Release Your Writing

Apps for Writers: Part 2 of 2

Part two of eight cool apps to help writers...

Here is the rest of the list, courtesy of onlineclasses.org

B-Rhymes
Who says all writers have to go pro(se)? For the nascent poet (or rapper) in you, get your hands on the free B-Rhymes rhyming dictionary app. B-Rhymes rocks because it doesn’t stick to a strict script — the app chooses words that "almost" rhyme with entries, providing you more creative freedom when you’ve got syllabic sounds to work around.
ScriptWrite
You could be the first award-winning screenwriter to pen a piece from your phone. Download ScriptWrite for $3.99, and easily write and format scripts by industry standards. The visual interface that tops the touch-screen keyboard makes it easy to include stage direction and dialog, and you don’t have to spend hours at a typewriter to get the right spacing effect. Budget-conscious customers (read: starving artists) prefer ScriptWrite to the insanely popular First Draft, as its software updates are free (and there’s a great mobile interface), unlike its big-timin’ predecessor.
Grammar App HD
If you need a refresher course on your grammar rules (you probably do), the internal tests in this $0.99 app can help you back to tip-top shape in no time. If you can’t pen your projects while using proper grammar, it’s likely that you’ll never find meaningful work as a writer. Journalists, grad students, and casual writers alike boast satisfaction with this highly interactive product, and it’s likely that even the most stringent grammarians still have a little something to learn.
iA Writer
iA Writer for iPad is brought to you by the lovely folks at Information Architects, and they’ve truly created the most beautiful writing app out there. While you can download a version of this for your mobile device, the true value of iA Writer is best viewed on an iPad. Another application known for distraction-free writing, the touch-screen tools (such as Focus Mode and One Tap Renaming) are truly where the difference in well-designed functionality lies.

Apps for Writers: Post 1 of 2

My friends at Onlineclasses.org make my life easy. They did their homework and came up with eight cool apps to help writers.

Here are the first four:

Clean Writer
With all the clutter and noise out there keeping you from doing your best writing, there exists an app that silences all red underlines and dings until the time is ~~write~~ um, right. Boasting a "clean" user interface, "intuitive workflow," and hidden editing options that only show up when you’re ready, Clean Writer is good for both beginning and advanced mobile writers. If you’ve got ideas to map and brainstorming to do, Clean Writer is an easy and functional tool for keeping yourself both organized and optimized.
Pages
It’s an industry standard, and there’s no question why. If you already use the word-processing application on your desktop Mac, you’ll be ready to go mobile with Pages in no time. The no-frills word processor allows for distraction free writing, and has cross-platform functionality that makes it truly a writer’s greatest tool.
Story Tracker
Story Tracker is an app that keeps track of your story submissions and pitches, and it’s a great tool for professionals and amateurs alike. Available in both paid and free versions, the creator of the app is intimately involved in transparently tracking sales, usage, and responding to feedback with important functionality updates. With the exception of guaranteeing that you’ll soon see your name in lights (or, in print, as it were), there’s not much you can’t do (or find help with) if you’re using Story Tracker.
Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus
Developed by the Cognitive Science Laboratory at Princeton, the Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus is a truly useful little app with a long name. Search for synonyms to break up writing monotony and improve your working vocabulary, and have a go at defining one of almost 150,000 included English words. Bust writer’s block and the diction doldrums by utilizing this invaluable, free tool of the trade, and do so from anywhere that your writing (or your life) might take you.

Check back for more in a couple days...

Helen

How clever publishers are using ebooks

Net Galley is an exciting company distributing digital titles to the media and to reviewers. They delivers secure, digital galleys to professional readers. I'm able to log-in, request any galley from a publisher, and receive it. I also track what I have read, alert the publisher when I'm finished, and avoid the long delay receiving print galleys or ARCs by mail.

Now, during Book Expo America, Net Galley has distributed an ebook with exciting excerpts from over 30 new works that will debut in Fall 2012. The book was put together by Publishers Lunch, and allows reviewers an opportunity to read excerpts and prep reviews now, well in advance of publication dates.Among the new works, I know you'll be glad to see a new Barbara Kingsolver title, Flight Behavior, and the fall-over laughing Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? by Rhoda Janzen. Those are definitely the first two I'll be reading, followed by, oh gosh... a dozen others!

The entire thing was conveniently made available via email, for a quick download to read on my computer or Nook. And how large is this Fall 2012 preview? It tops out at 624 pages; powerful yet weightless.

