Well, it’s been a long hard month.  Deadlines came rushing and issues arose.  While there’s been little time to breath much less write, I have manged to toodle around the latest version of Scrivener.

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As I’ve said before, it’s not often I’m ecstatic about a software program, but Scrivener for Windows is awesome.  From Cork board layouts to Character Sketch templates it organizes all my writing better than I ever have.

Cork Boards Help in Moving

One of my favorite features is the Cork board.  I found this very handy after I imported my massive 232 page novel into Scrivener.  I had pages all over the place some which flowed from page to page and chapter to chapter and others where I drafted a brilliant concept that could fit anywhere in one of three chapters.

After the novel was in Scrivener, I simply “chunked” the pages into logical groups.  While this wasn’t difficult to do, I did find it tedious.  Not the software’s fault, but that’s what you get when it’s in one long word document.  Sometimes I made the files too small, but once the chunking was complete it was easy to see my concept on note cards on the cork board.

Documenting Your Documentation

I know I must have driven my English teachers up a wall in High School and College, but outlining what I am going to write has always been problematic for me.  I prefer to jump in and set out to writing from beginning to end versus documenting what  I’m going to document.  So while I struggled to summarize each part, in the end it was well worth it.    I took the time to write out a short synopsis on each card and almost found this process enjoyable.

After I could see the synopsis of each section, I quickly created folders (i.e., chapters) that I could drag and drop the new sections into.  Very quickly I could see the flow of my novel without scrolling page by page.  One click and it unfolded before me.  This is very cool, believe me.

I could now see where I started, where I was going, and what just didn’t fit…yet.  Now I can easily identify the lack of transitions between sections and chapters.  I can’t wait to find out what else Scrivener can do for me.

Do you use a particular software to help organize your writing?  If so, drop a note tell us what you use.

PS:  If you’re interested in seeing how Scrivener works in more detail, check out the series on CreativeAce starting tomorrow.  Scrivener has graciously allowed CreativeAce to use their software as the basis for demonstration about how Online Help works.

It’s been a slow start to getting back into my writing in 2011.  But I vowed at the beginning of the year to stay motivated and focus on finishing my novel.  One major issue I identified with holding me back is my lack of organization.

I have notes everywhere, on tiny bits of paper, strewn throughout several notebooks, a notepad on my nightstand, a notepad in my car, and even a small spiral notepad pulling double duty as a bookmark for the latest novel I’m not finding time to read.

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I figured if I could just get past football season then I can finally start putting that extra half day that turns into all day football Sunday to good use.  Now if I could just find something to help me get my writing organized.

Last year I participated in NanoMoWri.  It was a great month to prove to me that I could prioritize my writing and fit it into a very hectic schedule.   One of the side benefits to completing 50,000 plus words was a discount for some writing software.  I’m now big on writing software of any kind.  In the past I felt that none of them lived up to the hype and I spent more time trying to get it to work than writing.

I had vaguely heard Scrivener mentioned around the writing circles I travel, but did not pay much attention to.  After all, Word was doing a fine job for me.  There are several files of novel, updated novel, submitted portion of novel (times 6), current novel, edited current novel, chapter notes, character sketches, and don’t know what to do with it so stick all notes in here document (times 3).  Very, very organized don’t you think?

After going to Literature and Latte to find out what Scrivener was, I was hooked.  The only bad part was that this software was developed for Mac.  If I ONLY had a Mac, which I don’t.   I’m a PC girl through and through, I mean hey, I’m still sticking with the Philadelphia Eagles, why switch now, right?

On the bright side they had just started Beta testing for Windows.

Now I know most of you would run in the other direction at the mention of Beta Software, but not me.  After looking through screen shots and reading what Scrivener could do, I was chomping at the bit.  I thrive on challenges and being a technical writer I’m usually testing software anyway, so what was one more software to test.  And a product I was readily going to enjoy.

I immediately downloaded Scrivener Beta 1.3 and set out going through the help and the online tutorials.  Being a the technical writer that I am, I’m a bit critical of the help and the tutorials.  For the most part the Help helped me understand the structure of the software, but it wasn’t easy to find answers after I started working through setting up my project.  The help is in another Scrivener project and I found it cumbersome to use while in my project and sometimes got lost in finding an answer to my problem.

