Michael Townsend Williams
IS A DOER WHO LIKES TO BE.

Write

The Write Stuff

All writers have their favourite pens, notepads, apps and ways of writing. The right paper, the right pen, the right place can all help make the write stuff right.

 I use a combination of physical and digital tools that I've highlighted below.

1, Pen - My go-to pen is the Uni-ball Impact Gel Rollerball. The ink flows as fast as your thoughts and is a joy to write with. Be careful where you put them though as they do go walkies …

2, Notepad (pocket) - You will always find a Field Notes Memo Book in my back pocket. As well as the classic brown ones they also do colourful special editions along with graph, lined and plain options.

3, Notepad (desk)  - On my desk, by my bed, in my bag and in meetings I always bring these - Rhodia A5 pads. They are beautifully made in France with smooth paper and perforated sheets. I buy them in bulk and every client I give one to loves them too.

4, Notes App (Mac) - Notational Velocity is the fastest way to take notes and access them quickly on your Mac. I save mine on DropBox to share with my iPhone and other apps.

5, Notes app (iPhone) - The reason I use Notesy over the Apple Notes app is that I like to use Text Explander snippets which enable consistency and save time and I am also able to share more easily with other people and apps via DropBox. It works seamlessly with NV above.

6, Writing app (Mac & iPhone) - Too many writers make the mistake of writing in Word and other desktop publishing style apps that offer too many options. As a result they waste time on formatting and playing about rather than writing. My favourite writing app is Byword that offers a distraction free environment to focus on one thing - your words.

7, Place - Try somewhere different is you're stuck or somewhere familiar if it brings back feelings of creative flow. Whatever you do, don't stagnate. Watch this short video by my friend Ian Sanders on  'The importance of 'place' in driving productivity and creativity.'

And if you are looking for the inspiration to write then this wonderful book is a great place to start - Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within The tools can never do the work for you but once you've found yours they make it a lot more fun.

Enjoy your write stuff.

Bite

How To Breathe Yourself Better