I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the tools I use for writing (both hardware and software) and the way I use them. And I’ve realized that I might need to change my tactics to work with both the way my brain works and the way that my tools work.

For example, though I have a computer at home, I rarely use it for long writing sessions. I find that when I’m at home, it’s too easy to be distracted. I do write at home, but I’m nowhere near as productive as I am when I’m out and about. So as a result, I have been trying to spend more time writing in places that aren’t my apartment.

I have a laptop which I had been carting around for writing, but I have a long commute and often have a lot of things to carry and sometimes lugging around the laptop would feel like too much. Additionally, the battery life isn’t the best if I’m in a place without outlets.

So when I was able to get my hands on an iPad, I thought that would be a great solution. A lot of people peg it as a device for consuming rather than producing, but it can be used as a writing machine. I paired with with a bluetooth keyboard and got a stand and it became a lighter device that I could carry with me in a smaller amount of space. With apps like Pages and QuickOffice I could even access my documents directly from Dropbox and work on them (though only QuickOffice allowed me to save the files back again, and then only if I had an internet connection).

So I could, and did, write on the iPad. But as I just mentioned, there were sometimes issues with saving. And I’d have to email my files part of the time to myself. Which just makes version control all the more difficult.

Additionally, lately I’ve been working more on novels than on short stories. And while I write short stories in Word (or a comparable alternative), I work on novels exclusively with Scrivener. Scrivener has no iPad version, so I’m confined to my laptop if I want the complete functionality that Scrivener gives me (and I usually do).*

Also, the other day, just after working for an hour on a chapter of my novel in QuickOffice, and basically rewriting it, I lost all of my changes when the app crashed. Suddenly they were all gone and I had no way to recover them. That was one of the worst writing moments I’ve had in a long time.

So I’m thinking that for me, right now, the best solution is to use my laptop when at all possible. Yes, it’s heavier, but right now it has a lot of advantages for me. It has a built-in keyboard for one, one which allows for tabs in whatever program I use. Dropbox files save locally to the hard drive when there’s no internet connection. Scrivener and Word both save regularly to help prevent loss of data. And I have access to Scrivener in the first place, which is a big help. Battery life can be a problem, but lately that’s been less of a problem if I make an effort to keep it fully charged. I’m rarely writing anywhere for more than a couple of hours without an outlet anyway. Do I always have an internet connection? No. But then again that can be as much a distraction as a boon (and I can technically use my phone if I need to email files from Dropbox).

I like having options. And I like the various ways I could make the iPad work for me. But sometimes simplicity is more valuable. Sometimes the ability to just sit down, open up the laptop and start typing where I left off is better than having to configure things and set them up and then sync and compare them. At least this is how I feel right now. I reserve the right to change my mind in the future.

Anyone else out there have a way of working that they had to hone or fine tune? Or are there tools that you use that you find essential?

* Scrivener 2 now allows syncing with certain text apps, like Simple Note, but again, you don’t have access to Scrivener’s features this way.

Now for the writing goals. As previously mentioned, Chuck Palahniuk was the one who urged us to do this at Clarion West. And he urged us to shoot big. So I am. He also urged us to state our goals definitively. So, here goes.

I will sell six stories.

I will complete 3 novels.*

I will sell (at least) one novel.

I will be SFWA eligible (a cheat, really, since the other goals will probably ensure this).

I will successfully complete a collaboration that sells.

I think that does it for goals for me, at least right now. But I will revisit these from time to time, just to see how I’m doing.

It may seem ambitious, but why not be?

* By “complete” I mean turn out finished drafts. At least one of these is a previously written novel that I am in the process of extensively rewriting.

I just realized that I’ve been remiss in mentioning another bit of writing news. However, now that I’ve signed the contract I can reliably state that my story, “Card Sharp”, from The Way of the Wizard anthology, is going to be narrated at Podcastle. I’ve done several narrations for the site before, but this will be the first of my own stories to receive that treatment. I’m looking forward to hearing it.

I’ll update when it goes live (I assume) later this year.

One of the things I regret about last year is not managing to produce a holiday story for 2010. I’ve mentioned it before, but years ago I decided that sending out holiday cards felt too impersonal and instead started writing stories at the end of the year and sending those to my friends instead. They were early drafts, yes, and had problems, but they were something original and unique and personal and I felt better about that. Some of them even went on to become full-fledged submissions (one of which sold, but was never published).

I was hoping to do that again this year, but unfortunately I never found the time or the idea.

In years past when I’ve also missed my own deadlines I’ve tried to make it up. Frankly, with all the other things I’m working on, I might not have the time. The question is, do I let it go? Or maybe send something out for my birthday?

I’m still deciding…

It’s now 2011, and I find myself resistant to do one of those wrap-up posts or to talk about my resolutions for the new year. Yet, there is something to be said for taking stock, for looking back at the road behind you, and looking ahead at the path you have yet to take.

Personally, as with every year, it was a series of ups and downs. I was still dealing a lot at the beginning of the year with my mother’s death and that was something that took a toll. But somewhere in the past twelve months, I found a measure of peace and especially toward the second half of the year, peace and happiness seem to have worked their way into my life in a more regular fashion.

Professionally, at least on the writing front, things improved significantly in the past year. Aside from acquiring an agent, I also had three stories published this past year, and a few more accepted for publication. I also had my first solo reading at World Fantasy. And there were podcast narrations and blog posts for Tor.com.

But I find myself looking ahead rather than looking back, at the things I see glimmering on the horizon. As happy as I am with my successes, I see more of them ahead, I see things that I want dearly, and I see the work I’m going to have to do to get there. The challenge is to put in the work and the effort and hope that it pays off.

When I was at Clarion West in 2008, Chuck Palahniuk suggested to us that we all come up with goals for the successive year, and encouraged us to make them as big as possible.  In his experience it was the people who did this that often went on to great success. I stated my goals and thought it took longer than a year, met them. I think the beginning of 2011 may be the time to do so again. And thought my natural inclination is not to do so in a public forum, that flies against the spirit of the exercise, so if I do so, I’ll do it here.

Happy New Year to everyone reading this. I hope that you accomplish everything you set out to do and that 2011 is a wonderful year for you.