GIFTS FOR WRITERS | treat yo self or your writer friends! 🎁
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- Since the number one question I get asked is where I got my keyboard, I figured it was time to share all my favorite writing tools!! Software, desk accessories, craft books, knick knacks, and more! (Also pleeeease recommend me your comfiest, most beloved desk chair.)
L I N K S M E N T I O N E D :
*My Ubotie keyboard: amzn.to/3EQJ6yq
*My laptop stand (helpful to keep from hunching): amzn.to/3ETxtH7
*Wrist rest with cooling gel: amzn.to/3XrBlqb
*Wrist brace to help with carpal tunnel!!: amzn.to/3En6zFW
The writer's clock (from the Women's Fiction Writer Association!!): www.zazzle.com...
*My absolute favorite notebooks, the only ones I've ever filled in all the way bahaha: amzn.to/3tR4JbD
*The desk organizer with all the storage: amzn.to/3ETyxuB
*Silly little quill to make writing by hand more fun: amzn.to/3gyl9Tb
My partner also recommended, just for writing, that you find any monitor from a reputable company (Asus, Dell, etc.) and buy it on sale. He said those will be good enough. And he also recommends not going too big!
NaNoWriMo's website with the goodies for participants and winners: nanowrimo.org/...
Campfire: www.campfirewr...
Scrivener: www.literature...
Aeon Timeline: timeline.app
*Save the Cat Writes a Novel: amzn.to/3tO44YC
*Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting: amzn.to/3tXxRxP
*Steering the Craft: amzn.to/3OHPhsd
*Romancing the Beat: amzn.to/3hTQuA2
*My Canon camera (with lens): amzn.to/3V0sNVA
*The ring light and stand (it's cheaper now than when I paid for it a few months ago!): amzn.to/3XmiJHX
*The JOBY gorillapod (they also have some for phones and not just DSLRs but I haven't tried those yet!): amzn.to/3hTRh3Y
The lava lamp (it looks like it's not on sale right now, so you could probably try back in a few days lol): www.target.com...
**Some of the above are affiliate links! This helps me grow the channel without any additional cost to you. Feel free to use them or ignore! :)
D I S C U S S I O N Q U E S T I O N S :
What are you looking forward to gifting or receiving this holiday/spending season?
What's the number one writing tool you swear by?
F I N D M E O N L I N E :
❤️ Instagram: / katecavanaughwrites
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💛 Twitch: twitch.tv/katecavanaughwrites
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Writing book: Craft in the real world (super insightful and unique). Although it's written for people in writing workshops, the insights into overturning your culture's limitations are pretty mind blowing.
I LOVE CRAFT IN THE REAL WORLD! I own a copy and definitely think everyone should read it if they’re ever interested in exchanging work or giving/receiving feedback.
For pen recommendations, I LOVE the Energel Liquid gel ink with a needle tip of 0.7 by Pental! It writes so smooth and it's now the only pen I use.
i second this, but only use the metal barrels!
You're going to see me in future vlogs just randomly testing all the new pens I get bahaha.
Just for another recommendation. I have no idea if handedness makes a difference but I am a left-handed person and the pilot precise V7 is the only one I will use these days
@@KateCavanaugh hahaha I would love to see it 😂
The sharpie no smudge ones are also so good and efficient!
I love that your outfit matches your keyboard today!
Hehe thank you!! That sort of light purple, almost lilac, is one of my favorite colors!!
Vertical mouse! Vertical mouse! I can't screech about this enough. It has made such an amazing difference in my radial wrist pain. If I'm achey from laptopping and I go sit at my desk with the mouse, the pain lessens 😅
Oooooh okay I will look into this!!!
How well did you adjust to using one? I have one, but I only use it sometimes because I find it awkward. I guess it's just because I'm not used to the shape.
@@mrandisg I found it pretty seamless! I went for one by Logi (Logitech) and it was comfortable from the get go
@@AnnaRobbinsWrites Logitech is a good brand. Mine's Microsoft. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or it's just me lol
My family does Secret Santa every year and I got my dad, who shares my love of writing, so this video gave me lots of great suggestions. Thanks!
