Favorite Reading & Writing Tips, Tools, & Hacks
Living a life filled with the joy of reading and writing takes effort and intention, but it’s so worth it. I believe that we’re made to be creative beings—no matter what way we choose to be creative, whether it’s with words on the page, paint on a canvas, seeds in the ground, or decorations on a holiday table.
This post is a big list of rhythms, routines, hacks, books, tools, and places that nurture and support my passion for the written word. Of course, my reading and writing life might seem like it’s on steroids, but just one or two of these tips and tricks could be just the thing that enhances your creative life.
I hope these items inspire you to get words on the page…or at least read fabulous words with the beverage of your choice beside a cozy fire. Because here’s something I know by heart: reading is the gateway to writing. Plus, the more you enjoy reading and writing or find ways to create space in your schedule for creative pursuits, the more you’ll do it.
That’s a big deal because reading and writing make life better. An even bigger bonus is if your kids see you loving reading and writing, it’s more likely that they will love the process, too. And that, my friends, is what I’m all about!
While this is a list of resources that work for me, we all need to discover what works best for us. There is no one right way to live a creative life. I hope you will let me know your favorites so this list reflects what you love, too!
One housekeeping note: I’m limiting each section to my top three favorites. If you want a deeper dive, click on buttons at the bottom of each section.
Books
Writing for Adults
On Writing by Stephen King
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Writing for Kids
The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli
Hey World, Here I Am by Jean Little
A Writing Kind of Day by Ralph Fletcher
Keeping Nature Journals
A Life in Hand by Hannah Hinchman
The Naturalist’s Notebook by Nathaniel T. Wheelwright and Bernd Heinrich
The Law’s Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws
Writing Haiku
Writing and Enjoying Haiku by Jane Reichhold
Haiku the Sacred Art by Margaret D. McGee
Write Your Own Haiku by Patricia Donegan (for kids but it’s a great adult guide, too)
About Reading
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Swhwallbe
My Ideal Bookshelf by Jane Mount and Thessaly La Force
I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel (Anne Bogel also does the What Should I Read Next Podcast and the Modern Mrs. Darcy Website.)
reading life
Read books with other people.
I’m a member of three book clubs that broaden my reading selections and make reading a social event at the same time. For me, being locked into a regular monthly meeting is often hard to sustain. I like book clubs with flexibility. I like reading what I choose mixed with the selections of others. I like the emphasis on book talk more than drinking wine and chatting. Know your reading self and that makes choosing the type of book club you want most effective. On the other hand, there’s no rule that says you must be in a book club!
Make reading appointments with yourself.
I always read when I get in bed at night, but I’m super tired and fall asleep pretty fast without turning many pages.
During trips, my favorite part of the day is waking up early, making coffee, and reading while everyone else is still sleeping. For some reason, I feel guilty doing this when I’m not on vacation. I’d love to make this part of my everyday rhythm and routine.
Here are suggestions:
Set a twenty-minute reading timer once a day.
Schedule a solo reading lunch. What a treat!
Replace scrolling and TV watching with reading.
Go on a reading retreat with or without friends.
This is an aspirational goal for me in 2024. I heard about reading retreats on this episode of the Currently Reading Podcast. (Explanation and schedule for the retreat start at minute 34.) This isn’t paying someone to lead a retreat for you. It’s a gathering of your own making with some structure that encourages a lot of reading and talking about books. What a great idea.
Writing Life
Be ok with writing in the margins of your busy life.
We just need consistent time to write, but it can be fifteen minutes here and there if that’s what’s available in this season of life. One of the reasons writing haiku works for me is that it’s fast. I get all the benefits of the writing process in a short burst of writing. I’ll take it for now.
Write on your phone.
While many of us are trying to use our phones less, on a practical note, they are always with us.
Lots of people write in the NOTES app. You can also use the microphone to record what you want to write.
