Warren Ellisis a writer.
Location:Southend-on-Sea, south east England.Current Gig:Writer, many kinds of things.
My next two serialised graphic novels,INJECTIONandTREES, begin publication in the middle of May.
What apps, software, or tools cant you live without?
My phone is always in reach.
I live on it.
Field Notes notebooksandPilot Frixionblack pens.
Chrome and Gmail.Mailboxon my phone.
Anker external batteriesfor the phone.
Audacity, for my podcasting hobby.
Dropbox andJungleDiskand four WD external drives.
Whats your workspace setup like?
(Am awaiting aTextblade, which might make some things simpler, particularly when away from home.)
Im at the same old, heavy wooden desk I bought from a junk store twenty years ago.
Whats your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
My morning inbox went from 200+ to less than 50 overnight, and has stayed that way.
Applying a combination ofMailstromand Mailbox got my inbox under control for the first time ever.
Whats your favorite to-do list manager?
I always have a notebook on my desk, with a pen clipped to it.
I call it the Daybook, and thats my to-do list.
Though I am thinking about clearing a corner of the office and putting a whiteboard up.
I never got the hang of using the phone as a to-do list equipment, oddly.
Besides your phone and computer, what gadget cant you live without and why?
Probably my Kindle Paperwhite.
I committed to digital books a few years ago, because I was filling the house with paper ones.
What tools do you use to write?
Depends on the job.
I write books, articles and other long prose things in Microsoft Word.
Similarly, I write television inFinal Draft, because most networks and studios have workflows built around it.
(AMC bought my first copy of Final Draft for me, precisely for that reason.)
The two Windows machines are the hardware for that.
Theyre synced through Dropbox.
And, as mentioned, a notebook and pen are always to hand.
As noted, I sometimes also write rough drafts and dev documents in Notepad first.
Do you find yourself always working on something?
Always working on something.
There are always a few jobs circling.
So Im always producing.
Working in several different fields keeps me fresh and allows me to exercise different muscles.
This morning, I have a comics script, a television pilot outline and an article on deck.
When I need to let my brain wander, I just blow a deadline.
What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
I can sleep through anything.
I can sleep longer than most cats.
I can sleep at Olympic levels.
I probably have a brain tumour.
What do you listen to while you work?
Usually ambient music of some flavour or other.Bandcamppretty much owns my soul at this point.
Also, music podcasts.Mantis Radio,The Black Dog,Radio Etiopia,Sadayatana, etc.
Always looking for new ambient/drone/electronic music podcasts.
I need to update that.
Cant and wont work in silence.
What are you currently reading?
I always have a few books on the go.
Right now,Landmarksby Robert Macfarlane,Networkologiesby Christopher Vitale.Unmaking Merlinby Elliot Murphy.
I only have around a hundred websites in Feedbin/Reeder right now.
Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
How do you recharge?
Being on the road is always somehow restorative.
I bail out sometime before 3am, ideally, and I make a run at be up before noon.
Fill in the blank: Id love to see _________ answer these same questions.
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
Is there anything else youd like to add that might be interesting to readers and fans?
I make a run at write in public atmorning.computerwhen its not too cold in the mornings to throw in.
I am usually haunting Twitter as@warrenellis.
Photo byEllen J Rogers.
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