On the flip side, Scrivener is pretty intuitive.  I think chunking my word document into manageable parts in Scrivener was tedious, but after is was in there….WOW!

I am happy to announce I’ve had little to no issues using Scrivener.  I find the later Beta’s are slower to open, but that, so far, knock on wood, my only issue and to me that is a non-issue.  I work with RoboHelp which is slower to open than most software because of it’s complexity, so taking a couple three minutes to open doesn’t bother me.

Now, as Scrivener is on the verge of going out into the world for Windows, I decided to sign up as an affiliate.  So, the links you see to Scrivener are affiliate links, but I have never become an affiliate for a product that I haven’t tried and don’t wholeheartedly support.

This is such a wonderful product, I plan on detailing some of the better features over the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, check out Scrivener for yourself.  Then come back and let me know what you think.

Related articles

• Review: Literature and Latte Scrivener 2.0.2 (macworld.com)

Well, how time does fly. We’re now two months into the new year.  NaNoWriMo was a huge success for me.  Not only did I make the goal of 50,000 in a month, but I exceeded it by leaps and bounds. 

Unfortunately, holidays and the work schedule did nothing but hamper my momentum.  Thankfully as February approaches, so does my footing since the winter snow and ice seem to have left the area.

After meeting with the group this past Friday I am pleased to announce progress on all fronts. 

One of our authors has found an agent as she takes the next nervous step into looking for an editor and getting her novel on the shelves of bookstores.

A second author has completed her novel, despite itchy fingers to tweak said novel, we’ve all threaten harm to any finger that touches the completed draft.  We look forward with her as she embarks on finding an agent. 

Two of us have managed to keep on track and progress, sometimes bumpily, down that writing path.  Here’s to hoping that we manage to stay on the road more than off it over the next year.

And last, but never least, we congratulate one of our authors on her new baby girl.  While novel progress has been sleeping, not like the newborn though, talks of redefining her schedule have awaken her muse.  We look forward to reading more about Marine Corp life from a women’s perspective.

I have spent the last few hours cleaning up our blog, ridding it of dead wait, updating plugins, and finding a calendar to keep everyone informed of upcoming literary events that are local to Hampton Roads and to Virginia. 

Now that the winter clean up has occurred, I’m off to continue my beta test for the writing software I discovered thanks to NanoWriMo.  Check out my thoughts on Scrivener for Windows next week.  Even though this product is still in Beta, I have been impressed with each new beta they have released so far.  I am eagerly awaiting 1.6 which should be out tomorrow.

Til next week.

Happy writing.

Well here we sit on the eve of NanoWriMo most famously known as the National Novel Writing Month. I  learned about this unique concept, idea, site, motivational website a couple years ago. Last year I even signed up in the hopes it would help me finish the current novel I am working on.

While NanoWritMo requires that all novels reach 50,000 words from scratch in order to “win,” I thought it would be a good tool to help finish the novel in progress. I wasn’t so much interested in winning or being allowed to post a badge on this site to show that I met the requirements, in that I was using it as a motivational tool to complete something that is, sigh, as yet, not completed.

This year as I signed up and re-read the requirements, I decided to take a different tack. I am going to start a novel from scratch in the hopes that I can earn the right to proudly display the illustrious NanoWritMo badge on this site in December 2010.

While the first novel sits waiting my return, the new novel is going to address the old novel from a different view point. I have always struggled whether the 1st novel could contain all the information I have rambling around my head. Over the last couple/three years, I have toyed with the idea that the novel could not contain all the people, the concepts in one novel; that in fact I had enough material, angst, and mystery for 3 novels.

So with that tasty little teaser, follow me as I write a new novel from scratch and see if I indeed have enough meat for 2 or 3 novels.

Related articles

• “NaNoWriMo – it’s almost here!” and related posts (trashionista.com)
• NaNoWriMo (aseeofgreen.wordpress.com)
• “National Novel Writing Month” and related posts (magicalmusings.com)
• “November is National Blog Posting Month” and related posts (yoursforgoodfermentables.com)

Fingers fly across the keyboard much like a concert pianist.  No thought or sound seem to radiate from mind to fingers.

The words flowing softly, quickly like a babbling brook from the tiniest drip searching for the vast open waters. Gathering speed then slowing suddenly only to pick up again round the next bend.

