WRITE Wednesday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Poppy Simeri and Vera James. Check out their blogs to get more info about WW or to join the blog hop.

WHAT AM I

• WRITING: Revising the end of a project.
• READING: Been going between Vicious by V.E. Schwab and still also finishing Flirting with Fire by Kate Meader.
• INSPIRATION: I'm going to go with this song. There's just something about it that gets me pumped up (video below)
• THINKING AHEAD:  Next week, I plan to start a project that I'm hoping to use for a residency program. I'm also hoping to give Shane's book some attention.
• ENCOURAGEMENT: Plotting chats with the critique partner! Making changes based on feedback and then finding out those changes were successful in achieving what you hoped to! The fact that my siblings always amaze me! The fact that my donkey has gone like three days without pissing in his food trough-progress! (See, lots of forms of encouragement this week).

Hope everyone has a nice week!

Why hello. It's the FIRST FRIDAY of July. 

I'm going to let that sit for a second.

The first Friday. Of. July.

Right?

Anyway,  Bailey/PrincessEditorB/TheCritiquePartner/my getting kicked-out-of-math buddy
and I do this First Friday deal where we blog on said day. It's a way to keep us motivated to blog for fun. Last month, we talked about the "writing junk drawer". Today, we're talking about our "writing toolbox".

So, what are a few things I have to have in my toolbox while writing?

Well, it kind of varies in what stage of writing I am in. 

The obvious: Computer or paper and pen. Although, really, I prefer all three, as I scribble notes while working. I also like lined paper and some blank printer paper as I sporadically jot down cloud mappy thingies (ask Bailey). 

If I'm in the first draft phase, the above is usually sufficient along with coffee or tea and water (I'm pretty panster with first drafts). If I am revising or rewriting, I definitely need the paper and pen as well. 

While this isn't a huge must-have for those first drafts, it really has become a major part of my toolbox when I'm in the later drafts: My plotboard. I can make do with printer paper that I can jot things down on if I'm not writing at home, but having the plotboard is preferable.  What is my plotboard? It's a giant whiteboard that takes up a good portion of one of my walls. When I'm in the rewrite/revise/planning stages, I really need to be able to see the whole picture--which is what the board does. Plus, I can change it as much as I need to and not feel guilty about wasting paper.

A few other things I like to have available, or in my toolbox so to speak: sticky-notes (although, I have a love/hate relationship with them due to curling...BUT Bailey has introduced me to mostly-sticky sticky-notes, which sounds like the shit, see her post), different colored pens (like those sharpie pens) or stickers (especially if revising/planning).

So, what about you? What things must you have to write/what is in your writing toolbox?