Steven Goodwin

Who are you, and what did you write?

I am Steven Goodwin, known as the Marquis de Geek, and I'm a software engineer by trade. However, I have far too many other interests and so consider myself a general-purpose computer geek. My latest book is called 20 GOTO 10 and is a book about retro computers and how they're connected through numbers. Each section links to others through these numbers, like a 'Choose your own adventure' book.

What hardware and software do you write with?

As a technical person, my main software is either Sublime, or VS Code, depending on which machine I'm sat in front of at the time. Since these are text editors, rather than word processors, I use a system called Markdown for indicating what text is to be underlined, or italicized, or labeled as headings. Consequently, the whole text looks like a computer program, complete with a monospace font, so I never get distracted by trying to make it look nice.

The book is split into about 200 distinct sections, with the text for each in its own file, so I generally work on one section at a time. (But the individual files mean that jumping to other sections is really quick.) I also have a second file that indicates how that section links to the others. When I'm ready to send a version of the whole book to the publishers I run a small program (which I wrote myself) which combines the sections into the correct order, and converts the markdown text into something non-programmers prefer to read!

In terms of hardware, my day job involves Linux, Mac, and Windows machines so I'll write with whatever is handy at the time. However, they're all connected to my private source control system so I can exchange the text for each section between computers. This also provides an automatic off-site backup, and a way of reviewing what I wrote the day, week, or month before.

When and where do you write?

The spare room at home is called my "studio." It's where I work and write. I need (and enjoy) the solitude where I can create without the feeling of being watched or judged by others. If I have ideas when away from the studio, then I carry pen and paper at all times to jot things down. (The time to unlock a phone, find an app, and type something is just too unwieldy!) On rare occasions I conjure up an entire block of text, I'll either memorize it or dictate it into my phone.

Then 'when' of writing is usually weekday evenings, and parts of weekends, to fit around my normal work.

What's your dream writing setup?

I don't have a dream writing setup, as my needs are fairly minimal so what I have now is perfectly suited to me. The plainness of a text editor means I don't suffer decision paralysis. Storing my work in source control means I have access to it everywhere. Working only from home means I have access to my books, and the Internet. The only improvements would be a bigger home, to fit more books!

Nat Guy

Who are you, and what did you write?

My name is Nat. I’ve worked as a software engineer, an aerospace engineer, and a Japanese interpreter/translator. But I’ve also spent the last several years living in Japan and researching Japanese mushrooms. My recently released book, Kinoko: A window into the mystical world of Japanese mushrooms is the culmination of this work.

To copy from my Amazon blurb:

Kinoko explores the rich history and cultural significance of mushrooms in Japan.

Inside, you'll find colorful and interesting etymologies of Japanese mushroom names, translated essays and stories from Japanese authors, new translations of a hundred Japanese haiku about mushrooms, cultural insights about mushrooms in Japan, and a glossary and phrasebook of Japanese terms related to mushrooms and mycology. Whether you're a mushroom enthusiast, a lover of poetry and language, or simply interested in the outdoors, you'll find something to enjoy in this beautifully written and carefully researched book.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I use Google Docs to write out the text, edit, and collect feedback from friends. I also use Google Sheets extensively to collect data (mushroom names, collected poetry, etc.) before it’s ready to put into the main document. Finally, I do layout and final editing in Adobe InDesign. I’m still a noob when it comes to InDesign, so I had a professional designer help me with layout for this project.

When and where do you write?

I have two kids and a full-time job, so it’s hard to find time to write. I wrote the majority of this book late at night, in my home office, after everyone else had gone to sleep. When it comes time to do final editing, I’m old-school and prefer to print out what I’ve written and edit it by hand. I find that this helps me catch a lot of mistakes that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.

What's your dream writing setup?

My writing requires a lot of research, so I need an office with lots of books, a comfy chair, and multiple monitors to help manage what I’m working on. I prefer to work in a quiet environment (at home) with a fast desktop PC and lots of desk space. And maybe a whiteboard for jotting down ideas.

Ben Hatke

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Ben Hatke. I write (and illustrate) graphic novels, picture books and prose novels for young readers and adults. My best known works are probably the Zita the Spacegirl Trilogy, and the Julia’s House picture books. My next book, Reynard’s Tale, is an illustrated story for grownups in the tradition of medieval folklore and some of Edward Gorey’s books. It will be released on April 19th. I’m currently working to finish a YA novel called The Princess in the Piazza.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I am a big fan of Leuchtturm notebooks. I try to spend as much time as I can with pen and paper.

For longer projects like a script for a graphic novel or the manuscript for a prose novel I use PAGES on my MacBook Pro. I really like to stick to tools that are as simple and accessible as possible.

I tend to write out picture books in 9X12 Strathmore recycled paper sketchbooks. The Strathmore sketchbooks allow me to drift between writing and drawing without much distinction between the two.

When and where do you write?

My most creative hours of the day tend to be between about 2pm and dinner time (and maybe a bit in the evening). That is when I do most of my real story work. My mornings I tend to spend on errands, chores, business stuff, or things like inking comics pages or scanning art.

It kind of feels like I spend the first half of the day just psychologically gearing myself up to write. And then once I finally get going it’s hard to stop.

As to the where: I have a small, one-room writing studio about 15 feet from the house. It’s an old summer kitchen and so it has its own chimney (and tiny wood stove). It has a TARDIS blue door (complete with call box sign) and the walls are crowded with art and bookcases and bows and arrows.

It’s not perfectly insulated, though, so in the coldest months I often end up at the library.

What's your dream writing setup?

That is a question that shines a light on a lifelong dream.

The other day I picked up an old notebook from all the way back in 2008 and I found a description of my ideal studio. “A studio for lots of artists” it said. With “a painting room, a guest room, a private office.” Fifteen years later that dream space is still unrealized and the dream is essentially unchanged.

I want to build a collaborative community space that is also a safe haven for visiting artists—a blend of painting studio, sculptural studio and maker space—a sort of merging of N.C. Wyeth’s Brandywine studio and the Jim Henson Creature Shop, if you can imagine it. There would still be a private writing space for me, of course, but that wouldn’t need to be much more than what I have now.

In 2019 I had gotten as far as working with my dad (who is an architect) to create a full set of floor plans and elevations (those are up on my patreon), and I was even talking with a builder. But then my daughter died very suddenly in an accident and that was followed by the pandemic.

My life feels different now, and so the Studio Dream remains beyond the horizon. But hopefully not too far.

Laura Sibony

Who are you, and what did you write?

I am Laura Sibony and I wrote Lab, a contemporary classics novel, much inspired by artificial intelligence. I am also the author of Old Europe's Club, L'École de la Parole (Hachette), Bien parler en public (Marabout), and currently writing a non-fiction of AI, to be titled Fantasia (Grasset).

What hardware and software do you write with?

Lab has been quite inspired by my experience in Google… in and out! To this point, Google should claim royalties on Lab: I am mostly writing on my Chromebook, using the Drive suite - Docs, indeed, very useful for keeping comments in mind along the way, but also Sheets for organizing chapters, and Keep for scribbling down ideas on the go (helpful for preserving the geist of a conversation!)

Nothing too fancy, no elaborate apps… my models, in Literature, wrote their masterpieces with feathers, ink and paper. Sophistication is too often the excuse of procrastination!

For French speakers, I also recommend the CNRTL's website, a serious Linguistics database run by Université de Lorraine, that displays lists of synonyms, antonyms, and use cases.

When and where do you write?

I write anywhere, anytime! And I shouldn't. But sticking to a routine, amidst the many unpredictable sollicitations and notifications of a freelancer's life, is not an easy task. I am still amazed by your example - discovering Fahrenheit 52, what a discipline!

But one sure thing, though: however hectic the day has been, I'll always make time, at the end of it, for reading.

What's your dream writing setup?

