Since getting back from our road trip, it seems I have lost all motivation to write. No matter how many times I sit down with my computer on my lap, my fingers hover above the keyboard, and all words lose their meanings. So, I figured, it’s time for something new. I need a different routine, or different tools. Today’s post will be about the new tools that I’ve discovered for writing.

Immersive Writing Music

Honestly, this has been such a game changer in my writing. It really gets me in the mood for the scene that I’m describing and gives me a mood I’d like to display. For example, when my characters were in a blizzard, I played some spooky wind-howling blizzard sounds. And after, when they entered a house again, I found some peaceful “fire crackling while a thunderstorm goes on outside” videos. It really helped me step inside my character’s shoes and leveled up my writing.

There are countless videos with countless different themes/vibes out there. Most of them are tailored towards Dungeons and Dragons players, so fantasy writers have a wealth of videos to choose from.

Notebooks

Recently, I’ve gotten back into writing important notes on my story down with a pen and paper instead of typing it all on to my computer. Maybe this is because of the screen time on my phone, so I physically can’t view things on the internet after a certain time, but something about writing things down really helps me get my creative juices flowing.

I write chapter structures, important plot points, subplot structures, character arcs, and so much more down in my notebooks. Here is my notebook that I’ve been using for Project Snow:

And here are some super cute notebooks that I recently purchases because who doesn’t want embroidered notebooks?!

Notion

I had heard of Notion before, but I always thought it was one of those super-expensive sites that only hardcore authors used. But lately, I’ve learned two things about this site. One, it’s not only for authors, and you can use it for almost anything, like school, regular life, and even your blog (I wrote the draft for this post on Notion)! And two, there’s a free version!

Notion has so many amazing tools for planning your novel, and you can customize your page with images and different colored text as well. It definitely has a pretty steep learning curve, but a quick YouTube video sorted it out for me.

Here’s my dashboard (it’s still a work in progress):

(not sure why there’s those black lines on the top…?)

Notion has honestly helped me so much with getting all my thoughts together in one place, and I’ve been able to develop so many characters and the plot through their amazing tools. I highly recommend using Notion for your writing project! If you want a post on how I organize all my projects, let me know in the comments!

Pinterest

I only use Pinterest sparingly, or else my entire afternoon will be gone in the blink of an eye.

Pinterest is really great for making character and story mood boards, and I’ve been quite obsessed since. It has really helped me keep with a specific mood throughout my writing.

Here’s a mood board for my favorite character in Project Snow, Reep:

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this post! What are your favorite writing tools?

Have a blessed day!