A few years ago, I heard about a piece of software called Scrivener, which was getting some buzz as a great tool for helping people write books. It wasn't very expensive—about $40. So I bought it, installed it, and tinkered with the tutorials. 

I had to admit, it was pretty cool. Having the ability to put all these different file types into the same "environment," to be able to organize what I was writing by moving around virtual index cards, and then compiling what I created into whatever format I wanted—it was cool. Better than cool, I could definitely see how it would change everything for my writing career. I could see, instantly and without doubt, that Scrivener could make me the kind of writer I was born to be. It was a powerful tool that could reshape my career. 

So I ignored it for about five years.