If only I could get rid of computers! I'd write in a pool of clementines, in absolute silence, in a nice summer morning's light.

Tanya Reilly

Who are you, and what did you write?

I'm Tanya Reilly and I wrote The Staff Engineer's Path, a book about being a very senior software engineer.

What hardware and software do you write with?

My laptop is an old Dell XPS13. It's a great little machine: it has a long battery life and it weighs half nothing so I can throw it in my bag. (The camera is horrible, but it is what it is.)

I use Google Docs for everything. When I'm writing, I tend to have the same document open in two windows side by side so I can scroll around in one and write in the other. For diagrams, I use Excalidraw–it's one of my favourite pieces of software of all time.

To help myself focus and get started, I love Forest, a phone app. You set a timer and there's an animation of a little tree, which will grow while you write. If you use your phone and stop the app, the tree dies. it's very traumatic motivational. Some friends and I sometimes use the Cuckoo timer when we want to write at the same time. Even though they're on the other side of the Atlantic, we all watch the same timer and it feels like we're focusing together, keeping each other honest. Then we DM about how the writing went when the timer goes off.

When and where do you write?

I've sectioned off a corner of the bedroom with a room dividing screen, and that's my office. I have a window I can see birds out of (we get cardinals and northern mockingbirds), a big bright lamp, and an IKEA Omtaenksam chair, which is apparently designed for people with back problems. I don't have back problems, but it's a nice example of the curb cut effect: lumbar support is pleasant for everyone!

The chair is my "official" writing place, but I write from wherever I happen to be: sofas, cafes, park benches, etc. When my kid was smaller, I wrote a surprising amount from the floors of toddler playspaces. I've written a ton on my phone with my thumbs while standing on the subway, and I've outlined conference talks on bits of scrap paper while waiting at my kid's swim class.

I have two writing modes: when I'm just trying to produce a first draft, I try to get an hour of writing a day, even if it's complete garbage. That often means getting up before my family, or churning out 1500 bleary words just before I go to sleep. But when I'm editing, or trying to figure out the narrative of a section, or anything that involves holding a lot of state in my brain all at once, I need a big block of quiet time. That means at least four hours in a row, usually at the weekend. Train or plane journeys on my own are amazing for that kind of thing too.

What's your dream writing setup?

My favourite place to write is on long-distance trains. The scenery passing, the sounds of the rails, and the long journey ahead somehow combine to give me the optimal flow state. I've taken Amtrak across the US a few times, and last April I took The Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver for the first time and wrote for five days straight. (I think I'm the only person on those trains hoping we'll be delayed an extra day or two and have to stay on the train longer.)

Some people dream about getting rich and buying a yacht. My equivalent is dreaming about owning a private rail car. It's a thing you can really do, but it's a jawdroppingly expensive lifestyle. Well, for now I'll take the train from New York to Boston or Pittsburgh as often as I can and that's pretty good too :-)

George Jreije

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m George Jreije, the HarperCollins author of SHAD HADID AND THE ALCHEMISTS OF ALEXANDRIA, a children’s novel about a twelve-year-old Arab American immigrant who discovers he comes from a long line of alchemists.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I write with a variety of hardware! Believe it or not, I wrote a solid chunk of almost every completed novel on my iPhone 11. The rest, I wrote on my MacBook Pro, or more recently, on my iPad Pro. Almost always, my software of preference has been Google Docs. I will occasionally use Microsoft Word when exporting documents.

When and where do you write?

I tend to write in small pockets of time throughout the day. If I can, the best time for me to write is immediately upon waking in the morning, on my phone in bed. It’s like the imagination juices are primed from a night full of dreaming. Otherwise, I’ll continue to write in small pockets until the day is through or I meet my word count goal. It doesn’t matter if I’m at the park, on a couch watching television, or taking public transport.

What's your dream writing setup?

My dream writing set up is a cafe with floor cushions and tables for sitting on the floor. Tea is flowing, and there are plenty of books around for inspiration as well as space for other writers as well as some yoga between writing sprints. Not too much technology, perhaps an iPad only. Those would be the best conditions for writing and minimal (negative) distractions.

Emi Nietfeld

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Emi Nietfeld and I wrote Acceptance, a memoir of foster care and homelessness, Harvard and Big Tech. It’s also about our ideals of resilience and the pressure those ideals place on people. It’s on sale now from Penguin Press!

What hardware and software do you write with?

I’ve used Google Docs since I was fourteen (probably the exact day it comes out) so I always, always draft in it. During copy-edits, I learned how to use Microsoft Word, so now I typically draft in Docs and then spill some red ink in Word. And I always, always use Freedom to block the web while I write!

I write on a MacBook Air that literally can’t handle 10 Chrome Tabs! I also use an external keyboard, trackpad, and 27” monitor – a holdover from my days as a software engineer and a serious game changer!

When I’m really struggling with structure, I print everything out, cut it up and tape it back together. It helps turn an intellectual problem into a physical one. I add margin notes, but only in huge highlighter so I can’t get too in the weeds! I’m always looking for new ways to edit and I write about them in my newsletter.

When and where do you write?

I write in the morning after breakfast but before listening to any music, checking emails, witnessing the news. I’m very lucky to be writing out of my late grandfather-in-law’s wood paneled office, filled with bronze sculptures of mostly nude women.

What's your dream writing setup?

An office with a skylight at Blue Mountain Center, facing a picturesque lake. I went for a residency last summer, and it was nice and chilly even when New York City (my home) was an inferno. There was no wifi or cell reception, just a phone booth with a wired landline and a doodling pad. At noon we did yoga and ate three gourmet meals a day. It was heaven.

The only thing that would have made it better is my external monitor!

Ananyo Bhattacharya

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Ananyo Bhattacharya and I’ve worked as a science correspondent at the Economist, an editor at Nature, and a medical researcher at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in San Diego, California. Most recently, I wrote a book called The Man from the Future about the ideas of the Hungarian-American mathematical genius, John von Neumann. While many biographies claim their subjects changed the world, in the case of von Neumann, it’s true! From computers, the Internet and nanotechnology to quantum physics, the nuclear bomb, military strategy and modern economics, he flitted from field to field, sparking revolutions wherever he went.

What hardware and software do you write with?

Ironically, ‘The Man from the Future’ was written on hardware and software from the past. I’m chained to Microsoft Office Word 2007, which may have been the last time I paid for a license for anything! I save whatever I’m working on direct to Dropbox and keep a reasonably up-to-date version on my computer’s hard drive. I’ve tried OpenOffice and Google Docs but we never really clicked. As for hardware, most of my writing was done on whatever laptop my employer was good enough to provide; usually Dells, HPs and Macs. When I left the Economist to write the book I splashed out on a refurbished T430 Lenovo ThinkPad for a couple of hundred pounds. That was about four years ago and unless the market for books about obscure mathematicians is a lot bigger than I imagine, I’m going to be writing on it until either it or I expire. It’s sturdy with nice chunky keys that thud rather satisfyingly when I hammer them. What more do you need?

When and where do you write?

The limits of my working day are dictated by my kids. Once they’re in school, I dispose of any pressing housework then go for a walk in the woods near my home. About a third of ‘The Man from the Future’, the third before Covid, was written in a local pub that had free WiFi and sold bottomless cups of coffee. The remainder was written at a small desk in my bedroom in between homeschooling that is still my primary place of work now.

What's your dream writing setup?

The perfect is the enemy of the good but since you ask I imagine a small, simply furnished abode on the Italian island of Salina. I would write at a battered, sun-beaten old mahogany desk placed near a window with views across the Tyrrhenian Sea to Mount Stromboli, puffing away in the distance like a warm-hearted old uncle on his pipe. For lunch, I’d nip out to the sun-drenched piazza for some pane cunzato and maybe take a dip if it’s too hot to work. I could go on but you probably get the idea…

Erin Swan

Who are you, and what did you write?