Awww yay, I'm so glad. Also love a family that does Secret Santa, that's so cool! How often do you and your dad talk stories to each other??
@@KateCavanaugh We like to chat about our WIPs weekly. I convinced him to join me in Nanowrimo for the first time this year, and he's doing great!
Fountain pens! If you’re dealing with hand fatigue they help so much! Lamy and pilot make inexpensive ones.
Secret Lab chairs are phenomenal. I can sit cross-legged, like Gollum, and I even sometimes tilt it back so I'm lying down while I'm reading at my desk while listening to youtube asmr lol. It moves smoothly on the carpet and I use it for sitting and working as well as crafting. I could be a spokesperson, but honestly, I can't recommend it enough.
Wrist problems can be reduced by not resting the wrists on a rest while typing. I learned to type on actual typewriters, which require a healthier wrist alignment. I carried the typewriter habits over to the computer keyboard and have been typing for over 45 years with no wrist problems. True story. If you or a friend have a manual typewriter, give that a try just to see how it feels. Great video!
I went to a used office furniture store and got a Steelcase Criterion chair, exactly the same as the one I used in my day job, because I knew from experience just how good it was.
I ❤️ FriXion gel pens because they write nicely and erase sooooo well. They come in multiple colors.
Yes! I love them too! I eventually want to get one in every tip size, color, and type they have! I also love their highlighters, fineliners, and markers!
For the chair, I recommend a brand called Fantasy Lab. It's on Amazon, and it's a dupe of Secret Lab. I recently got one for my son to replace his worn-out Secret Lab Titan (which he'd had for several years but one of the arms recently broke), and so far it's working great for him. Like you, he likes to sit cross-legged sometimes, and this chair allows for that. His is a big-and-tall model with a weight capacity far beyond what he actually needs, but he chose that on purpose for the guarantee of sturdiness, which is not a bad strategy! This chair was about 1/3 of the price of the Secret Lab, so definitely a good pick! I plan to get one for myself in the future. I would also recommend the Secret Lab itself, considering how long his lasted before it broke. However, the Fantasy Lab is a more budget-friendly option that, IMO, seems just as good in quality.
I have two recs for pens: Pilot Frixion and Pilot G2. I can't recommend Frixion enough! The ability to erase like a pencil (but neater!) with the smoothness of a gel pen. I love it! The only downside: you can't leave it in a hot car or too close to a heat source, or you'll lose what you wrote. You can sometimes salvage them by putting them in the freezer for a bit, though, so there's that. For everyday use, though, it's awesome! The G2 comes in clutch for those times when you can't use an erasable pen (such as check writing) or you want to make sure you don't lose your writing to heat. I personally like the bold tip (1.0), but the 0.7 and 0.5 are nice as well.
Hope these help! 😊 And I will definitely be checking out that monitor riser! 😁
The very first video of yours I ever watched I fell in love with your keyboard! I think “purple rainbow keyboard” ended up being the search term I used on Amazon to get it to come up 😄 I thought about making that my reward for winning Nano, but I knew my husband would appreciate a super easy Christmas gift idea for me….I’ve been dropping massive hints. So hopefully not too much longer too wait! Some of my favorite pens that have actually surprised me with how well they work are the erasable gel pens. I’ve used the Parkoo brand and the FriXion brand. They have lots of different colors, and the eraser part actually does work.
Ahahaha, I love that! I'm just imagining you walk into a room like "SIGH if only I had a purple rainbow keyboard that could be found and purchased at this exact web address," and then leave
And oooh I'll have to look into those pens! I've used erasable pens once before and felt like magic so maybe I need to get some more.
Hi Kate, if you have an iPad or iPhone, I cannot recommend the Goodnotes app more highly. You can upload PDF notebooks WITH all the various papers, colors, dividers, stickers, planners and much much more and then thePDFis an actual notebook or planner on your iPad which you can write on with various pen strokes and colors with an appropriate stylus or an iPad Pencil. I've downloaded some planners and notebooks as well as stickers from Etsy (quite cheaply) and I'm having a GREAT time with it!