The joy of knowing a world, a body, a mind is created.  The soul sings and flies from tree top to tree top, searching for nothing other than the joy of being.

Faster and fast the fingers fly; the indescribable joy bursting at the confinement; it presses harder and harder as a world of words and sounds spread throughout the body, flowing from the end of the fingers, on to the keyboard and out into the world.

Words and images scream into the air bursting in radiating light, breath taking to behold in all it’s pinks and oranges, and yellows.

Colors trickle from the air and a soft rainbow mist gather across the fields, waiting.

I have been very productive (a relative term, I know). I am at the very threshold of 35,000 words in my novel, and I work on it quite consistently. Sometimes I write a few paragraphs only to a hit wall, and I erase them and start over, but it’s always for the best. It’s easier when I know exactly where my book is headed. In fact, knowing where the book is headed has brought me to think more on where this one should end; and whether I need multiple books to tell my story.

One of the goals I posted for myself and my writing weeks and weeks ago was to decide whether my story could fit in one book, or whether I would need a sequel or even trilogy. I am leaning toward trilogy.

Book 1: Riaone from the start (at her home, Stillwater) and her journey with Tsa Sial, Jaim, and Garel all the way to the Academy in the kingdom of Chare. After a year or thereabouts at the Academy, Riaone is confirmed as a Legate and is told she must train in Higa. End of Book 1.

Book 2: Riaone commences studies in Higa and Tsa Sial, Jaim, and Garel continue their individual exploits, which were just beginning in Book 1, in this book. Book 2 follows their separate narratives and ends when these four, along with the other two Legates, meet up in the end and the Legates must fulfill their destinies. End of Book 2.

Book 3: I don’t want to give it away, but Book 3 is not about Riaone. None of my books are written in first person, but the first two books do focus on Riaone as the top main protagonist. Book 3 is written from a different top main protagonist, but one who has been nevertheless featured a lot on Books 1 (a little) and 2 (much more). It ends by changing the way the world works forever.

I imagine my story unfolding in three books because I just feel like I am writing so much; but my (many) characters need appropriate time for development, and I think that appropriate time is three books. I don’t care how long they get, but I don’t want it to go over three books and risk losing readers’ interest in the story or even their interest in choosing to start reading the series. I am no Robert Jordan, with his ten-plus novels.

Are there any drawbacks to telling a story in multiple books that anyone would like to share? Plus-sides? Warnings?

Congratulations to two of our writers. While I’ve been lacking in my commitment to my writing, my fellow writers have not been lacking in their commitment. Two of my fellow writers are nearing the completion of their first final draft.

Their goal: to have a complete final draft done by July and August respectively. If things go according to plan, I will be reviewing 2 draft novels amid a very tight business schedule. I can’t wait.

The problem: while critiquing is necessary and fun, it does make it hard to follow the plot and time line…sometimes. It’s kind of like looking at a grain of sand under a magnifying glass versus enjoying the beach. I look forward to reading the completed manuscript like any other reader from beginning to end.

While the little details are are easy to see in short 20-30 pages, the overall feel, flow, and tempo are sometimes missing. It will be quite an adventure to sit back and get to know the characters in a totally new and unique way. Will I see the characters the same way? Will I feel the same feelings for the good guys and the bad guys? Who knows, but I am looking forward to finding out.

Who knows maybe I’ll finally get inspired seeing a completed novel and start carving out daily time to finish my own novel.

Bring It On!

Wow! Can you believe it? March is almost over. I’m not sure where the time went!

I ‘ve been busy with niche writing for my client’s sites, designing sites, blog walking, and critiquing. I’ve been working diligently on my own novel, although it always seems to take a back seat. However, my clients over at CreativeAce are quite happy and I have a couple of new ones ready to go.

The great thing about blogging, creating sites for others, or creating niche articles for other sites is that I learn a lot and can take that knowledge and build better and more creative sites for my new clients. It’s much like critiquing another story. Some writers only want their story or poem critiqued, but have no interest in helping other writers. I find that this is a big flaw. Not only is it selfish, but they pass up a great learning opportunity.

My writing becomes stronger with every post, article, or critique that I do. The flaws I see in other writings are often things I do myself or have done. The great thing about niche writing or content writing is that your words need to flow, be precise, and get to the point quickly, then resolve the issue.

