Tools of the Trade

     Sure, a pad of paper and a pen (or pencil) is all you really need to be a writer but in this day and age there is so much more to play with. I've talked in the past about some of the things I use to help me write. Well, these items include things you might not think about as tools, like file folders, labels, or poly zip envelopes (pictured below). Some might use shoeboxes or vanilla envelopes to organize paper, but I have just spent a lot of time and a bit of money organizing my household files and my story files. (And I am impressed with the outcome!)
     A few months ago I bought a large, four drawer metal filing cabinet at a thrift store for about $10. With some hard word and creativity, I cleaned it up, painted it and stuck some wall decals and new handles on it and it looks brand new, better really. I don't have enough files to fill all the drawers so I use some for storage. They hold extra supplies and what not. I found some cool project files at the dollar store that you can write down the description of what you are working on, start and stop dates, etc. I like color coding, though I admit that I am still working on it. Five colors never seem to be enough. Perhaps my categories are too detailed...?
     One of my most useful purchases are the clear poly zip envelopes from staples. They are just zip bags made of heavy plastic with colorful zippers. I use them to coral the papers I am currently working on in my "story basket." The basket is a medium sized plastic bin from Big Lots that I use to keep all of my paperwork in, including the printed spiral bound drafts that I am working on. Inside is also the envelops which contain my brainstorms; things like illustrations, blueprints of buildings, timelines, maps, character sheets, and outlines. I've labeled them with name tag stickers, the cheep 99 cent store kind. I can just peel off the sticker and re-label or put a new one over the top. I've had to purchase more envelopes as I started a new story and need somewhere to stash my notes. It's organized chaos and I love it.

Envelopes range in price from 1.99-5.99. The ones that I bought were 3.99 and just plain envelopes but they have some with pockets on the outside for notecards and smaller pieces of paper. They have expandable ones and smaller sizes, almost a half or a third of the standard letter size, for who knows what. They were all very cool.

Do you have any tools or tricks of the trade? Anything you've found or made work for you? With pinterest and the web you can find thousands of craft ideas for people on a budget or if you just want to glam out your everyday items.

That's all for tonight! To all my readers: Write On!