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Dan Lyndon's avatar

One of the most underrated things is the kind of tool you use to physically do the writing on. Using a laptop for long-form writing – with its many distractions, harsh blue light and shallow keys – is like wearing flip-flops to climb a cliff face. Something like a Freewrite or a Micro Journal, or even a typewriter, would be a lot better in that respect. Even just a decent mechanical keyboard goes a long way to making the process more comfortable. It's about improving ergonomics for the hands, eyes, and mind.

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Takim Williams's avatar

This is super helpful Noor! For years my biggest obstacle has been "I don't know what to write," but typically in the sense of having too many ideas, not too few. But I think some of the solutions are the same. Getting ideas organized with a system like PARA is a way to tame the noise and soothe the analysis paralysis by ensuring I'll eventually come back to any meaningful ideas, even if it's years down the line, giving my brain permission to focus and commit to one in the present.

This same thinking is why I've made my novel pipeline public. Check it out on my sit if you're curious! https://www.takim10yearsovernight.com/

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