Technology Musts for Writers

Are you writing as much as I am?  Well, if you are and if you love technology and tech gadgets as much as I do, you might find the ideas below AWESOME to help backup and pump up your writing.  These are just some of the things I find great for keeping my writing going and organized:

A good back-up system:  Having a secure place to save your work is essential.  I would recommend finding some kind of "cloud" you like.  Some people use dropbox.  I started using Spider Oak because it had great educator pricing (I do back up lesson plans and such as well as my writing).

A great program for organizing your work:  I was all for simple up until I started writing a novel.  Word was not simple anymore.  So, I searched around and found Scrivener.  Holy moly!  It's a rockstar of a program that can really organize all your notes, pictures, chapters, synopsis, outlines, etc.  It really will bend in anyway your choose.

An e-reader:  Wait, you're writing--so what's this got to do with writing?  Well, my friends, if you write you must read.  You must read AS MUCH as you write in my opinion.  I love my Nook Tablet--it fits in my purse nicely and on my treadmill when I'm running.  I compared the Nook, Kindle, and iPad.  The Nook fit my needs the best with it's size and expandable memory.  I will also say I do love the smell and look of a hard copy book, but having an e-reader has given me the ability to take MANY books and magazines with me without overloading my arms.

A way to take notes:  I still love plain old pencil and paper, but I purchased a Livescribe pen about a year ago and I love it.  It's great for interviewing (you don't have to take down every note as you're listening because you can record) and it just helps organize those brilliant thoughts.  Plus, you can upload it to your computer and take a copy with you on your laptop or even your iPhone with the pencast app.  Too cool.

And a few iPhone apps I love?
-Scribe--for taking notes--you can type, take pictures, include maps, or even write with your finger on a note.
-Pencast Player--for watching those cool Livescribe pencasts you make, directly from your iPhone.
-BlogPress--for blogging on the go.  I have it linked to all my blogs so I can drop my ideas on the go (and in bed sometimes when my laptop is already stowed).