It seems fitting that I’m writing about tools during the time when my pop-in-law, a man who deeply loves his tools, is about to depart from this earth. Mr. Mark was a carpenter, and I’m a writer, but we’re both storytellers.
For the last five weeks, I haven’t had the energy to write much of anything. Add to this that my father was also hospitalized last month for a blood clot, and you can understand why my suspense novel manuscript has been collecting dust.
Some writers find that stress spurs them on to write more. Not me. When I’m worried and anxious, the only things I can do are eat, sleep, clean, watch TV, read, and walk just enough so my muscles don’t atrophy.
So, I haven’t been writing much, but there is something I’ve been working on for months that I think I’m ready to share.
For six months, I’ve been racking my brains and writing and rewriting descriptions of my favorite writing, creative living, and business tools. I added some on and took others off until I had narrowed the list down. All these tools are ones that I’ve personally used, tested, and highly recommend. The list will likely change over time, but for now, I feel good about sharing them with you.
Here they are: my FAVORITE TOOLS for better writing and creative living. I hope these will be helpful to you, and may some of them even bring a smile to your face (like Mr. Mark did for me for nine years).
Peg Cheng is the author of The Contenders, a middle-grade novel that asks, can enemies become friends? She is currently writing another novel that is a re-imagining of the Snow White fairy tale set in 1980s Seattle. Peg is also a writing teacher giving help and encouragement to writers from all walks of life.
Photo: Philip Swinburn.