With NANOWRIMO around the corner, I thought I would share some info on some of the tools that I use to help further my writing.

First off, in my last post I mentioned Holly Lisle’s great guides to writing fiction and building worlds, e-books that are unlike any writing book you’ll encounter in a book store, so I won’t explain those further.

My core writing tool right now is the software that I use to write my novel, organize chapters, work with word count goals and keep track of versions–Liquid Story Binder XE. Liquid Story Binder is hands down the best software for the PC (Mac users swear by Scrivener).

There is so much you can do with LSB–keep notes, character dossiers, storyboards, images, outlines, check for overused words, etc. I personally love the extensive statistics–word counts, goals, etc. There are only two drawbacks I’ve found with it–first, it’s very complex and there isn’t a tutorial to help new users. I am pretty sure there are features that I haven’t really figured out how to use yet, but what is accessible for me is amazing. The second thing that it really lacks is a good timeline feature. There is one but you can’t print it, which is a HUGE drawback for me. You also can’t change how you view it, which makes it a bit less useful. Controls in the timeline are also counter-intuitive.

But I’m probably spoiled because for the last few years, I’ve been working with Storylines, part of the Writer’s Cafe suite of tools:

Storylines is by far the most useful tool that I have found for helping me organize multiple characters viewpoints and a story’s numerous subplots. You can easily move cards around, add columns, resize views, etc. Reports are easy to generate in a variety of formats. I spent four hours in Storylines last night completely reorganizing the structure for my current book. It’s given me the ability to easily see everything in front of me and that bird’s eye view is invaluable. You can also store information about characters, places, notes, concepts, editor pitches, etc. Writer’s Cafe also provides an online journal, storage for files and images, notebook, thesaurus, writerly quotes and fiction how-to’s. There is even a Forty Thieves solitaire game you can use if you need a break. Plus they have great customer service–I had prompt, personalized service with two bugs I was experiencing. Very refreshing in a world full of email bots and overlooked message boards.

Since I’m writing a historical novel, there are a lot of snippets of research and information that I need to keep track of and while I’ve tested out countless products to help me stay on top of it all, I find that Keynote, a now defunct but still available bit of software, is still perfect for my needs. It is simple and easy-to-use and gives me the ability to quickly find information. I keep everything from character info to historical research in Keynote.

For generating ideas, I use MindMapping as one of my tools. One of the tools that I have always loved is FreeMind, a great little free tool that enables you to quickly generate MindMaps.

However, I just found out about Mind42, a free online MindMap collaboration tool. It looks pretty sweet so might try it out.

As for writing on the go, I rely on my trusty Moleskine. There are cheaper notebooks out there, I realize, but I love the size, the hard cover, back pocket and primarily the feel of the paper as I write. There is just something special about these notebooks that I can’t really explain. I have them in several sizes but usually rely on the large ruled version to write in cafes, in the car, on the plane, etc.

And finally, since I use a USB stick to backup my writing information and to take files between computers, it’s important to have a synchronization tool to help me move files back and forth and to back it all up. I’m not a huge Microsoft fan but their SyncToy is a perfect, free tool that helps you sync everything up.

As you can see, I have all the tools to ready me for 1,666 words a day come November, so really all I need to do is sit my derriere in the chair and start spilling out Roman goodness. I love hearing how other writers stay creative and productive, so let me know in the comments what works for you.