Love it! A few years ago my partner got me a salt lamp that changes colors for my desk. So it's basically a gamer salt lamp but I always turn it on when I write! I'll definitely be asking for that keyboard! I love the sounds
OMGGGGG THAT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE. Cut to a year from now and my desk is just filled with lava and salt lamps bahah. I'm gonna have to look that up!
And yessss, there's something really nice about adding "turn lava lamp on" into my writing rhythm.
Be careful with salt lamps if you have a cat and cover that up when you're not in the room.
If you like fountain pens, Lamy makes great ones that are relatively inexpensive. I absolutely love my Lamy AL-Star, so much that I bought a second one just to have two different colors lol. The Safari is basically the same pen, just made of ABS plastic instead of aluminum. I have refillable ink cartridges and I use Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink, which is really good, once it dries it’s impossible to smudge even if you get water on the page. I also use a medium nib on my pens, because I’m left-handed and a fine nib is kind of scratchy, and the medium just flows across the page better. It’s like the difference between 0.5mm and 0.7mm pencil lead.
I’m a huge fan of writing with an Alphasmart Neo for distraction-free writing sessions. I actually took mine apart and painted the case and all the key caps just to make it a little prettier, and I was learning touch typing at the time so painting over the key caps actually helped with that since I literally couldn’t cheat by looking at the keyboard lol.
For computer software, I would really recommend looking into Obsidian. I used to use Notion but I didn’t like how all your stuff is in the cloud and you don’t have actual files, so if Notion closes down someday you could lose all your work. Obsidian uses markdown text files, so if someday the program isn’t supported anymore you can still open the files with any word processor, even notepad. It has a lot of similar functionality as Notion, and there’s a really strong community around it making plugins and tutorials. I think Notion is still better at database type stuff, like making tables and charts, but for linked note taking Obsidian is fantastic. I actually got it because I was looking for a “story bible” software to set up a personal wiki, and it’s great for that too since you can use wiki-style links between notes.
One good writer gift you didn’t mention is, candles! Haha a lot of us like to light a candle when we sit down to write as a little cue to our brains “hey it’s writing time now.” This can be a great way to support local small businesses, I guarantee if you go to just about any local market there will be someone there selling homemade soy candles that smell better and are better for you than big brand candle stores.
Definitely going to pick up Romancing the Beat! I’ve never written a romance book before but I love romance and I’d like to try writing it.
I clicked on that notification with the speed of light. I love your videos lol
Aww thank you so much! :) totally put a smile on my face, I appreciate it!
Hehe, I absolutely asked about that keyboard and then found it on Amazon. I didn't realise I was part of a movement.
Getting a mechanical keyboard turned out to be so motivating for me. It made the act of sitting down and writing every day so much more fun!
I WFH and I use the IKEA "JÄRVFJÄLLET" office chair. A bit expensive but worth it for my back. You can choose to mount or not the arm rests so you can just not mount them to sit cross legged.
Gaming chair has the best back support.
I really want another video on how you use scrivener and set it up. I bet it's changed a little since your last one. Pretty pretty pleaseeee!!
For pen recommendations - I recently found the Ohto Fude Ball 1.5mm Rollerball Pens (purchased from both JetPens and Amazon). They have a very thick line and are soooo soft and smooth!
If you are interested in other fancy and fun pens, things like glass dip pens (also from Jetpens) are fun to play with! And there are so many cool inks to play with out there!
We use Fifine mics and love them! They're great and don't break the bank.
I just got a new chair for my birthday present in October. It is the Union & Scale FlexFit Hyken Mesh Task Chair from Staples I think early in their office chair sale. It is still on sale and you can get it in black, grey, or red. And Staples have other chairs on sale right now. However, I was thinking about the Emerge Vortex Bonded Leather Gaming Chair but it wouldn't fit underneath my desk.
I love how "clickety-clacky" your keyboard is! Ooh, and it comes in pink!
