Writer-Tools
The Spammer as a Work of Fiction
At some point, someone will start writing stories about spammers and trolls and other internet monsters and hobgoblins.
With a bit of ingenuity, they can be interesting characters. After all, as a writer you can paint them in any way you want. Fiction presents a canvas in which you can use broad strokes to produce the picture that you desire.
Imagine a spammers’ club. What picture of words would you paint?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Working with the Absent Self
On the Writer Block blog, a wonderful piece was written about working with the absent antagonist.
Consider writing a piece, or several pieces, in which you work with the absent self. In this piece, you write about what people do, and say, when you are not present. What do they say about you? Or, do they think about you at all? Perhaps you are the center of your universe, but you are not the center of theirs.
What happens to the players in the drama of your life when you remove yourself from the equation? Are you as missed as you think you might be?
On the other hand, whose people do you touch that you tend not to notice. What about the person at the post office or people at the shops you frequent? If you were to move 1000 miles away, would your life or theirs be affected in some subtle way.
What happens when you write about your life, working with the absent self?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )More Transition to KM Tools
First of all, all BOTD: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/structure-part-7-understanding-genre/
Found that blog via Twitter, and I thought it was an interesting read. Not sure which of her three types of writer I belong in. I think maybe I’m a “born” type, since everything I write is really some kind of variant on the “psychological thriller.”
That said, I have installed the Beta 4 of Scrivener. No extensive testing, yet, for me as I continue the migration from Scrivener to my KM tools (including Treepad). However, my plan (now) is to do this: (1) write daily using Scivener and using it as my main tool; (2) export that daily writing to my KM tools, (3) output (daily) from Scivener to Word (the whole enchilada); and (4) backup everything (Scrivener, Word, and KM tools).
Still haven’t written today, and may not restart until I’ve finished moving everything (done so far) into KM tools. With my unfinished Nano novel, I can tell that I am in the middle of the plot, and I can see several viable endings. This week, and December, are a bit weird, and I may be away for a week or longer at a time as other projects may pre-empt my writing.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Scrivener Beta for Windows Expiration
Just finished exporting my unfinished novel from Scrivener into Word 2007.
The Scrivener for Windows Beta claimed an expiration of December 12, 2010, tomorrow. And, it also said that an upgrade would resolve that problem, with the commercial release to be early in 2011. 2011 is not here, yet, but the new beta has the same expiration date.
I spent yesterday’s “writing time” (my time allocated for writing) on researching this issue and installing the new beta release. I’ve now spent today’s writing time on exporting the project. Scrivener does have some excellent features for writers, but this problem does not leave me with much enthusiasm.
At this point, I am a little unsure as to whether or not I will stick with Word or start using one or two KM tools that I know are stable and predictable. Maybe I’ll write it using Treepad.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )10 Great Resources for Writers
While nosing around Twitter, #NaNoWriMo and #DFWRhinos, I came across 10 Great Resources for Writers. Thought I would pass it on.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )BOTD: Sandra Miller’s Tips on Character Development
BOTD (Blog of the Day) is Sandra Miller’s tips on character development. From that site:
Remember when you are doing character development work that although your main concern is the parts of that character that are relevant to the story, that isn’t your only concern. Anything about your character is worth writing down, and you never can tell when the oddest detail from your character sketch will actually show up in the story.
Sandra also provides Character Development Exercises and a Character Development Template.
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