google and its utility). I treat my USB stick with the same care I treat my car keys and glasses. And I have a couple of them now. They just continue to fall in price; soon they'll be paying people to take them.

caw

[WildScribe]

My flash drive. ALL of my writing and writing related stuff is on it, and nothing else. It actually lives in my computer's slot, but I take it with me when I work on my laptop. I also back it up at Gmail every so often, just in case. I love it.

My best free investment is likely Gmail, which I use to backup my writing docs periodically. Just zip the whole flash drive, mail it to myself, and I am worry-free.

[stormie]

They just continue to fall in price; soon they'll be paying people to take them.
Yeah, it's amazing. When I first bought my thumb drive, 1 GB, it was $55. And that was only about a year ago. Now you can get 1 GB for (I think) about $14.

[ccarver30]

My memory stick. It is my most treasured object!

[Penguin Queen]

A succession of notebooks for scribbling in when seized with a sudden idea on a train or the bus or somewhere else without my laptop.
Also for keeping a travel diary in when I'm on a road. Which is currently being turned, slowly and painfully, into a travelogue. I love, love, love writing on the computer. But I get most of my ideas when I'm away from one.

[Michael Dracon]

I do a lot of work in places off-line (though I'm not criticising docs.google and its utility). I treat my USB stick with the same care I treat my car keys and glasses. And I have a couple of them now. They just continue to fall in price; soon they'll be paying people to take them.

caw

I'm thinking of getting myself one of these MP3 player sticks that double as USB drive. At least then I think I'll be careful enough not to lose it.

Multi-session CD-R's or CD-RW's also help out a lot as added security. You can add things to them at any time, and they are large enough not to get lost easily.


I also bring along at least 2 (preferably 3 or 4) pens and a notepad that's about the size of a thin novel with me when I travel by train. Then I can write down anything I think of when staring out the window and/or reading other novels.

[sunna]

[quote=Michael Dracon;1273445]I'm thinking of getting myself one of these MP3 player sticks that double as USB drive. At least then I think I'll be careful enough not to lose it.[quote]
They are helpful, but mine tends to have trouble with the MP3s if I put too large a non-MP3 file on it for some reason. Though that may be because I cheaped out on the MP3 player and splurged on the thumbdrive.
Regarding google docs, how secure is it? I'm getting so I want several versions of backup, and I've never dared to email the whole MS to myself since my somebody explained what 'sniffing packets' was, and showed me a draft script sent to Ballywood that he intercepted.....brrr. Not that I believe my glorious masterpiece is on anybody's hotlist. :-) And I trust google, but I know nothing about internet security.
-then again, I suppose I'll have to get used to the concept of emailing my MS if fate is good and anybody asks for it that way...sigh.

[Kristin Landon]

The Klipsch THX computer speakers and subwoofer my husband got me a few years ago. I'm serious—music that sounds good is important. And it helps in writing those Really Big Scenes to have speakers that blow your hair back. Not to mention that the rumbling from the subwoofer shakes the kitchen ceiling, and everyone knows that Mom is Busy.

My slanted editing desk with book holder and pencil tray, which I got from Levenger in 1991.

Pilot Precise rollerball pens.

The Internet.

[Michael Dracon]

It's not a secured site. But one of the biggest advantages I've found with it is the ability to share your documents with others on a file-by-file basis. This is extremely useful when showing stuff to beta readers.

There are most certainly other sites out there that do provide secured storage of files. But most often those tend to be sites you need to pay for.

As for emails, you are correct in assuming they are insecure. But there are ways to secure them, and free at that as well. Do some research for PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) email security. It's a free system that helps secure emails pretty good, as it says. And yes, 'pretty good' does indeed mean it's still hackable. But only expert hackers with some serious processing power would get through that. The large majority of hackers (that tend to know just a few tricks) won't get in.

[Croque Madame]

Tough to decide.

The iPod comes in very handy, for providing soothing background noise, to block out noisy children/random chatter (especially when I'm not at home and am trying to write).

On the more low-tech end of the scale, my mom gave me a multi-colored pen with 10 different colors of ink. It's overkill, but it makes editing a tad more fun, and I'm big into color coding.

And I never overluck the productivity-inducing properties of a decent bottle of wine!

[scribbler1382]

I've got tons of gadgets (tools, if my wife is listening) but I'd have to agree the USB drive is the best. Though running second is my foot-and-a-half long booklet stapler.

[thethinker42]

My new printer (which I love because it just spits out MS in no time) got me to thinking--what's the best "extra" that you invested in your career as a writer? Not necessary things, like time and stamps, but stuff like a "Requested Materials" stamp or new software and the like...

My laptop. Hands down.

I told my husband that I wanted a laptop so I could take my writing anywhere, work on it whenever, etc. We ordered it from Dell that night, I got it a week or so later, and I've been majorly productive ever since. I take it to restaurants with me all the time, I took it to the beach once, and I take it when I travel.

I. Love. My. Laptop.

[The Grift]

Before I got the mobilepro, I'd have to say the USB drive was my favorite gadget, too. It just seemed so cool to have your creative work all right there in your pocket. And I have this cool little metal case for my drive...man, that thing is sweet...

But gmail is great. I wrote many a chapter at work in an email to myself before google docs came about.