I don't know if it will suit you, but I use a backless yoga meditation chair on a low profile table because I sit cross-legged in every chair anyway, so it's just best for me because otherwise I have to deal with arm rests or floppy chairs. The low-profile table is the right height so that I can sit comfortable and upright at my desk naturally and then I have a monitor stand and vesa mount to adjust my monitors to an ergonomic height. I also use a Macbook Pro and when I use it connected my monitors it is either not used as my main screen because that would force me to look down, or it is closed and in a charging stand used like a desktop (aka I have 3 screens with my laptop opened and 2 screens with my laptop is used "like a desktop") and I use my magic trackpad and a clicky-clacky, blue-key, mechanical keyboard when it's closed.
I'm going on 39 and I still do not have carpal tunnel (have never needed a wrist brace) and I've worked at a desk as my main job for nearly 20 years and remotely at my own desk for the last 10 - cross-legged and backless has been the best for me for the last 5 years. It's not ideal getting in and out of, but I spend many hours "in the zone" and have never been more comfortable. I've had less lower back issues since switching to this set up as well.
This is the chair I use: www.amazon.com/dp/B06XQZQKDK/ref=twister_B072MYF5ST?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
And I use a long sturdy wood and iron wrought table that is ~ 14" tall (think like a coffee table)
I've had this set up for years now but now there are adjustable height cross-legged chairs that I would consider in the future, like this one: www.amazon.com/Cross-Legged-kneeing-Lovers-Fitness-Fanatics/dp/B08PZ1RS25 although I do like having "knee rests" with the meditation chair.
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I've abandoned all paper products as well and invested in a 12.9 iPad Pro. It just makes travel easier and I exclusively use the Notes App and have my Macbook Pro, iPad Pro, and iPhone linked together.
Mirra 2 Herman Miller Chair. It can be ordered with some customized features. ("Nature abhors a vacuum" may be the saying you were looking for?)
for chair recs: i recommend ergonomic chairs! super good for your posture and really comfy :) i don't have any specific recs, but there are loads for different price ranges and styles.
Hurray! a new vlog! RE: the naked battery in the clock...I have a different battery-powered clock, and it too has a naked battery, so I suspect the clock came that way.
So much fun to tour your desk! LOL You are much tidier than I am. I also have two screens going at once, and sometimes three (the iPad or the tv screen used with a laptop). Thanks for a cheerful pick-me-up this Tuesday morning. Love you!
The only pens I use are Artline200 Fine 0.4 Black. In my opinion they are just the best!
One day I will have a Secret Lab chair! Oh, I can't wait. My studio is a chair rammed against a wall with no space. Nearly 3 years in now. I CAN'T wait to get a studio with a great chair! Good video, thank you. I will add it to our useful videos channel. 😃
Purple is my favorite color
For a chair recommendation: I love my mullfjället rolling deskchair from ikea. It looks very classy and feminine, sits like a dream and the covers (cushion, back ánd armrest covers) are washable in your machine, for those ink or pencil marks
Secret Lab chairs, specifically the Titan, has a large seat that makes it nice to sit cross-legged.
My pen recommendations are the Uniball Signo Dx in blue or black, Papermate Inkjoy pens (both of those are very smooth and don't smear too much in my experience as a left handed writer), and Pentel Slicci (this one has a really fine line which I love for writing) I love your channel by the way! Hope you're doing well!
I love campfire!!!!! I used it to keep things straight in , believe it or not, a big fanfic I’m slowly writing.
I bought that keyboard because of your videos! It makes a wonderful sound.
30+ club!!! We living it up over here!! I too am looking for a chair. Preferebly one that can be raised high as my desk is pretty high. Love this list you got here, might be getting some of these things. I want a light up keyboard for sure!
I want a bingbag chair so bad 😂
OMG YES bahahah. I’ve also been feeling the pull for a bean bag chair. Truly just all the throwbacks, I’m in.
langfjall chairs from ikea. you can customize them to how you like since its modular. i also sit like a pretzel, so i have the one with no arms.
Ahhh thank you for the rec! I'm definitely going to start describing it as sitting like a pretzel from now on bahaha.
