Tools and Supplies

To get ready for the next lesson, there are a few things you’re going to need. Now obviously it’s up to you if you want to get as “physical” with everything as I do, but I do think there’s something extremely beneficial for our brains when we work with our hands.

We process the information differently than when we work on a screen.

But again, if you’d rather try to do every step that follows in a Word doc or Scrivener or a PDF on your iPad, that’s totally okay. Do what works best for you!

But if you do want to follow the next lessons exactly as I lay them out, you’re going to need the following:

  • A printed copy of your manuscript
  • Index cards
  • Pens or pencils in four different colors
  • Post-its in four different colors
  • Print-outs of the upcoming worksheets in Lesson 2
  • A notebook or extra paper (or an empty digital document works too)
Again, it’s all optional. Work in whatever way you like best, though I do urge you to try working entirely by hand at least once, if you’ve never done it before. It can unlock a totally different part of your creative brain!
 
That said: I also understand not everyone can visually utilize printed materials or work by hand. So I want to also suggest trying an app that will read your manuscript to you (instead of printing or reading a screen)—and then using an app for keeping track of your thoughts and reactions (instead of recording on worksheets).
  • I love the Voice Dream App for having my manuscripts read to me.
  • I use Otter for digital recording of my thoughts.
  • Or I use voice-to-text to record thoughts into a notes app (I use Simplenote).

Even if you don’t need to use an audio version of your book instead of a printed one, I always urge people to give it a try.

Much like reading a printed version of your book can feel completely different than digital, having your book read to you can feel completely different than reading it aloud.

I love utilizing the Voice Dream app when I’m on later rounds of revisions. It really lets me hear the flow, catch inconsistencies, and make sure the pacing is smooth.

That’s the end of our introduction, and you can click onward to learn how we will take stock of what we’ve written in our pursuit of a “perfect translation.”