I am Erin Swan and I wrote the speculative novel Walk the Vanished Earth, which is a family saga that begins in Kansas in 1873 and ends on Mars 200 years later.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I usually just use Microsoft Word, saving my files as I go, although I do periodically upload them to my Google Drive to keep them extra safe. My handwriting is atrocious, so I type most of my writing from the beginning. Plus, my thoughts seem to flow better that way. I prefer working with a MacBook Pro, as it feels more streamlined than other laptops. If I am taking notes for research or while attending panels and classes, however, I will write by hand. For this, I love a spiral-bound Muji lined notebook and one of Muji’s black pens, although the skinnier Moleskine notebooks are pretty good too. While working on my novel, I also used sticky notes pasted to walls in order to map out different timelines and points of view. I dream of having enough space someday to have a giant bulletin board where I can add all the sticky notes I want.

When and where do you write?

I have found that I write best in the mornings, so that’s when I usually sit down to work. I live in a small Brooklyn apartment, so when writing at home, I use a folding desk that I set up in my bedroom, but most often I write on the third floor of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch, which has wonderfully big tables and lots of silence. I also have a cabin in Pennsylvania and a perfect little desk there with a view of trees and a painting of a bison on the wall beside it. My job as a high school English teacher is fairly demanding, so I only really have time to write on weekend mornings and on school breaks, which are thankfully very plentiful! There’s nothing like having two months free in the summer to write about all the weird stuff that comes into my head.

What's your dream writing setup?

Like most writers, I would love more time to write. If I could have a career that offered me open time in the mornings, that would be ideal. That said, I have found I thrive on conflict and tight schedules, so I think I would need to keep working at a job, preferably teaching, to remain creatively productive. But yes, having mornings free would be amazing. I also love a big table for a desk, with nothing on it except my laptop and maybe a book or two for research. A view would be great, whether it’s of trees, the desert, the ocean, or a sprawling cityscape. And silence. Lots of silence.

Giuliano Giacaglia

Who are you, and what did you write?

My name is Giuliano, and I'm an engineer by training. I’ve written Making Things Think. It is a detailed yet approachable explanation for the intelligent reader of how machine learning algorithms work, how they arise, and where they are going.

What hardware and software do you write with?

A Macbook Air and Google Docs. It took a long time to get the final version. I wrote the first draft in parts. There are six main sections for the book. I've done a bunch of research for each one, including the knowledge that I already had. For one of the sections, "What Can AI Learn from Animal Brains?", I did a ton of research online and asked a friend who is doing a postdoc in neuroscience to send me all the most important papers on the topic. I've read it all before starting to write that section.

After finishing the first draft, I revised it twice and then hired an editor to edit the whole book. She helped me re-structured the book. Then, I spent time talking to publishers. After I got a deal with a publisher, Holloway, we had an editor revise the entire book again; he went through the book twice, and I helped clarify and edit it.

The book also has many images, and I drew them a few times around to get them to look great. I ended up using Excalidraw and Figma to create them. I had to go through a few iterations of each image to get them to look the way I liked. It was a lot of work :-)

When and where do you write?

It took me five years to complete the project. I wrote the book at night and on weekends. I spent time at home writing it and at Brooklyn and San Francisco coffee shops.

What's your dream writing setup?

I love my home office. I have the perfect setup there. I have an external LG monitor attached to an adjustable standing desk. I also have a mug heater. It has a good view of the city and a really big window. I love it!

David Oliver Doswell

Who are you, and what did you write?

David Oliver Doswell. I wrote Meredith: The Future of Silicon Valley.

What hardware and software do you write with?

MacBook. Literally Apple Pages, until my editor had me switch to Microsoft Word for Mac. There’s more editing tools for writers there. At least there were at the time.

When and where do you write?

At the time after work. I was a software engineer at PayPal during the pandemic and wrote on nights and weekends. Sometimes during the day between work, if my mind busted a spring. I write from my desk. I bought a glass office desk from Office Max in San Jose a few years ago. Pretty sturdy. I sit near a window in my apartment now in Los Angeles. I’m most comfortable here. Couldn’t do it in a coffee shop.

What's your dream writing setup?

Pretty much what I have now: laptop, laptop stand, coffee. I’m writing something new and using Google Docs this time.

John August

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m John August. I’m a screenwriter, novelist and playwright. Some of my films include Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie’s Angels, Go and the recent Aladdin.

I have a middle-grade book series called Arlo Finch. (“Middle grade” is what librarians and booksellers call books like Harry Potter.) Your readers may enjoy a podcast I made called Launch which goes behind the scenes of writing, selling and releasing the book. I’m now working on a new graphic novel set for 2024.

I also write musicals. I wrote the Broadway version of Big Fish and a new one I hope to stage soon.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I write exclusively in Highland, which my company makes. Highland 2 is built for the Mac, but I’m using the beta version, which also works on iOS. The best thing about using your own app is being able to fix the pain points. If something’s bugging me, I can slack my team and get it corrected immediately.

Highland started as a screenwriting app, but I’ve found it works great for novels, too. It’s the sweet spot between the minimalism of a pure text editor and the complexity of something like Scrivener. I tend to keep chapters as separate files for as long as possible so I’m not tempted to tweak and fiddle rather than write new stuff.

Ultimately, the final copy edits happen in Microsoft Word for tracking revisions. It’s the standard and it’s torture.

Some tools I love include RhymeZone (for rhyming), Roam (for keeping random notes and scraps) and WorkFlowy (for shared outlines).

When and where do you write?

I mostly write in my home office, a room above the garage. There I have my iMac with my strange keyboard that helps keep my wrists from going crazy.

I try not to be too precious about my writing environment, so habits don’t become excuses. I’ll write by hand if I need to, or on my MacBook in the car while my daughter is at climbing practice. Whatever gets the words out is what matters.

One trick I picked up over the last few years is to always have a stack of blank index cards on my nightstand. If an idea strikes, I’ll write it down and stick the card by the bedroom door. That way I get it out of my head and into a form I can do something with.

What's your dream writing setup?

Honestly, I think I’m pretty close! I don’t need much more.

That said, we’re working on some tools for the new Highland that I hope will make some of the most tedious parts of writing just a little bit easier. Computers are fast enough that they should be able to do more with words -- not just the arrangement of letters but the semantic meaning. It’s early days, but I’m optimistic.

Delilah S. Dawson

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Delilah S. Dawson, also writing as Lila Bowen. I’m most well known for my Star Wars books, Phasma and Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire, but I also wrote the Blud series, the Hit series, the Minecraft Mob Squad series, The Violence, Mine, the Shadow series (as Lila Bowen), and the Tales of Pell, written with Kevin Hearne. My comics include Marvel Action Spider-Man, Star Wars Adventures, The X-files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick & Morty, Labyrinth, Disney Descendants, and the creator-owned Ladycastle, Sparrowhawk, and Star Pig.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I’m pretty simple. I write in Word because that’s what my publishers demand. I used to use Open Office, which I vastly preferred because it’s cheap and I’m frugal. I’ve tried Scrivener, but it’s just too labor-intensive, and I need a constant page/word count. As for my process, I do some plotting on index cards, and once I know the beginning, instigating factor, climax, and ending, plus the main character inside and out, I start writing. My first drafts go hard and fast, straight through front to back, with no self-editing or jumping around. Once I have a first draft, I do a quick second draft to smooth things out, then send that off to my agent/editor. I really miss editing on paper with a red pen because I find so many little things to fix, but all my publishers have moved away from that model.

When and where do you write?

Every day, wherever I can! My goal is 2000 words written or 50 pages edited per day. It’s important to me that I don’t let writing get too precious; if I can only write at this table with this music and that coffee, then there will be days that I can’t write. So I do a lot of writing at my dining room table, on my couch, in my office. But I can also write on the airplane or in the coffee shop or in the front seat of my car while I wait for the gym to open. I wrote 9k over a 4-day Disney trip last week. I’m a firm believer in daily flexing of the creative muscles so that writing becomes a habit and not something easily impacted by the outside world.