I absolutely love my Secret Lab chair. I only have one now as they had a huge discount on the 2020 version of a particular style, one that is not my style, but I sit in it and as of right now no one else sees it on camera. There is a purple one that I just love the look of now. If you arrange the arms right you can sit with your legs crossed. My husband set mine up and I need to do some adjustments.
Some of the books you mentioned are now going on my wish list. :)
So I've had my gamer chair since 2020 when the lockdown in Mexico began (around February) and so far it has been one of the best investments as a freelancer. If you can find it is a ThunderX3 RC3-HEX.
Keep in mind that if you're a short person like me (I'm 1.52 mts tall, around 5.08 ft) you're going to need something additional for your feet such as a wood rack because your legs should form a 90º angle when you put your feet on the floor.
With that detail out of the way (because is not the chair's fault but mine for being short 😅) a gaming chair is the best thing for your back. I wouldn't go with a fancy office chair, I had worked with those in the past and tend to break quite easily.
I have a snowball standing mic on my desk for voice calls and its pretty good and also one of the more affordable microphones, altho not suited for like, more mobile vlogging.
Secret Lab chairs are the best - spendy but not Steelcase expensive. Believe they are meant to be gamer chairs but I use for my home office where I sit and type all day long
Oooh okay another vote for secret lab chairs! Thank you for the rec, I'm looking them up now!! I like that you can custom build some of the elements/finishes.
I vote for them as well. I don't have one but one of my favorite BookTubers BookNest has one of their chairs (it was bought for her by her company). And SHE LOVES IT
Love your screen-to-face demonstration ... 9:42 😂 It's giving me "ergonomics in the workplace instructional video from the 90's" vibes and I am here for it lol
Hehehehehe totally the vibe.
I love my SecretLab Titan chair! Would definitely recommend.
I have a typewriter style keyboard, and I *LOVE* it but as much writing as Ive been doing the clacking is driving me insane, haha, so I switched to a basic small raised keys board and ordered a gaming keyboard with quiet keys. As an author, I collect notebooks, but I have informed my husband that I will also be starting a collection of keyboards, too! :)
Gosh I love when ppl ask for pen recs 😂😂 I am a big fan of the Zebra Sarasa 0.7 black pen, and am super in love with the pen tel EnerGel 0.7 PURPLE pens!!
I recommend an ergonomic mesh-back chair over gamer chairs, I find them much more supportive and comfortable! And most importantly, they're "breathable" in the summer! I live in SoCal and even with the AC on, I would always get sweat-glued to my old vinyl gamer chair and have to peel my legs off. 😵💦 If you get a "DIY/build-it-yourself" one, you can leave the arm rests off so you have the room to sit cross-legged.
Pilot G2. Best basic pens on the market imo. Really smooth ink that doesn't smear. (Thus, good for lefties too!) Or if you want fun pens, another Pilot gem is the Metropolitan. It's very cheap for a fountain pen but it's somehow also great quality. Best pen for beginners and a staple for everyone. Basically if the pen is made by Pilot, you can trust the quality.
i promise im not secretly a pilot rep lmao i just have a lot of opinions on pens
For microphone, I recommend the brand Blue. The Yeti is what my fiancé has and it sounds really clean. I’m thinking of getting the Snowball because I was so impressed with their quality. I don’t think you need one (your audio sounds fine to me), but if you’re looking into it, that’s what I’d go with. I also bought the green version of the keyboard month ago and am in LOVE 😍
good ideas.
I just got my gamer chair from Amazon. I highly recommend getting one where the armrests are moveable due to different desk heights.
I use a Rode microphone for my camera.
Kate, picking up on your writing guides. Bought myself the book; "How to write a damn good novel, by James N. Frey." Think it was first published in 1987. A guide to writing dramatic fiction.
In terms of chair recommendations, I know they're expensive, but I love my Herman Miller office chair. I invested in it when I went fully remote for work and just love it to pieces. I have the logitech x embody chair, but the embody is pretty much exactly the same.
My partner purchased Herman Miller at the start of remote work and swears by it! I’m hoping to find something a little less expensive but I do know that you get what you pay for when it comes to chairs!!
I've been waiting for this video for soooo long! I'm looking for a chair, so I'm going to check out the suggestions.
