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Writing tools of choice

Scrivener, my tool of choice is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that first draft.

A few of my writing friends or other bloggers have asked me what exactly is the big deal with Scrivener, or what makes it better than Apple’s Pages or Microsoft Word. Well, it makes such a complete difference in organizing and working through the writing process. Especially if you’re writing large documents, like a book or a major research project. Being able to compile all of my sub-articles or chapters all into one place — and by that I mean the document itself, not a bunch of documents in a folder — has been a huge time saver. Especially instead of scrolling up and down through a long document or opening up a bunch of different files in the same folder. Plus not to mention you can immediately export your writing into epub and mobi formats, which are necessary for when you upload your book on Amazon, iBooks, Nook, Kobo, et al and save yourself many steps.

Every time I’ve ever encouraged someone to try Scrivener’s 30 day free trial (that’s 30 days of use, not 30 calendar days after you download it — BIG DIFFERENCE), I get the look of confusion that people don’t know how to make heads or tails of it.

My friend David Lee Martin has prepared a course called Scrivener Unleashed where he offers some of the only teaching out there I’m aware of that focuses on both the Windows version and not just the Mac version of Scrivener. Normally you can find one or the other.

The cost of this training is $97, and contains comprehensive over your shoulder videos, but listeners of the podcast can get a 50% discount when you enter the coupon code fireonyourhead at checkout.

I’m an affiliate for this course and not only do you get some great instructional teachings, but you’re helping support the podcast when you decide to purchase the course through our link: https://stevebremner.com/scrivenerunleashed.

And again, don’t forget to use the coupon code fireonyourhead (one word!) at checkout in order to get it for half price.

Read my more detailed review and opinion of the Scrivener writing software.

However you may want to sow our way is appreciated and helps make this podcast pay for itself. You could even continue shopping as normal on Amazon, but if you do it through our link, SteveBremner.com/Amazon we will get a tiny commission and you don’t have to change your shopping habits.

My personal Recommendations

All links are to the audiobook version, as I listened to them that way and recommend it:

Todd Henry books:

• Louder Than Words: Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice
  • This is more important than ever when there are so many people and groups out there who are all clamoring for our attention, the groups that will stand out and be listened to are those who have developed their own authentic voice.
  • Todd lays out why this is important in this book, but in essence, an authentic voice is vital to create a message with a lasting impact. As he often says in his podcast “Cover bands don’t change the world, don’t be one.”
• Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day
  • The importance of using our time on this work to do what really matters
• The Accidental Creative: How To Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice
  • I’ve just started listening to this one and find it to be incredibly motivating and encouraging. I’ll post more thoughts at a later time.

• You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins

• Stephen King’s Writing Memoir

I wrote a very detailed review of this book some time ago, but if you want me to break down a few of my key takeaways and why I recommend it:

• King’s “archaeological” writing style; he mentions how his inspiration comes in a way that he likens to archeology: he finds a piece of something sticking out of the ground, and starts to dig around it to see what else is buried there. Before you know it you’re digging up a space ship the size of a city block. He also claims that when he starts writing, he doesn’t necessarily have a plot in mind or a specific ending either. He just “starts” writing, and takes it from there and sees how it goes.This style of writing might be frightening to some authors, but for Christians who can trust the anointing of the Holy Spirit to lead them and let Him speak through them in the written art form, this shouldn’t be too far from reality. I find that, yes, sometimes I feel I have a point I’m going to make in something I’m writing, so I just start writing, knowing that I’m going to get to that point or draw that conclusion. But from when I start to when I finish, I discover other details that come to me that I usually never thought of when I first started.I enjoy this journey and have become comfortable with it.
• The importance of reading all the time ( why I’m giving recommendations in a show like this)
• The Writer’s Toolbox. My toolbox requires headphones and music to listen to, and my word processor of choice is Scrivener, as well as apps like Self-Control and Focus Booster. And apparently I’m not alone with the ear buds.

• Seth Godin -his website
  • At this point I plan on continuing to listen to audibooks of his, so I recommend pretty much any of them, but in all honesty the only ones I’ve listened to so far are:
  • Poke the Box
  • The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly?
  • The Linchpin: Are You Indespensible?
• The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris
• Quitter – by Jon Acuff (author of Stuff Christians Like)
• Choose Yourself – James Altucher — The Kindle Version is only 99 cents

There are many items I could add to this list, but this should help at least kick you out of the upper room and start lighting your fire, if not spreading it.

Other resources and links I may or may not have actually directly mentioned in the show:

Before you go…

Before I let you go I need to ask you a quick favor. Please jump over to iTunes or Stitcher and give this show a rating, a review, or leave a comment or all three. It would mean a lot to me and help people find us!

Thank you so much, and I look forward to talking to you in the next episode of Fire On Your Head.

Blessings and fire on your head!