[thethinker42]

free but time-consuming - AutoREALM. a definite improvement over PaintShop Pro for map-making.

I had never heard of that until I read this post. Downloading it RIGHT NOW.

AW is officially NOT just an entertaining waste of time. *EG*

[Carrie in PA]

Best extra? I'd have to say my laptop. I much, much, much prefer typing, so my laptop gets a lot of use, especially when it's nice out and I can sit out back and write.

[AncientEagle]

First, a 250 GB external hard drive. Close second, sometimes even first itself, a subscription to satellite radio in the family vehicle, which provides, at no extra charge, endless music through my computer speakers in whatever style my mood calls for at the moment.

[freshpencils]

But google docs isn't secure, right?

I'd never heard of those flash drives before - I think I'll ask for one for my birthday. (I don't even have a CD burner. I'm a very poor writer right now!)

[Julian Black]

The best extra I've ever bought? An Aeron desk chair. It's a lot easier to keep my butt in-chair when the chair is comfortable, and this one is perfect. I've had it for four years now, and still love it.

My other extra, for when I'm doing hand-written drafts, is Crane's Thesis Paper, which has a wonderfully smooth, vellum-like surface. It's a pleasure to write on, and it's amazing what a difference the right paper can make. I swear the smooth surface helps reduce the fatigue in my hand when I'm writing a lot.

[The Grift]

But google docs isn't secure, right?

I'd never heard of those flash drives before - I think I'll ask for one for my birthday. (I don't even have a CD burner. I'm a very poor writer right now!)

If you only need it to hold a few documents, you can buy thumb drives online for literally less than a dollar. Check Amazon, ebay, or electronics stores. The cheap ones will be probably be somewhere between 32mb and 512mb.

Of course, they also have 128 gigabyte flash drives for $2,800 but you probably don't need that ;)

[Kristin Landon]

Oooh, I should have listed my Aeron, too, Julian. I bought it when I had a scary run-in with wrist pain and decided (with my husband's urging) to invest in ergonomics to save my livelihood. With that and a really adjustable keyboard tray plus wrist rest, I have had no more problems. And it's so comfortable, it doesn't even feel like a work chair. It was soooo worth it.

[imagoodgurl4]

I'd also have to say my 1GB flash drive. Great toy...I mean tool. I'm also an architecture student, so it's great for backing up my work. CD's sometimes take too long to burn but the flash drive only takes a few seconds.

I'd also have to say any book I've bought about writing. They're incredibly useful tools, because they help improve my writing. Like Orson Scott Card's book on characterization. Excellent read.

[Codger]

It's just a simple word processor, but I use it every time I want to write away from my office. (Every day) Unlike a laptop, it has no other software distractions. It is a perfect tool for me.

[Kay_XX]

My laptop, by far. I couldn't even be bothered to write if I had to do it on the PC.

[Raphee]

laptop. USB anf the tonnes of books I read.
And yes AW for teaching me so much.
Now what is a Mobile pro?

[IrishScribbler]

I. Love. My. Laptop.

I love mine, too. My fiance tried to convince me to get a desktop because we're going to be in an apartment soon, and he figured with me writing full time, I could work in the office space and not worry about taking the work with me, but I like the mobility of the laptop. I can sit on the couch and work, or at the kitchen table (where there's better light), or I can go to Starbucks and sip an espresso macchiato while I work on character bios. I don't feel limited, which makes me feel more creative.

[Jamesaritchie]

A leather, executive style office chair with a head rest and a foot rest. If I'm going to practice BIC, I want to do so comfortably.

[Harper K]

Most definitely my laptop. Within a single writing or editing session, it usually migrates with me to more than one room of my house. It's been to a couple different countries, numerous coffee shops, and to the beach and the mountains. I can't imagine writing on anything else.


I just wish my wireless card wasn't so good at picking up signals whenever I'm out and about. I love wi-fi, but when I'm trying to write I have to pretend that I've never heard of it.

[Kristin Landon]

I'm dreaming of a laptop, but with three kids heading off to college in the next few years any laptops that we might buy are spoken for. I write on my work computer, a desktop, with email and everything up, and it's a lot more distracting than I'd like. As an example, here I am, despite my deadline.

<vanishes in a cloud of belated virtue>

[thethinker42]

I love mine, too. My fiance tried to convince me to get a desktop because we're going to be in an apartment soon, and he figured with me writing full time, I could work in the office space and not worry about taking the work with me, but I like the mobility of the laptop. I can sit on the couch and work, or at the kitchen table (where there's better light), or I can go to Starbucks and sip an espresso macchiato while I work on character bios. I don't feel limited, which makes me feel more creative.

I always insisted on a desktop because I thought a laptop would be too much of a pain, at risk of being stolen if I took it someplace, etc.

Now I stand very much corrected. I LOVE my laptop....especially when I can play on AW while I'm watching "House", and then get some writing done without taking my feet off the yoga ball that serves as my ottoman. :D

[Cav Guy]

Laptop and flash drive, in that order. Following that, the blank books (bound, with fake leather covers...for that vanity thing) I use for taking notes on settings, plots, and changes during revisions. I've got one for research, two for my settings and plots, and one (set to expand) for revision notes.