Revision/rewrite phase for me is a combination of Word (a program many people loathe), maybe some print-outs, highlighters, red pen. But I could manage that same process with missing tools, or different tools, too. That’s why I suggest that it’s good to have comfort with tools, but not to rely on one overmuch. You may like your perfectly balanced hammer, but any hammer can bang in a nail.

The key is to get the nail into the wood, not to ruminate on the nature of hammers.

Far as you being a bad writer — well, I don’t know about that. “Bad,” for one, is not the best adjective unless one’s craft really truly stinks up the room. I’d suggest that you could be a more *productive* writer, perhaps.

– c.

I’ll say this: I agree, in principle, but I believe that good tools can make a fantastic difference for a writer, especially in the revision/rewrite phase. And as you’re a fan of outlining, I think good tools can help with that as well.

But a “bad” writer will not find help there.

BTW, I consider myself a bad writer because I write so very little compared to how much I am capable of. I consider the words I actually write to be pretty good, most of the time.

…Then again…

Anyway, outlining is something that can’t be stressed enough. The plot, the history, a character’s day planner, the different pets owned by the villain – whatever it is, outline it. Get it out of your head. Then arrange it, structure it, and fill in the blanks. Before you know it you’ll have something resembling a story that people are interested in reading. Provided you’re showing, of course, and not just telling.

– c.

I had a perfect example of that yesterday. I needed to crank out 800 words of copy for work yesterday, but we were in the process of moving around cubes. I couldn’t get into the cube I was moving to, and the person moving into my cube was already eying my space. So, for about two hours, I was sans computer. But how could I possible write outside of Microsoft Word?

I sat the fuck down with my notebook and starting writing that bitch longhand. After 600 words, I was able to set up my computer, transcribe it all into Word, and finish up before I started editing.

Personally, I believe the best “art” is art that knows it is work. “Art” that doesn’t feel demeaned by association as “craft.” Art that’s not afraid to get sweaty. The jeweler that made my wedding rings and all the gifts for my wife? (Like I’m Rockefeller, over here!) The man walked out of his back room, eyes goggled through jeweler’s glasses, hands black with soot or tar or some sort of ugly jewel dust, and said “What’choo need, buddy?” And this guy makes stuff that’d make a star feel inferior. Art that is too busy for pretension is craft.