What's your dream writing setup?

First of all, I’d like a robotic spine, as that’s my biggest problem– I have a terrible back, and writing is not great for posture. If we’re talking about a physical space, I like being up high and near water with a big window. I’ve been writing exclusively on MacBook Airs for a decade, so I’d ideally like a new, fast, light MacBook with the magnetic power cable and plenty of USB plugs. I need an ergonomic chair and a desk with plenty of room for things to fiddle with. And I need a comfy couch with a heating pad where I can write while reclining. But ultimately, the ideal writing setup would be a life where I’m traveling often, having novel experiences and hanging out with other writers. That’s what keeps me motivated, what keeps my brain sparking and my energy up.

Travis Nichols

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Travis Nichols, and I write and illustrate books for kids. The thing I’m working on these days is a series called The Terribles. The first book (and there are currently 3 slated) comes out in July of ‘22. The books are about a buncha kid monsters who live on an island. Each book is a collection of illustrated short stories, comics, and more. There’s a one-act play in one of the books, and a path-choosing story in another. For kids 8-12, and, you know, whoever else.

What hardware and software do you write with?

So far I’ve done every single dang thing for this series on my iPad and Smart Keyboard. I don’t even notice the slightly wee keyboard. This is actually the second iPad I’ve had since starting this series. I was traveling while drawing illustrations for the proposal (in 2019), and I just beat the absolute crud out of my old iPad. It finally crashed after getting too full of desert sand and assorted soft cheeses. I mostly write in Google Docs, but I also chuck ideas into the Notepad app sometimes. And I do all of my illustrations in Procreate and export ‘em as .PSDs to Google Drive. OH WAIT. I do have to get on a laptop every once in a great while to deal with rounds of edits from the copyeditors. It’s just easier to use the full version of Google Docs with imported Microsoft Word files. And I had to do a tiny bit of noodling in Photoshop a couple times. I’m sorry I lied to you.

When and where do you write?

I have a workspace in my house with a few different places to work—I tend to wander. There’s a standing desk-height table with stools, a tiny writing desk by the window, and a couch. I was lying on the floor writing for a while earlier today, and later I was at my partner’s desk upstairs. Oh, and this morning I was writing in the kitchen nook. I mostly write in the early mornings and late nights. I don’t have a consistent schedule at all. Is that bad?

What's your dream writing setup?

I love the old footage of Roald Dahl’s writing hut. I just don’t think I have that kind of sit-still-idness. I feel like I’m pretty dang close to my dream writing setup. I need to be able to move around, flip through books and magazines, distract myself, fret, play records, grab a guitar, mess with plants, look outside, talk to people, have a drink, make a mess, feel a breeze on me…

Jimmy Soni

Who are you, and what did you write?

My name is Jimmy Soni, and I’ve written a few different things over the years. Primarily, my longest written work is in the form of books. I focus on histories, mostly, and generally, my ideas come from searching for a book I want to read—and not finding it.

That’s what motivated my first book, Rome’s Last Citizen. I had read some biographies of Cicero and Caesar—and honestly, I just went looking for a biography of Cato. When I couldn’t find it, I badgered my buddy Rob Goodman into doing the book with me. We had no idea what we were doing—we weren’t classicists, and we were both working full-time–but I figured there was no downside to trying.

That book went well, and it led to our second collaboration, a biography of Dr. Claude Shannon, one of the great forgotten geniuses of the 20th century. That was another one where we felt like amateurs—but being non-engineers, we actually were able to learn about Shannon’s contributions in a fresh way and explain them to readers who might also be non-experts.

Along the way, I worked as a co-writer on a remarkable book about a remarkable woman, named Jane Walentas. Jane spent decades of her life restoring a carousel which found a home in a Brooklyn waterfront park. My daughter and I had ridden the carousel a bunch, and I dropped Jane a thank you note. We met up, had a lively conversation, and then at one point, I asked her if there was a good book I could give my daughter about the carousel. She mentioned that there wasn’t—and then we were off to the races. Sadly, she never lived to see the book completed, but it’s a beautiful testimony to the work she put into the restoration and placement of it.

My latest work, which debuts in February 2022, is about the origin story of PayPal and the people who brought it to life. When I studied Dr. Shannon, I examined Bell Labs, where he worked. Bell Labs was a total talent warehouse, with some of the leading scientists and researchers of its day on the payroll. PayPal was where many of our tech luminaries—including Reid Hoffman, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Max Levchin—got their start. The alumni from that group have built YouTube, Yelp, LinkedIn, Yammer, and many other companies. I found it interesting that one start-up could produce so much talent, and I wanted to understand what happened in those years. It was a long project, but I hope what I’ve captured in THE FOUNDERS is how these people came of age and how the company was built. It’s a fascinating story, and my hope is that it reveals the humanity and uncertainty at the heart of these ventures.

What hardware and software do you write with?

So I’m fairly low-tech in some ways—I don’t have a set of fancy tools or elaborate programs to help. Here’s what does help:

Scrivener

For long non-fiction narrative projects, I found Scrivener to be a fantastic system for organizing information, ideas, and sequencing chapters. It’s what I use at the outset just to gather all the string in one place.

Google Docs + Google Sheets

For first draft material, I often use Google Docs and Google Sheets in concert. Three big reasons:

1. The fact that it saves in the cloud automatically saves me the terror of potentially losing material. I came of age in the “blue screen of death” era of computing, and having lost too many documents to count, you’re always primed for the worst to happen. Even though I don't need to on Google Docs, I still reflexively hit “Command + S” just because of the fear of a document disappearing before saving it.

2. Linking Docs and Sheets allows me to stay organized and separate one big document (i.e., a book) into manageable portions. This is as much about psychology as anything else: Books are huge undertakings, so you need to chunk them up or else you’ll go nuts.

3. Google Voice integration into Google Docs — Someday, I want to thank whoever on the Google product team integrated Google Voice into Google Docs. Honestly, I’m going to give them a big, tearful hug if I ever get the chance. The best part about this tool (which is found under the Docs’ Tools tab) is that it cures writer's block. I will often fire it up, put a manila folder on top of my screen, and just talk out what I want to say. By the end of a few minutes, I’ve got rough material at the ready. And once you’ve got rough material, you have the ability to polish that material.

Otter.AI

Huge kudos to the creators of Otter.AI, which is a fantastic and affordable transcription service. Because of the number of interviews my books have required, I couldn’t possibly pay for the higher-end transcription services without breaking the bank; with Otter, I get a solid transcript and a very effective UX to boot.

ZBib

For those who do bibliographies and endnotes, ZBib is a game-changer. It took me a while to find it, but I had it open for weeks at the tail end of the PayPal project. It automatically helps to create the right citations, and if you’re as nuts about those as I am, this will be a life saver.

Hardware

A MacBook Air throughout. When it gets to the point that I’m revising PDFs and what are called “first pass pages,” I’ll toss the laptop next to a monitor and do two screens. That includes a simple mouse and keyboard, because at the PDF point, you’re having to make edits within Adobe Acrobat, and you want to toggle between screens. (It’s how you can fact-check and do endnotes more efficiently.)

When and where do you write?

So this evolves over time, and each writer has to get their own groove and rhythm going. Here’s what works for me:

When: I typically start writing at around 4 AM. Especially when I’m on a book project, I basically do this every day, seven days a week, with very few exceptions. I find that the time between 4 AM and 9 AM is relatively distraction-free, and if you do books as a side hustle, as I do, then it’s also a chance to get this work done before you shift to other work. On weekends, I just do 4 AM to around 4 or 5 PM, but the principle—capturing those precious, distraction-free hours—is the same.