ABCs of Writing

Niche Writing should be Accurate, Brief, and Clear. This means that extra words should be cut whenever possible. Why say “The man from the Geek Squad came to the house and helped us set up our Internet connection” when you could say “The Geek Squad helped set up our home Internet connection”.

The change makes for a tighter article. Prose writing is much the same thing. You may have 300 pages to enthrall your reader, however, if you use unneeded adverbs or 3 words when 1 or 2 will do then you will have a harder time convincing your reader that what they are reading is believable or lose them as they drift off.

Novel Writing

When writing a novel you have time to develop the plot. The author may not think that every word counts so she gets lazy and throws in more words than are needed to get to the point or setup the conflict. This is fine during a first draft, after all I find it easier to delete words or ideas than it is to create a new one and push it into the plot.

As we sat around the table last night for our biweekly writer’s meeting, it was obvious to some of us that the end a chapter we were critiquing  had 2 paragraphs too much. So I asked, what’s the point? Did it help setup the conflict, shed light on a resolution, or aid in defining the character’s inner turmoil?

The short answer was no. It didn’t lend to any of that, it over explained and took away the tension that the author had built. So in the end, 2 paragraphs of words were axed and the chapter was much tighter and didn’t break the tension.

I’ve heard that some authors go through their novels with a fine tooth comb and ruthlessly rip out every word that is unnecessary. I’m not a big believer in that, in fact, I wonder how long it takes to finish a novel if you’re pondering over every little word. I do believe in looking for places that you have stumbled. Is there a sentence or paragraph that you read and your mind drifts somewhere else or conjures an idea that is not part of the story? If so, then that is the section  you need to examine and improve. Is it too many words? Is it an unnecessary adverb? Or is it just simply a wrong word choice?

By critiquing other writers works or writing in a different genre you can learn how to improve your creative writing and how to streamline your words to give the most informative and creative experience for your reader.

Do you write in more than one genre? If so, do you find it helpful to write in more than one style or does it make it harder for you?

Good luck in your writing, in whatever genre that you choose

A few weeks ago I sent out a tweet asking for Guest Posts. Kellene was one of the first to respond. She has written about how she got into writing and the path that lead her there.

I don’t even remember what it looked like, but it ended my 18 year drawing career. During my senior year of high school I accidentally spied a fellow student’s drawing and immediately conceited mental defeat.

Several weeks past. Then I entered a senior announcement contest. One winner would get their saying/poem/anecdote printed and sent out to thousands of family members and friends.

I decided why not? 

But I made a mistake in mine – three lines were supposed to repeat, but for some reason I made only two match each other.

Then I flew to New York for a high school trip. I had six hours to kill so I thought I’d entertain myself and write. And write. And procrastinate. And write again.

The girls next to me wanted to see what I was doing. I obliged and let them read my story. They fell in love with it. Back in Reno, I was given a rare opportunity to read aloud what I wrote for my English class. Most listened including a very attentive Ben Hull.

 We were then given a free write class assignment – whatever we wanted to do, but we had to read it out loud. When I was done, Mrs. Anderson said, “I have always wanted to teach my students to write like that, but I never knew how.” I crafted sentences like ‘the coffee germ lighted up my soul….’ – images that had no connection whatsoever melded together by my brain and pen.

 Days later I got word I won the senior announcement contest despite my glaring mistake. The corrected final version was sent out to more than 13,000 people.

 A few years later Mrs. Anderson died of cancer.

During college, I focused on getting good grades than writing well. Until one day when I was in my media law class. I raised my hand to ask a question and the professor halted his entire lecture to loudly proclaim ‘Kellene Stockwell everyone. Best writer this school has ever produced. Your question….’ I was so stunned I sat silent.

I wanted to go to UCLA for film but it was too expensive, so I went into the second best marketable career – print journalism at the University of Nevada.  

I was excited since I’d be doing a lot of writing. Print was for me until I took my first class. The material was so hard I withdrew within three weeks and moved into broadcast. (One girl I grew up with passed the class and went onto to become a political newspaper writer in Reno. A second girl went on to win a shared Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the Columbine massacre.)

