Writing and publishing is facilitated by some great software and hardware. Although I could write a book with pen and paper, using this software makes the process much more pleasurable and efficient. Being able to touch type means that transferring words from brain to page requires very little effort – just the tap of key. Having to build a book without all this technology, would take me much longer.
Favourite software
Scrivener – Writing. Cataloguing characters, worlds and future technologies. I love Scrivener!
ProWritingAid – Editing. Who knew commas were so complicated?
Microsoft Excel – Plot and timeline. Obviously, everyone likes a good spreadsheet 🙂
Microsoft Visio – Mapping the fictional world.
Microsoft OneNote – Loads of notes and links. A great replacement for endless notepads.
Adobe Photoshop – Cover artwork. I have an older version, not a subscription version. I’ll probably switch to the free GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) when my version of Photoshop finally grinds to a halt.
Favourite hardware
My 2015 PC from Novatech.
Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard. I’ve used a couple of previous Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboards and always found them comfortable.
Vertical ergonomic mouse. Both left and right hand versions; it’s nice to swap hands every once in a while. I have used wireless ones, but find the wired ones more reliable. Maybe I have too many electromagnetic fields competing for attention around my desk.
Wacom Intuos graphics tablet for working on cover artwork.