Where: I wish I had a more dramatic answer here, but it’s just on my couch, on a laptop, in the living room. That changes occasionally, but another big principle for me is just keeping the location consistent so that I’m not choosing where to write or using brain power to perfect the ideal set-up. I just head to the same well-worn spot on the couch, fire up my laptop, and get moving.

What's your dream writing setup?

So I don’t know if I have a dream writing setup per say, but I suppose if I’m being asked to sketch it out, in brief: I’d like to have a quiet room, with a window (with blinds), a comfy chair, a place to keep books, and close to my home. It sounds simple, but again, the principles behind it are about getting quiet and minimizing a commute.

The blinds are key to me: I often just need to shut out the whole world when I’m nose-deep in a book project. To achieve that, I’ll often draw my blinds. There are days, especially the weekends, when I can go 36 to 48 hours without talking to another human in person. It’s hard to describe, but the book takes over your life—and if you’re anything like me, you sort of lose the ability to engage with your fellow humans for a while. My friends have gotten accustomed to this—more than one of them has become a “book widow” when I’m in the deepest parts of a project.

I think the biggest thing about my “dream writing setup” is about time, not creature comforts or location. This might be because English is my third language and I’m a non-native speaker of it, but I find quality writing to be a lot of work and labor—enjoyable effort, but effort nonetheless. It just takes me a ridiculous amount of time per sentence, per paragraph, per page. I’m an inveterate revisor of my own work, sometimes to the point of madness. So for me, the “dream” means having more time to write so that I have more time to catch those fleeting, perfect moments when a sentence snaps into place or the right word moves from the tip of my tongue onto the page. Those tiny wins are magical, and the thrill in those moments is what keeps you going day after day.

Sonja Thomas

Who are you, and what did you write?

My name is Sonja Thomas and I’m a silly introvert who runs on coffee and hugs. I love to dance and sing along with music blasting in the living room. Every time I travel somewhere new (from the Oregon Coast to Iceland), I buy a magnet before leaving. The ocean is my happy place and I squeal every time I see an adorable animal (Squirrel!).

I write stories for kids of all ages in all genres, but middle grade contemporaries are my sweet spot. My debut middle grade novel, Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence, comes out March 15, 2022 from Aladdin / Simon & Schuster.

What hardware and software do you write with?

My required hardware includes notebooks, pens, and my ThinkPad laptop. As for software, I use Scrivener and Microsoft Word. Scrivener has a pretty steep learning curve, but the more I understand it, the better I can set it up for my needs. What I love most is that it houses EVERYTHING! Brainstorming notes, research, character sketches, outlines, photos, pdf files, website links, sound files… everything in one place for easy reference and access. And since I’m not a linear writer, I can easily move scenes around with the drag of my mouse.

I just started using the subscription resource website One Stop for Writers from the authors of the book, The Emotion Thesaurus (which I refer to regularly). I’m loving the fifteen thesaurus collections and plot timeline tool. I look forward to playing around with the other features.

When and where do you write?

For some reason 10 AM is my magic time, so that’s when you’ll find me at my desk (or a coffee shop or library pre-2020). If I don’t get sucked into social media or administrative tasks, I set a timer for an hour and write without distractions. Then I give myself a break to stretch, get coffee, or take a peek at my phone. Then I repeat, hoping to get at least a solid 4 hours of writing. It doesn’t always work out like that, because life. But I do the best I can with the time that I have.

What's your dream writing setup?

My dream writing setup would be a space outside of the home, with a sit-stand desk that faces a window with views of the ocean. There would be a comfy chair and bookcases filled with books. An editorial cat nearby doling out emotional support with head-bumps and purrs. A barista that would appear whenever I have my oat latte fix. And a never-empty bowl of my favorite snacks (blackberries, raspberries, vegan chocolate chip cookies, and Haribo gummy bears).

Jon Gjengset

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Jon Gjengset, and I’m primarily known as a guy who does programming education through live coding videos. I just (as of September 2021) finished writing Rust for Rustaceans, a book aimed at teaching those who already know the Rust programming language how to make better use of it and understand more of the underlying building blocks.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I wrote the book partially on my beloved ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and partially on my own home-built desktop computer, both running Arch Linux with a heavily customized desktop setup (bspwm + ulauncher + polybar). I personally prefer writing in markup languages like Markdown and LaTeX, but for my book I used LibreOffice so that I could work with No Starch’s templates and editorial process, and Evince to annotate the PDFs after they’d gone through layout (normally I prefer mupdf for PDF files).

I kept all my notes, LibreOffice documents, and layout review PDFs in a single git repository, so that I could easily check out past versions of documents if need be. I’m also hoping to use that later on to visualize my writing progression.

The whole book was written on a Mistel Barocco MD600 split mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Clear Switches, and on an Uplift automatic standing desk. Though I must admit for some reason I could never write while standing, even though I have no problem with programming while standing.

When and where do you write?

While writing I was always either a full-time student or a full-time employee, so nearly all of my writing happened in the evenings. I generally had Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings reserved for writing starting after dinner and going until bed. I would also spend a full or half day every other weekend or so to get some longer writing sessions in. I found that keeping a relatively formal schedule with sessions that weren’t too long, and with space in between, helped keep me motivated. Though I will admit that it was sometimes hard to get started after a long day of studying/working — music, tea, and a willingness to say “today I’m not productive, I’m going to stop” helped with that.

I did all my writing at my desk at home, though I moved from Boston to Los Angeles half-way through the book so in practice that means it was written at two desks.

What's your dream writing setup?

Hot water dispenser nearby for tea refills (Twinings Earl Grey). Nut mix (Whole Foods’ Eagle Rock trail mix) for belly refills. Cat nearby for petting refills. Girlfriend nearby for cuddle refills. Playlist with non-distracting music that is not too slow, not too fast, and also not too repetitive in the background. And windows to look out through while thinking — preferably onto a street with people on it to observe.

Victoria Ying

Who are you, and what did you write?

My name is Victoria Ying and I write and illustrate YA and Middle Grade graphic novels!

What hardware and software do you write with?

I use Scrivener for writing my scripts, I use Comic Draw for the iPad to do layouts, I use Procreate for inks, I use Photoshop for colors and I use InDesign for final layout and lettering! Whew! Lots of applications!

When and where do you write?

With graphic novels, some people write as they draw, but it’s always been easier for me to have a full complete script before moving onto any of the art. I get an approved script before I do any drawing. I usually like to write in snatches of the day. I have ADHD and while it can be difficult, I’ve also found ways to work with it to be able to write and finish projects. I work best when I can find a solid 30 minutes between other work and set down words to the page.

What's your dream writing setup?

I need distraction so my current set up with my computer, the internet, a cup of iced coffee and my timer are the best. I can get easily distracted, but if I set up a timer to go off every 15 minutes, I can usually get a good chunk of words in! I also love moving around. Often I’ll take my laptop and go to a different part of the house just to get some variety into my system.

Dan Moren

Who are you, and what did you write?

Hi there! I’m Dan Moren, author of the Galactic Cold War series of sci-fi espionage adventures, the latest installment of which is The Aleph Extraction which came out in May 2020. The next book, The Nova Incident, arrives in July 2022. I’m also a technology journalist by trade, which is very similar to being a sci-fi writer, but with fewer laser guns than you’d hope. I freelance for a few different places, but my writing can predominantly be found at Six Colors, or on Macworld, where I used to be a senior editor but continue to pen my column, Stay Foolish, most weeks.

What hardware and software do you write with?

For my fiction work, I tend to write on either my MacBook Air (last year I replaced my aging but beloved 2014 11-inch model with a shiny new 2020 13-inch M1) or, less frequently, on my 2017 10.5-inch iPad Pro, via the Smart Keyboard Cover. Almost all my fiction writing is done in the fantastic app Scrivener, both for Mac or iPad, though on rare occasion I’ve also used Apple’s Pages word processor for shorter projects.