Since I write a lot of haiku, this works well for me. When I notice a haiku moment, I snap a photo. Add the haiku text, and post on Instagram. Fast and easy. Saved. Maybe I’ll get some interaction with people who follow my account. Sometimes, I download the photos into a Canva book template and get it printed.
Keep a wonder book.
This is a spiral notebook that’s always with me. It’s decidedly NOT a precious journal. It’s going to get smashed into an overfilled tote bag. The pages have to be big enough for messy, not yet fully formed ideas that need room to grow. My loopy cursive handwriting needs space.
When I get to the last page, I set aside time to review the entire journal. If there’s something I want to save, I pull out the page and file it, or clip it into a binder that matches the subject matter. Then, I dump the journal and start a new one.
I used to prefer cheap college-ruled spirals from Target, but lately, I am loving heavier weight paper (like 70 lbs) because my pen just flies across those smooth pages.
Here’s what I write in my wonder book:
Course outlines
Personal goals
Writing ideas
Class notes
Rough drafts
Quotes
Questions
Lists about anything and everything
tools
NOTE: I hesitate to include this list because reading and writing tools are such a personal decision. It’s like picking shoes. Only you know if it fits, but here’s what works for me.
Journals
Juliana Tipton journal from Fringe This is my current GO-TO spiral journal that I use for my daily wonder book. I have stockpiled these because I love the size (5” by 8”) and how my pen glides across the page. Pages are not perforated.
Mint Bouquet Spiral Notebook from Magnolia. These are pricey ($28), but I LOVE these too. The cover is sturdy linen. The size is great (9.5" x 7.5"), 70 lb paper and the pages are perforated.
TUL Discbound Notebooks I love the various types of sizes and colors of these notebooks. It’s so easy to remove and add pages.
Pens/Pencils
Uniball Vision Elite (0.7) This is my absolute favorite pen. I don’t write with anything else.
Bic 0.7 Ecolutions Mechanical Pencils If I have to use a pencil.
Mildiners These are double-tipped highlighters that don’t bleed through the page.
Easily Portable Electronic Devices
My favorite away-from-home writing combination is Google Docs, my iPad, and this foldable keyboard. In a pinch, I can use Google Docs on my phone with the keyboard, and everything fits in my purse.
Apps and Subscriptions
I love Canva! I use it all the time for making graphics and journal templates. I happily pay for the professional version, but you can start for free.
Substack A lot of writers (including me!) are moving their newsletters and essays to this platform (away from or in combination with social media). It’s a great place to find reading and writing inspiration.
Miscellaneous
Book Darts These come in a cute tin. I use these in my Full Focus Planner more than marking passages in books.
Poster Size Post-it Pads I use these for planning projects and classes on my office closet doors.
Post-it tabs These are my favorite bookmarks. I have a big collection of fancy bookmarks, but they fall out of my books.
life hacks
These are routines and rhythms that help create more space in my day for writing and reading—or basic sanity and healthy movement—which are also essential ingredients of the creative life.
Cooking
I plan a week’s worth of menus so I visit the grocery store once a week.
I like the capsule meal planning approach, explained HERE.
Often, I double recipes so the next night is leftovers and I don’t have to cook again.
Appliance
Dyson V8 Cordless Vacuum This is my favorite appliance ever. It’s so easy to pull out and do a quick cleanup. You do need a spot for charging it and we’ve had to replace the battery several times (not cheap), but it’s worth it.
Hobbies
I like hobbies that give me time to ponder life and writing ideas. I’m making an effort NOT to listen to podcasts when I’m doing these activities so my brain has a rest from constant input and thoughts can wander around as they like. I believe down to my bones that creative people need moments of empty space in their heads on the regular.
Anything Outside: Gardening, hiking, walking
Crafts: Cross stitch and Zentangles
Dancing and singing at concerts
That’s it! I hope you discovered a book, tool, tip, and/or life hack that will help you live a creative life more fully in 2024. Let me know your favorites. I’ll try them and add them to this list which will be updated every January.
May the coming year be filled with your best reading and writing moments ever.