So you’re finally going to write that novel, huh? Great! Now the only question is…what do you need to get started?

As one of last year’s NaNoWriMo winners (…not that I like to brag…), I can tell you what worked for me - and what I plan to add to this year’s arsenal to make my novel writing prowess even more mighty.

• Something to write on. Last year: A borrowed MacBook. This year: my own MacBook.
  If you’re going to write a novel in a month, you need to be able to get as much done whenever and wherever you have time. I’m not a longhand sort of girl, so I was lucky enough to be able to borrow my husband’s laptop for the late-night writing bursts. This year I’m even luckier: Have MacBook, will travel.
   
• The right software. Last year: Scrivener. This year: Scrivener.
  Why mess with a good thing? Scrivener is ideal for novel writing. It’s never given me any problems, I can keep track of my word count (session-based and total) and it helps me keep track of all my research.
   
• Someplace to keep the novel-in-progress. Last year: 1GB jump drive. This year: Dropbox.
  Keeping my files on a jump drive was great last year (especially since I spent half my time working on a borrowed computer) but there were definitely times I meant to bring it and didn’t. This year I’m saving my files to my Dropbox folder, which automatically syncs with all my registered computers (and has a web interface, as well). I don’t have to do anything, and my novel will be wherever I am!

But writing isn’t just about the mechanics. Here are some other resources I find useful during the writing process:

• iTunes, Last.fm and Gimme Some Tune - because I’m nothing without the right playlist
• Dictionary Cleaner - I’m notorious for giving my characters weird names, and nothing is quite as distracting as that wiggly red line
• Wikipedia for quick reference (and yes, I mark that stuff to be fact-checked later - but it’s handy in a pinch)

Anything missing from the list? Mention it in the comments!

Our first article is up at Digital Web Magazine, and we couldn’t be happier. We talk about optimizing text for a quick scan in order to make websites more accessible to new viewers. With all the RSS feeds we read every day (189 at last count) we appreciate it when articles are written in a way that facilitates scanning. Who has time to read every word? Though clearly you should read every word of our article. That just goes without saying.

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Jane Espenson’s post on her creative process got me thinking. What are your creative rituals?

When I’m working on an article, I have an information-collecting ritual that involves lots of open tabs in Firefox and a great deal of highlighting. Even if I only use one or two of my background articles in the finished product, I like to have everything right there. I also work best if I can blast some music while I’m writing; it clears my mind and makes it easier for me to say what I want to say.

Novel writing is similar, but instead of open tabs I use the information collecting mojo of Scrivener.

Post your creative rituals in the comments. I’m always interested in the way other people write.

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