Tag: Confessions

While I do a fair amount of notetaking in notebooks, my Notes app, and on Post-its, once I start writing and editing, I’m 100% at this desk, which used to be my grandfather’s. It was the desk he used while working at Tesoro, an oil company in San Antonio. The company gave it to him when he retired and it was in his study until he passed away when I was in high school. I always admired it and was able to convince my parents to give it to me when I moved to New York City for grad school.

It’s now home to many of my writing essentials, including my personal computer, which shares a 32-inch monitor with my work laptop; notebooks for each of in-progress novels and series; a fresh pack of Post-it notes; and my current reads pile and one of my TBR piles. As you’ve seen in my videos, my bookcase of novel-writing books is behind my chair. Oh, and I have a big fluffy bed tucked under the edge of my desk for Peppa, our pug. (And yes, she derps all the time, even when she’s sleeping.)

On some level, I’m envious of folks who can write on their back porch or in a coffee shop, but I need consistency and quiet. I can’t see that ever changing.

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Related posts:

Confession: I gained 15 lb writing my first two books

Confession: I love Post-it notes

Confession: I love em-dashes

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I use them all the time. My desk is littered with Post-it notes. If you’ve wanted any of my video book reviews, you know that I use Post-its to mark the really important sections of books that I’m reading. I also use them as bookmarks and then I just tear them in half when I want to mark a page as being particularly important. 

My friends and family members know that I love Post-its as well, so they give them to me as gifts, including these really cool ones. And although this technically isn’t a Post-it, it’s transparent so you can put it over copy in a book and then you can write on it to circle or point arrows at exactly what you want to highlight.

I have Post-its on my desk and in the hallway and on my nightstand so that anytime I have an idea I can quickly write it down and not lose it. I also put them directly into my notebooks when I am, you know, looking to record ideas. So I’ll just stick them right in the notebook along with everything else.

So I use them constantly all the time. I probably go through a pack or two a month. I really love Post-its.

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Related posts:

Confession: I gained 15 lb writing my first two books

Confession: I’ve written all my books in Microsoft Word

Confession: I love em-dashes

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To receive future posts for free or to become a Patron and support my dystopian sci-fi novel and get special thank-you goodies upon its publication… 

Writing books is a long-term commitment to a solitary and sedentary activity. If you have a sedentary day job like me, then it can be a double-whammy for your health, as well as your social life.

Weight gain

After collecting notes for more than a year, I wrote my first book in an intense 3-month stretch. The 214-page first edition of Email Marketing Rules consumed nearly every night and every weekend. I gained 5 lbs. during the writing of it.

The second 322-page second edition of Email Marketing Rules took more than 6 months of nights and weekends to write. I gained 10 lbs. this time around.

It wasn’t just that I was sitting for 12+ hours a day. It was also that it was a series of sprints—pushing to get a draft out to beta readers, pushing to get a round of edits done, pushing to get the jacket copy finished, and on and on. For me, hitting those deadlines meant lots of caffeine and sugar to fuel late nights.

Neglect of family commitments

At the same time, I also bowed out of various family outings and pushed more household responsibilities onto my wife Kate. She was understanding with the first book, but not so much with the second.

Kate is super-understanding and supportive, but it’s fair to say that, after 6 months of shouldering an outsized percentage of parenting and household duties, she was pissed. She also knew this wasn’t my last book.

I vowed to do better. I promised not to opt-out of family activities and to wrap up evening writing sessions by 9-ish. For the three subsequent nonfiction books I’ve published and two fiction books I’ve written, I’ve kept my word. 

That has required longer time-horizons for books, but I think more planning and development has been better for the quality of my books as well. And it has certainly been better for my health, as I was able to drop all the weight I’d gained.

Resolve to write healthier

Some activities like writing can be hard on your body. Both real and self-imposed deadlines can make them even harder. As you set your goals for the year ahead, make sure you’re not unintentionally sacrificing your health or family responsibilities.

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Related posts:

Confession: I love em-dashes

Confession: I love physical books

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To receive future posts for free or to become a Patron and support my dystopian sci-fi novel and get special thank-you goodies upon its publication… 

For my day job, I write almost everything in Google Docs, because of the easy sharing and collaboration. But I’ve always written my books in Microsoft Word. Back in 2011 when I started writing my first book, I looked at Scrivener, which was the No. 1 book-writing tool at the time. I wasn’t that impressed.

Today, I know there are many more alternatives to Word, including Atticus, Bibisco, Living Writer, Squibler, and Ulysses. (Kindlepreneur has a good comparison article.) But I’m still skeptical about whether any of them are worth it.

I’m not into timers. Too stressful.

Drag-and-drop chapters and sections? Copy and paste work just fine.

And I know that word count goals are a big deal to many, but they’re not for me. I feel just as fulfilled when I complete some key research, cut 100 words, or do some other vital task that doesn’t rack up the word count. 

Word seems good enough-ish

Even though Word’s spelling and grammar checks are absolute garbage, it offers extensive formatting options and plenty of organizational hacks. For instance, I use headers for each chapter, and then keep the Navigation pane open to easily jump to a particular chapter. In that header, I include the chapter number, the latest word count, and a one-line description of the chapter’s action.

And then when it comes time to share with an agent or editor, Word is the format everyone expects.

Am I missing out?

Writers, if you use something other than Microsoft Word, what do you use and do you like it? What features do you find the most indispensable? Please comment and let me know.

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