Ideas that I’m working on generally live in Apple’s Notes app, since it syncs conveniently with my iPhone, iPad, and both Macs. As far as outlining goes, I don’t tend to do much of it, but when I do it’s either in Notes or Pages, because they’re both so lightweight. For beta readers, Scrivener can generate pretty much any format (PDF, ePub, Kindle), so I send ebook versions to my readers to get feedback, which generally just comes in via email. And, beholden as I am to the publishing industry, edits generally happen in Microsoft Word.

Oh, and I do maintain a web-hosted wiki of the Galactic Cold War series for private use that runs on software called Gollum. (It’s very complicated to set up and I don’t really recommend it for all but the fiddliest of users.)

When it comes to tech journalism, the bulk of my writing is either done on my 2017 27-inch iMac 5K, using Bare Bones Software’s venerable BBEdit (mainly for longer pieces), or Red Sweater Software’s MarsEdit, for most shorter pieces that end up on Six Colors or my personal blog. On the iPad, I use the excellent 1Writer. And in almost all those cases, I write in Markdown.

When and where do you write?

Back in the before times (it’s 2021, just for the edification of future generations who have doubtlessly stumbled across this in some sort of time capsule), I used to do most of my fiction writing in coffee shops. Remember those? I’d generally head out to one of my locals early in the morning to work on whatever fiction project was currently occupying me. After a couple hours at that, I would go back home and spend the afternoon working on freelance writing. I find it handy to be able to context-switch what I’m doing based on my location.

These days, it tends to be a little more one-note. (The Nova Incident will be my first book written almost entirely within the confines of my home, which is a little weird.) My current home office does, somewhat oddly, have two desks in it: one with my iMac, which tends to be very cluttered, and another cleaner one where either my wife is working or, when she’s not around, I sometimes steal for fiction-writing. It looks out the window, which is conducive to daydreaming. Sometimes I’ll take a camp chair out to the porch and do work out there on my laptop as well. But despite all of that, fiction-writing tends to remain a morning pursuit, when my brain is fresh. (The weekends are usually especially good, since I’m an early riser.) Also, generally morning means, no matter where I am, that there’s a fresh cup of hot tea at hand, which certainly doesn’t hurt.

But as we recently bought a house that we’re about to move into, my writing locations are probably about to undergo a substantial change, which is both exciting and mildly terrifying.

What's your dream writing setup?

Back in 2018, when I was finishing up the first draft of The Aleph Extraction, my wife and I and a couple of our friends took a vacation to Tulum, Mexico. On a few of the mornings, I sat at the open-air bar on the beach, looking out at the sand and the waves, popped open my iPad, and ended up writing a whole chunk of the book over a few days. It was warm, relaxing, I had nowhere to be, and the tea was brought to me, all of which certainly seemed to aid in the creative process. (There may have been a margarita involved at some point. I can neither confirm nor deny.)

Also a benefit? Not having access to the Internet, the greatest distraction mechanism ever devised by humanity. So, yes: outside in warm weather near the ocean, but with a cool breeze in the shade, with a cup of tea at hand and no Internet. That sounds just about perfect.

Al Sweigart

Who are you, and what did you write?

I'm Al Sweigart. I write books that teach kids and office workers to program. I'm mostly known for Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, but I've written several other programming books as well. I make them all freely available under a Creative Commons license on my website.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I tend to use Thinkpad laptops running Windows, though Windows 10 has finally annoyed me enough that I'm going to finally make the switch to Linux in the future. People are often surprised to hear that I write my technical books in MS Word instead of LaTeX. But I've found that Word just works, especially given the style sheet from my publisher, No Starch Press.

I'll also keep notes in spreadsheets with Excel or Google Sheets, and in text files using Sublime Text 3. I also use a Windows program called Memento, which lets me assign a hotkey to instantly bring up an always-on-top simple notepad window that I can type text into. It's really a great little app.

When and where do you write?

Mostly at cafes or libraries. I've tried coworking spaces and they just didn't provide me with anything I couldn't get from a cafe. I enjoy having a place where I'm in public and in "work mode". Though with the pandemic, I've just been writing from home in my office. I'll try to keep 9 to 5 hours, but really I'm writing whenever I can put myself in the mood, including evenings and weekends.

What's your dream writing setup?

I remember seeing The Matrix and the scene that shows Neo asleep at his computer. He has a one room apartment and a desk crowded with computer equipment. It's kind of dark and grimy. I thought, "That is what I want my workspace to be." And it pretty much is, except my space is cleaner and better lit. Still, the hacker noir vibe is strangely appealing to me.

Suzanne Palmer

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Suzanne Palmer, and I write primarily space-opera style Science Fiction, with occasional dips into Hard SF, Fantasy, and horror. My latest book is the third in the Finder Chronicles, THE SCAVENGER DOOR, which came out on Aug. 17th 2021 from DAW Books.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I primarily write on a Mac using MS Word, because it’s just simpler to write in manuscript format from the get-go and I’m used to it. That said, I’ve been known to be desperate enough to tinker with short excerpts in vi (I don’t recommend this.) I write fairly linearly, at least with first drafts, so the simpler the tool the better. I also tend to do a lot of adjacent diagrams, maps, and other visual stuff in Visio, and I run my own private wiki for worldbuilding info.

When and where do you write?

The actual physical act of writing I do mostly at home, especially since the pandemic started, though I used to occasionally gather with writer friends in coffee shops and cafes to write and toss ideas around. But, being very ADHD, a lot of the mental processes of writing just sort of run in the background all day long, and I solve a lot of plot problems while doing completely unrelated things. I have a full-time day job and kids, so I tend to write mostly in the evenings after dinner on weekdays, and whenever I can catch a few minutes on weekends. I function better with a certain amount of distraction, so I’m not dependent upon having long blocks of dedicated time or a fixed schedule.

What's your dream writing setup?

I would like a Star Trek-style replicator next to my desk that can give me hot tea and cupcakes at will. Also, a small robot that sighs louder and louder the longer I have social media open instead of writing, and throws things at me if I get into arguments on facebook. Failing all that, I really should just invest in a water cooler.

Thorsten Ball

Who are you, and what did you write?

​​My name is Thorsten Ball. I’m a software engineer and wrote Writing An Interpreter In Go and its sequel Writing A Compiler In Go.

I also publish blog posts at thorstenball.com - far less frequently than I’d like to.

What hardware and software do you write with?

With the exception of a comfortable chair (I have a Steelcase Gesture) I really don’t care about hardware when writing. I can write on my MacBook Pro, or on my Linux/Windows machine, or on any other computer and keyboard - as long as the keyboard layout is US ANSI, because that’s what I’m used to. I do have a mechanical keyboard (Durgod Taurus K320) and it feels nice, but I wouldn’t say it’s essential.

Software, now that’s important. Everything I write starts out as a Markdown file in Vim/Neovim. Bullet points at first, then sentences, then paragraphs. I edit as I go along: cut a sentence here, insert it over there, delete this word, replace that one, move this paragraph up, get rid of this bit here, that one over there, this whole thing and this one too.

Years ago I figured out that this is what keeps me productive: start with a rough – and I mean rough – draft, hammer it into shape. Never hesitate to put something on a blank page. It’s better to put something bad down now and edit it later than to hesitate and not write anything. It creates momentum.

Since writing to me is editing I can’t imagine writing with pen & paper. Frankly, I think all these articles praising the wonders of writing by hand reek of “kids will never know what it’s like with all of these affordances nowadays”. It’s stupid. We have computers now and they’re wonderful: copy & paste, undo & redo (or even undo trees), infinite space to put any idea down, builtin dictionaries, spell checkers. Take your pen and your paper and get out of here.