Then during my junior year I made a near fatal mistake. I wore a black and white suit to class (for my theatre audition), but the teacher thought I was going for a NEWS job interview. I thought it was ok I finally reveal my innermost secret – no I don’t want to be a reporter or serious newsperson, I want to go into entertainment. I was looked down upon until my graduation. I was one of the first there to ‘mock’ what this serious journalism school offered. Twelve years later, many Nevada broadcast journalists aspire to be the next Entertainment Tonight star. And they have the ease now to do it thanks to my big mouth.

 After college I was hired at a local TV station and I learned the hard way to write scripts. My ‘trainer’ left after one week. So it was up to me to learn firsthand.

Then one night during my shift I learned Ben Hull was killed by deputies during a mistaken identity case. I couldn’t believe it.

As time wore on my news scripts got leaner and faster to read. I took a lot of care in that. But I also learned there isn’t much creative wiggle room allowed in writing. Besides the basic who, what, when, where, why and how that’s it. I needed a creative writing outlet.

I decided to fulfill my screenwriting dream and attend UCLA. But the money and residency still held me back. And then I found a certificate program that’s completely based online. I didn’t have to move or get out of my pajamas to attend class. I was in heaven. I’m actually graduating in a few weeks.

I decided it was important to educate myself on the proper way to write a screenplay. Yes, I could read books or start writing blindly, but in the end my resulting education would be the key factor.

For my 2010 New Year’s Resolution I decided to focus on my writing. I want to leave behind a nice legacy of work, so I started querying magazines and online sites including this one. With all the knowledge I’ve gained, I think it’s just as important to give back and help others.

I’m also re-starting my novel again. It’s time. I plan to dedicate it to Mrs. Anderson and Ben Hull.

So how did you get into writing? Drop us a line and let us know, who knows, maybe you’ll turn it into a post.

You can find more of Kellene Stockwell’s writing at her blog Diva Diaries.

Good morning!

And it is, indeed, a good morning. I don’t know about you, but I am feeling pretty satisfied with my progress so far. In the beginning of the year, I established goals for myself, and I consider myself on my way to achieving them; if I haven’t been able to resolve each one yet, I am still comfortable knowing that I am moving forward.

Here is an update on how I am achieving my goals.

• Figure out if my book will need to become two, or even three books. Oh, I still don’t know that one. I probably have to be at least to the part where Riaone is living in Higa to be able to know this.
• Write at least every other day–try for ten pages a week at first. My last two submissions were 15 and 18 pages each, at 1.5-line spacing. I am happy with that.
• Blog about my progress (even regress–then the group can help). Today’s post accomplishes this! I have been more wrapped up in capturing my ideas in type as they pop up, so I am still thinking ahead.
• Don’t stop and revise so much, so often. I have been doing well with this. When I do go back, it is to correct a fact or to reroute important dialog.
• Don’t get shy and avoid explaining my book when I’m asked about it. I am an editor for another author, and we were having a meeting recently and he asked what I am writing. I got very shy and brushed it off. After establishing these writing goals, I explained myself and sent him a synopsis. His reaction was actually very inspiring! He told me to believe in my own writing and not to let others dictate my genre/what I write.
• Decide my target audience and keep them in mind. I have decided that this will be a mature fantasy grounded as much as possible in realism. Whoever wants to read it, will!
• Read more fantasy fiction (I’m on that one already–Karen Miller’s Godspeaker trilogy). I just finished this trilogy on Saturday. It is amazing. Pretty mythical and fantastical, but with a great religious structure that keeps you thinking.
• Don’t guilt myself so hard for not getting it perfect the first time–just write my way there. I think I am doing great with this, very at peace hearing and implementing others’ critiques. I accept that I am not writing my final draft… I need my first draft FIRST!
• Decide on a new title. Not there yet.
• Create an outline–this will help move the plot and avoid fluff that doesn’t advance it. Writing the synopsis has been great. I also have a map that I created as a kid when I first conceived this novel. I am also keeping a running (day-t0-day) outline to keep me on track.

So there you go! I am happily producing, and probably could be producing more, but I am realizing that this first part of the book will be the hardest. This is where the foundation is laid–the world’s history, in barest terms; the character-building; and just, in general, getting my characters into action so that they can hop the border and the real fun begins!

Good luck to all you writers reading this! Just remember to write out your goals (short and long term), interact with a writing community, and give the support that you want to receive.