Yesssss, there have been so many great ones in the comments!
keyboard looks like something you want to get
I'm always being called out by my lizard brain for liking shiny, pretty, colourful things way way WAY too much.
Chair recommendation - I was planning on buying a chair off wayfair for £160 but it looked flimsy to say the least, so I dug a bit into my savings and bought a secret lab titan Evo 2022 Series chair in the colour cookies and cream, and the size as regular. I'm only 5ft but I chose the regular instead of the small so I could cross my legs on it- which works. It's been such a good investment, especially as a writer when you're going to be sat down a lot. I also have chronic pain and it's been really beneficial for me personally. Hope this helps :)
Edit: it will also help with posture and back problems!
Ahhh thank you for the recommendation!! I know, good chairs are NOT cheap, definitely going to be digging into some savings for it, but it feels like a smart investment in the long run. Glad you found something that worked for you and allows you to cross your legs! I'm looking it up now,. :)
Azio makes some beautiful retro keyboards ... the only downside is, they're not cheap. I got mine on sale so it was (I think) around $130. It's definitly a splurge purchase but totally worth it 😅
Oh wow!!! If I ever decide to level up, I know where to look then! :)
Thanks for the shoutout! I was only editing during this month for Inimitable Books, LLC books BUT I will be doing my own writing again for Camp NaNo so I'll be organizing another Scrivener NaNo Winner Code giveaway then!
For chairs, supposedly the BeYou chair is a scam but the Vefa Task Chair on Wayfair looks about the same... but it's expensive so I have no idea if you'd want/be able to buy it.
I bet you could mount a keyboard tray to the bottom of your desk so it could be more ergonomic for your wrists.
I have something similar attached to standing desks that I enjoy! Maybe I’ll have to see what I can do for my permanent desk too, that’s a great idea.
Perfect timing. Just found a book about editing by Matt Bell. In case someone needs it.
I’m gifting myself Atticus formatting software for PC.
Oooh I’ve not heard of that before!! I’ll have to look that up. (Although I have a Mac, but always good to know where to steer others.) Glad you’re getting something for yourself. :)
Happy Thanksgiving Kate.
Recliners are good. But, a lap top/ tablet might be necessary also
Dx racer gaming chair
i want get a laptop to use when I'm on vacation so I can type things why I'm there and send people letters in the mail ✉
Your chair lol!!
“Chair” it’s like a spinny stool, really bahahha
@@KateCavanaugh maybe Santa will buy you something decent?
I get the same questions when I post on Instagram because I have the same keyboard!
IT IS SO CUTE. Clearly you and my sister-in-law have great taste bahahah :) I love it so much.
@@KateCavanaugh I love it so much to! I should figure out how to make it as an affiliate link on IG bio.
I know we joke about some writers being robots, with their wpm rate. But I was wondering if you have ever tried one of these writing AI's? I'm considering trying one to get through the parts of the books that I don't like writing.
5 minutes in and all Kate has done is complain about how her body is falling apart!
I have a gamer chair coming in tomorrow (Julie just bought it this week too and likes it) so I'll let you know how that goes.
Alsooooo my last couple of videos were filmed with a Blue microphone going through my DSLR (the same model as yours) if you want to hear what that sounds like =) The bonus for you is that the Blue has a few settings where you can make it so that it only picks up sounds coming from in front of the mic so you'd get less bleed through from other people talking in the house. :P
Clock didn’t come with a back to cover the battery. :)
What editing software do you use?
hi Kate! I was wondering if you were still doing twitch streams :)
For chair recommendations please please do not use Gamer Chairs, the racing back chairs are horrible for lumbar support! Office chairs meant for long hours and that have good support are what you need!
Zazzle is obscenely priced so I try to avoid them
Gaming chairs are not comfy!! They are based on car seats, which were designed to absorb impact, not for comfort. If you want to make your tush rejoice, get a good office chair instead
Why would you tell me it's on Sale! Why would you tell me where to get this cl9ck and that it's on sale!!! My God I need money. There is never enough money for everything I want. Know what I spent like $145 on books for my birthday I don't get to complain about money...