Speaking of dictionaries: I love the Dictionary on macOS. It allows you to search in multiple dictionaries at once. I can look up a word in Webster’s 1913 dictionary (which you should also consider using), in a thesaurus, in the Oxford dictionary, see its German translation, or what Wikipedia says about it.

Besides the editor and the dictionary there’s one other tool that I need to mention: Pandoc. I use it to convert Markdown files to PDF, HTML, ePub, Kindle. It’s fantastic. Don’t ask me about my specific Pandoc templates, though, because it’s an embarrassing pile of hacks that I got from googling LaTeX questions on top of the default Pandoc templates.

When and where do you write?

Preferably in the morning.

It’s not that I’m a morning person, it’s more that I’m not an evening or night person. I like to get stuff done as soon as possible, comfortably resting in the knowledge that I’m done for the day. Writing in the morning gives me that feeling and it creates, again, momentum. It’s important.

The other reason to write in the morning is that it’s an easier commitment to hold: less interruptions, less invitations. Everybody’s sleeping. You won’t have to fight to keep a daily 6:30-7:30 writing slot. In the evening, though, it’s going to take more effort to keep showing up.

Where I write doesn’t matter as much. I do have a dedicated office in our house that I use to write and program in the morning (and later in the day: work), but as long as there are no interruptions and I can sit comfortably (harder to achieve than one might think) I can write everywhere. Large parts of Writing An Interpreter In Go were written on trains, because I wrote on my daily commute (fixed schedule! in the morning!).

What's your dream writing setup?

My #1 dream: a fixed window of time in the morning to write. Three or four non-interruptible, non-movable, non-negotiable hours every day that I can use to do some writing and programming. Say every day from 6:30 to 9:30.

Would I use the whole time slot to write/program? Probably not. Sometimes you get three sentences and other times four pages. Each day is different. But there’s magic in reserving time to simply try to get something done.

Other than that I’d love to have a better dictionary. The dictionary on macOS is great, as I said, but I think it could be even better if it, for example, would allow me to look up words in books by specific authors and see how they used them in a sentence.

Rob Hart

Who are you, and what did you write?

My name is Rob Hart, and I wrote The Warehouse, which imagines what would happen if a massive online retail company—completely fictional, not based on any real company—essentially took over the US economy, then introduced a live-work model. With the way COVID went, with so many people working at home and relying on online retail to get stuff, I was something like three-quarters right in predicting a lot of stuff? Which… does not feel good!

What hardware and software do you write with?

I tend to work in Google Docs in the beginning stages—I have a file for each project I’m working on, because I usually have a couple of ideas bouncing around at a time. That’s where I drop notes, ideas, research, stuff like that. Then when I’m ready I move on to Microsoft Word. I appreciate Scrivener but could never wrap my head around it—too many bells and whistles. Word is the standard so I like to stick to that.

When and where do you write?

It used to be, I liked to do a lot of my writing while I was traveling, or at the Writer’s Room, which is a writing co-op in Manhattan. But these days, since travel and offices haven’t been an option, I work at home. I write full time, which I’m very lucky to do, but I also have a six-year-old daughter, so a lot of my writing time revolves around her. Being a dad has taught me to get the work in when I can.

What's your dream writing setup?

I’m not sure that I have one. I’ve always been happy to do the work where I need to do it. As long as I have some caffeine and something to type on and something to listen to, I’m pretty good to go.

Jer Thorp

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Jer Thorp, and I wrote Living in Data: A Citizen’s Guide to a Better Information Future.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I do most of my writing in Scrivener. I found it tremendously useful for collecting and organizing my research and then writing alongside it. I also really like the full-screen writing interface, which is calming and helps me to resist distraction. The biggest complaint I hear about Scrivener is that it has a learning curve, which is true but I think necessary for something that is built to handle such a complex task. A bicycle has a learning curve. So does a piano.

There are a series of graphics in the book, which were mostly made with Processing. One of the most interesting ones is this one in the second chapter, titled Let Them Fill The Space, Let Them Hang In The Air. It’s actually a screen capture from a tool that I built to understand the linguistic space around the word ‘data’. I then wrote the chapter around the analogy of words being placed (and moving around) in a space.

“Open the window and let the words in. Let them flow into the room in a stream, all of the words, hundreds of thousands of them, let them fill the space, let them hang in the air, tiny sparkling motes of language. Let them drift, and organize. Let them be carried by eddies of usage and syntax until they find a place to rest. When they’ve settled, when they’ve coated every surface like ash, get up and walk the room, see each word and its neighbors, read the room like a map.”

A piece of real hardware I depended on was a plastic bin full of index cards. Everytime I found a quote or an idea I liked, or came up with a question I couldn’t answer, I’d write it on a card and put it into the box. When I was ready to draft the final manuscript, I spent a few days transcribing these cards, which was a really nice way to get my thoughts together.

When and where do you write?

I wrote the book in a whole bunch of places over three years. The most productive times were probably the weeks I spent at The Carey Institute, for their Logan Nonfiction Fellowship. I’d go for very long walks in the woods and then come back in the late afternoon and get some solid hours of work done.

If there’s one thing I learned through this process it’s that my writing comes in waves. Sitting down on a still day and trying to get real work done is futile. Instead I’ve learned to use those days to read or organize thoughts, or to write on another project, or most often just to go out and spend the day walking.

In the beginning of the process with this book it was good to be writing every day, just to build up my strength and endurance for the process, but once I was fit I’d wait for the wave of inspiration to come, and make sure I was ready to catch it

What's your dream writing setup?

My favourite writing sessions for Living in Data happened in libraries. In the Map Reading Room at the New York Public Library, in a smoky old library in a house in upstate New York. I’m happy to be a library drifter. I’ll pack a small bag with my laptop, a good notebook, some even better pencils, and I’ll be ready to settle in.

Logan Ury

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m Logan Ury, I’m a behavioral scientist turned dating coach. I’m the Director of Relationship Science at Hinge. I recently wrote a book called How to Not Die Alone.

What hardware and software do you write with?

Right before I started writing in earnest, when I got my book advance, I bought a new MacBook Air and I wrote using that.

I wrote exclusively in Google Docs for the first eight months or so. I worked at Google for six years, so I’m a really big fan of their tools. Unfortunately, at some point the manuscript became too big and my files kept crashing. At that point I switched to Microsoft Word, which was what my editor / publisher insisted I use anyway. My advice is to start using Word from the beginning, just make sure you have the auto-save feature on.

For my research, I bought this voice recorder for in-person interviews. I once lost a week’s worth of critical interviews on the New York subway. I was devastated. I highly recommended recording backup files on your phone. I conducted and recorded remote interviews over Zoom. I used Rev.com for transcriptions.

I didn’t do an official outline, and it might have been helpful if I had. I had a sense of the questions I wanted to answer and how to set about answering them. By the end, though, my Google Drive was filled with many, many Google Docs of interviews and research - it was somewhat chaotic.

When and where do you write?

I’m definitely a morning person. I like to write early in the morning, from whenever I wake up to around 1 pm. After that it’s hard for me to be my most creative. That’s why I keep my mornings free and schedule more meetings and 1:1’s in the afternoon.

I wrote a lot of my book at my home office, which was basically a tiny porch the landlord converted to a sunroom. I also wrote many chunks of my book at the WeWork along the Embarcadero. That was probably my favorite month of working on my book — waking up early, eating breakfast, traveling to the Embarcadero, working from 9-3 on writing and editing, working out, and then going home or meeting up with friends feeling like I’d had an immensely productive day. (The worst part of a book is feeling like you’re always behind and didn’t work enough that day.)

What's your dream writing setup?

First of all, I really like to have the basics — a solid monitor, mouse, keyboard, chair, and computer. If your spacebar doesn’t work or your back hurts when you sit, it’s not going to be conducive to getting work done.

