Tools of the Trade

Have you ever visited a bookstore and noticed all those lovely, and usually expensive, leather-bound journals? And there are lots of them with less expensive coverings but still very cool outerwear.  I love looking at them and bought one of the priciest for my daughter last Christmas.  She's filled it with private stuff and keeps it close as one of her more precious possessions.  My one son bought me a cool leather journal too and my daughter added a little moleskin journal too.  But do I use them to write stuff in? They're really too cool to use.

In a few short months, I'll be shopping with my daughter for supplies to start her college life with.  We'll visit the office supply store.  They make such neat paper clips and binder clips.  There are so many pens, I can never decide which to get.  And of course, there are lots of colors and widths of highlighters to select from.  Staplers, pencils, and spiral notebooks. And I always look at the envelops and I check out the legal pads. I debate between the different colors and then usually pick up yellow anyway.  I can't buy stuff for her without picking up a few little things for myself. 

But I have to wonder, what exactly do I need?  What writing tools are a must for my career? I still have a box of envelops from two years ago.  I'm not sure I'll ever use them all.  Paper clips? Still have some because I don't have that much paper sitting around my writing desk anymore. Pens and pencils? Still have those I picked up from last year.  Legal pads? Maybe one but it's not an emergency. I use them to jot some notes if I go to any kind of author talk but usually it just sits there.  Highlighters? Well, my children steal them off my desk but I don't have much use for them.

The tool I really need for my writing is my laptop.  I need the internet.  I need a few thumb drives to back everything up.  A few sticky notes to jot quick reminders on and I'm set.  The only time I've needed an envelop lately is to send a free book to a winner of a giveaway contest.  I remember when postage was one of my biggest yearly expenses when it came time to add things up for taxes.  And it's better this way. I save time and money by being able to do everything online.  But I do miss restocking my paper goods and replacing those pens. I don't miss standing in line at the post office.

So what tools are crucial to your writing? Do you miss anything about the way it used to be?