Kimberly's Technology Checklist
Technology All Writers Should Have Access To
Today's writers need more than just a typewriter. Here are one author's recommendations for productive and mobile technology.
Gone are the days of paper and quill or typewriter. Today's savvy authors are using new technology to enhance their mobility and productivity. Where to start? Here are my recommendations for the technology today's writers should be taking advantage of.
Pad and Pen
The simplest of all technologies, these belong everywhere. By the bed, in the car, even in the bathroom. No matter where you are when an idea strikes, paper and pen should be available to take notes (if you don't carry your voice recorder with you).
Computer / Laptop
Today, a computer is an obvious choice. The word processing and file sharing capabilities alone make a computer of any quality a priority. This is your main computer that you will use in your home office. It could be a desktop computer or a portable laptop, which could also pull double-duty as:
Laptop / Palm
Every writer should have access to a portable computer for typing on the go. If you're lucky enough to have a laptop, both your computer needs are solved. If you're looking for something even smaller, the folding full-size keyboard for the Palm makes writing on the go, or even just at the kitchen table, simple and enjoyable, with less weight and bulk to tote around than a laptop.
Flash drives
Replacing the CD-RW for storage and portability, flash drives are a cheap way to add to the storage capacity of your computer, or just transfer files and programs between your main computer and portable word processors. Your books and articles can be at your fingertips no matter where you are or on which computer.
Internet
A writer without Internet access in the 21st Century is in a dangerous place indeed. The knowledge, community, feedback, and promotional power that the Internet facilitates are critical components of a well-rounded writing career that no author should be without.
Voice Recorder
With steep competition, you can't rely just on the written language for help. Use more of your senses, and multitask in more places, with a digital voice recorder. You can even get one that works as a flash drive, and these smaller-than-cell-phone goodies hold over a day's worth of voice time. If you can't get the words out through your fingertips, try talking about it.
BaseCamp
BaseCamp is an interactive way to keep track of your projects online. Accessible through any computer with Internet access, BaseCamp sports customizable to-do lists, message boards, chat forums, Writeboards, file storage, and more. Depending on your subscription of choice (starting at free), you can also manage multiple projects and users.
Life Journal for Writers
Don't waste any more time searching for dozens of separate Word documents in dozens of assorted folders. Life Journal keeps all your files neatly organized within one program and several customizable categories. One program is all you need to organize all your writing files in all stages of development, submission, and publication.
(Read more about Life Journal for Writers here >>>)
What do these tools mean for writers in the 21st Century? The ability to write in more places, the ability to write more often, and the ability to get to your finished product faster.