I did big chunks of my writing at different Airbnbs or friends’ houses. I really love working from different locations. One week I wrote alone in Mexico before a wedding there. Another week I worked alone from Austin. Another great writing session took place at my best friend’s beautiful apartment in the Marina. Getting out of my house and routine, not making any social plans, and dedicating myself solely to writing is my favorite way to work. Just writing this right now makes me nostalgic for this work trips!

Aimee Lucido

Who are you, and what did you write?

My name is Aimee Lucido and I am the author of EMMY IN THE KEY OF CODE and the upcoming RECIPE FOR DISASTER.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I write with a combination of Microsoft Word and Scrivener. Which one I use depends on the type of project and where I am in the process.

When and where do you write?

I write almost exclusively on the couch in my living room, but the “when” really changes from day to day, project to project. Lately I’ve been writing in the mornings, as soon as I’ve had my breakfast and open my computer, but sometimes I’ll procrastinate my writing times to the afternoons. And sometimes I’ll have weeks when I don’t write at all!

What's your dream writing setup?

As long as I have my laptop and a couch of some sort, I’m pretty happy. I need quiet, at least 30 minutes or so uninterrupted, but I’m not too picky about the when and the where.

Brian Dear

Who are you, and what did you write?

I'm Brian Dear, author of "The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold Story of the PLATO System and the Dawn of Cyberculture," published by Pantheon Books in 2017. In addition to this book I've founded a number of tech startup companies going back to Coconut Computing in 1987, and later companies like Flatworks, Eventful, and Nettle. I've also held management positions at RealNetworks, eBay, and MP3.com. For the past four years I've been working on another narrative nonfiction writing project related to Tesla and the global transition to EVs.

What hardware and software do you write with?

I blogged about this back in 2013 so I'll start with a reference to what I wrote then.

Here is a more detailed writeup:

Started jotting notes on the book back in 1985 on a Zenith Z150 PC using MSDOS and WordPerfect to type up interview transcripts recorded on a cassette tape recorder. Moved to NeXTSTEP on a NeXTCube in 1991, working in Framemaker but mostly using TextEdit for text. Eventually moved to Macbook Pros running MacOSX (they last about 3 years each, I’ve found, so I’ve had about 6 or 7 since 2000) and write using primarily TextEdit for doing transcripts and all the other text. Occasionally used BBEdit or TextWrangler but primarily TextEdit.

Somewhere around 2002 I migrated away from cassettes to hand-held digital recorders, with MP3 or WAV files as the output. I did interviews from 1985 all the way through 2016. And then eventually got the virtually unknown but insanely helpful Transcriva app on Mac which proved to be a lifesaver in transcribing interviews. Feed it a video or a WAV or MP3 and play/pause while typing the transcript with timestamps, names of each person speaking, etc. I converted boxes and boxes of old interview cassette tapes to MP3 files and used Transcriva for years, just typing away doing transcripts. All in all many hundred interviews were processed, in addition to countless hundreds more email interviews I conducted over the decades. Alas, the indie developer of Transcriva went on to other things, and I haven’t been able to upgrade MacOS for a few years because the second I do, I will no longer be able to run Transcriva since it doesn’t run in 64-bit mode. Another example of why I avoid specialized software apps; they always let you down in the end.

As for organizing all the material, I simply used the Mac's filesystem to create directories and subdirectories for interview transcripts, text file archives of ancient PLATO notesfiles (online forums), AV files (audio, video, images), documents on PLATO hardware, software, PLATO lessons, issues, places, eras, other things going on in computer history, and countless other topics, as well as a huge "People" directory with a gazillion subdirectories for every person I was writing about and many I just was tracking. The whole thing was hundreds of gigabytes.

One app I found indispensable—EasyFind on Mac. I shunned Spotlight because I didn’t trust Apple to be reliable (I was proven right) and used EasyFind to brute-force text-search stuff. Did great and was plenty fast.

The book project also wound up having well over 13,000 emails from 1996 onwards, and those along with the interview transcripts were by far the two most important fully-searchable text-bases I had for the book research. Could not have done the book without all the supportive, helpful emails from thousands of people who shared insights, memories, stories, documents, images, etc.

History of backups: initially done via 5 1/4" floppies, then 3 1/2" floppies, then ZIP drives, then magneto-optical drives (for NeXT computer), then external drives ever since, as well as via cloud backups since oh, 2010 or so. I am hyper about backups.

How I organized the manuscript: had a big Manuscript filesystem directory with one subdirectory per chapter inside. Also in the main Manuscript directory were various drafts of an Outline text file, in which I kept working on the organization of the book. Inside each chapter subdirectory were miscellaneous drafts of the text, plus an OmniOutliner outline text file for the chapter, as well as a big "Slush" subdirectory for literally anything and everything (text files, save web pages, images, etc) potentially relevant to a given chapter. With OmniOutliner I would copy and paste all sorts of things (text, notes, all the interview transcripts relevant to that chapter, PDFs, images, whole web pages) from the raw slush subdirectory, and then start laying out an outline for the chapter. I also would redline the transcripts where I wanted to quote from, then pull those sections out and paste 'em somewhere in the outline where it seemed appropriate.

All this went on for years and years. Eventually I had a solid outline for the book, as well as solid outlines for each individual chapter. (Well actually the “book" was going to be three books, totalling about 2000 pages but the publisher laughed at that; so what were Books 1, 2, and 3 became Parts I, II, and III in the final 640-pg single volume.)

From 2008 onwards I used the Mac version of Microsoft Word for the manuscript. Not a fan of Word but it's what publishers require. Always created separate files for each chapter. Only at the point I was submitting a new draft to the editor would I create a single Word file and copy and paste all the separate chapters into the one file, then clean up the formatting to make sure it complied with all the publisher’s strict formatting rules (Times Roman, 12pt, double space, etc etc). The TFOG manuscript was supposed to be 150,000 words but it wound up being 229,000. We cut it down to 209,000 after a couple of intense months of editing and we shipped that. I think my acknowledgements section has more thank-yous to specifically-named individuals than any other book in history :-)

When and where do you write?

I wrote The Friendly Orange Glow all day long, morning, noon, and night. No particular pattern like some Famous Authors (“I get up at 5, drink my coffee, then write until 11” — not me). The last six months of writing, in 2016, are still a blur. I just entered a "zone" and tried to stay in it for months on end. It was the only way to get the manuscript done and to the publisher on time. I still do all of my writing on a Macbook Pro (with 30" CinemaDisplay) while I'm seated in an Aeron chair at a big Amazon door desk (google it) which I bought in Seattle in 1997 after seeing the desks all over Amazon’s offices.

What's your dream writing setup?

Having written is the dream! Everything else is hell. :-) Other than a Mac, TextEdit, quiet, a daylight window next to the desk, and a comfortable chair, the setup is no big deal imho.

Pooja Reddy

Who are you, and what did you write?

I’m a 28 year old woman who lives in Brooklyn, and I am an aspiring storyteller (but I also work in product management in tech). I wrote a children’s book called The Big Bold Blue, and it’s about a little boy who learns to be brave and do big, bold things!

What hardware and software do you write with?

Google docs on a Macbook Pro!! And the Notes app on my iPhone.

When and where do you write?

I use the Notes app on my phone to jot down phrases and paragraphs in various locations, since you never know when inspiration will strike. Besides that, I write on my laptop on weekday nights, with nice mood lighting from a lamp nearby.

What's your dream writing setup?

I would really love some way to write quickly without having to stare at a bright screen. My workday is full of screens, so it’s nice to unplug and get a little romantic with writing after work. The laptop screen really kills that romantic vibe. I suppose I’m describing a typewriter, but with a better keyboard and some sort of way to quickly edit the paper. If anyone reading this is inclined to build this, please let me know -- I will be your first customer!

And in terms of the environment, I think my dream would be to write in a steamy, candle-lit hammam for hours. Like I said, romance.