The Application Of Writing Part Two

We began yesterday by talking about the application of writing, and I’d like to consider that today as well. This morning, I would like to look at the definition as it relates to writing tools. We call a word processing program an application. We also call the practical conclusion of a piece of writing an application. It can be both the tool used to carve it out, and the results gained from it.

I mention the two together because, one is designed to serve the other. Some will write on a laptop, tablet, or desktop. Others will write on legal pads, napkins, or use a voice recorder. The tool used is not nearly important as the results, or as finding the process that works for you.

The tools I use to write with, may not be the best options for you. Think of it as an artist, specifically a painter. When first starting, they will get recommendations from other artists of what brush to buy etc, and they’ll find they are good beginning tools. As time and experience come, they’ll discard some and add others. They know what works for them.

What works for me is using a program to record my quick thoughts, like Apple Notes, Evernote, or Onenote. Then using a program like Scrivener, Ulysses, or Pages for long form writing. These tools work for me, they may or may not work for you, but here is the important thing about the tool. It’s not about how shiny the chisel the woodcarver uses, it’s about the result.

I would encourage you to find a process that works for you, for the act of writing, but not to fall in love with your tools. They most likely will change over time, and it’s good to be adaptable to new tools and technology so that one day you won’t be twenty years in and have to learn a whole new environment because the old one was discontinued.

The tools are different from the concepts and process of writing. For example, while the programs I use to jot down ideas, and then to flesh them out can vary, those two actions will benefit every writer. Record an idea quickly, jot down enough that will trigger your memory, and fleshing it out later are concepts that will work across the board. What you use to do that with, must be ones you are comfortable with.

I would encourage you to find tools that enhance your writing, not just ones with a lot of features. Sometimes features can be a distraction, not a plus. Once you find a means to carve out your story, then let the tools become almost invisible, and focus on the writing. What you write will be the actual application that the reader will see. They won’t know how you write it once it’s in their hands, they’ll just know what you said, and the application to them.