A fabulous use of digital books and technology.

Helen Gallagher

Guest post by Rita Jean Moran

A chance to enjoy the perspective of another blogger with this guest post:

Hi, my name is Rita Jean Moran, and I am the author of The Library Kids book series (www.thelibrarykids.com). I also have my own blog, ritajeanmoran.blogspot.com, where I post many articles on: mysterious places I have visited, ancient history, and places to visit with your family. My books are for children and adults and I want my blog to be family-friendly as well as interesting.

I would like to thank Helen Gallagher for teaching a wonderful seminar on Power Blogging for Authors and Writers. She did a great job and had many fresh ideas regarding blogging. I liked her tips on morguefile.com for finding free graphics that you can use as well as her tips for increasing traffic to your blog by guest blogging.

My blog audience is growing. What I’ve found out is how powerful a blog can be. You are one person in a world of about 7 billion people and you can have a voice to the entire world with a great blog. My statistics tell me that people from all over the world are viewing my blog. I’ve had hits from America, Russia, Germany, Canada, India, England, France, South Korea, Italy, Latvia, Australia, Georgia, Croatia, Greece, Spain, Norway, South Africa, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Denmark, Romania, Dominican Republic, Israel, France and Moldova. With a blog you don’t even have to know the languages of other countries because the viewer may even be able to convert their view on their web browser to their own language.

I’ve found that mixing up great graphics with interesting articles attracts a lot of attention. Using a good short title and readable font for your articles also helps. I tend to use many of my own pictures but I can also get some really good ones from Wikipedia that are public domain. You need to be very careful not to violate copyrights and you should site sources when necessary.

Once again, thanks Helen and I hope some of your viewers come and visit my blog at ritajeanmoran.blogspot.com.

Show us your bio...

I have a new post on Freelance-Zone.com today on the importance of using a strong bio for yourself as a writer. When you write an article, pitch an idea to an editor, or create an author bio, it follows you everywhere. Make sure yours has some zing. Click here to read the full post at Freelance-Zone. Learn how to go beyond the ordinary, and even post your bio in the Comments section for a little free PR.

What's all the interest in Pinterest?

We can't seem to go a day without an inquiry or news item about Pinterest. Like a virtual bulletin board, you use it to pin images that interest you, and share them with others. Or just browse those of interest to get ideas for design, decorating, recipes, style, etc. An attendee at yesterday's blogging workshop mentioned one blog post she put there resulted in 300 new visitors to her blog. Others use it as a design board, idea board, or promotional tool.

Sample Pinterest Board

If it interests, you, you can read more about it here at a post on Freelance-Zone.

Then, visit Pinterest and see if you want to get started. You have to request an invitation to participate, but you don't have to sign up to browse all the images.Like most social media, it is free, so all you have to lose is time... time... time.

Power blogging workshops today

Great fun at two blogging workshops today. The Fremont and Ela-Area Libraries have some of the kindest and smartest patrons in Illinois. I was grateful to work with them today. For those interested in earning money from a blog, we spoke of using Google ads on Blogger as a good first step. Here's how to get started. Full details and clickable links are here:
http://buzz.blogger.com/2012/04/monetize-your-blog-with-google.html

From a man of few words:

10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer

Write.
Write more.
Write even more.
Write even more than that.
Write when you don’t want to.
Write when you do.
Write when you have something to say.
Write when you don’t.
Write every day.
Keep writing.

Source: About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media.

Enough said!
Helen

Young Writers Dazzle.... stepping up to self-publishing

Today's New York Times has a front page article about teens and pre-teens who've joined the world of self-publishing. Good for them. Read the article here.

I recently had the pleasure of working on the layout for this book, Reflection: A Long Walk Into the World of Love. It's sweet and quite unusual.

Part fairy tale, by author Marie-Eve Kielson who is a marriage and family therapist, who gets to the heart of what it takes to have a loving, committed relationship. Her co-author is her husband, Daniel. Over the many years of their marriage, he maintained the habit of writing poems to her for her birthdays and anniversary. He is now a nature photographer as well, and his section of the book combines the lovely poetry with amazing nature photos, along with his own strong narrative on the nature of love in a relationship. A very special gift book for all ages. Perhaps best of all, it honestly conveys what is involved in maintaining a lasting relationship.More at their blog: kielsonmedia.com

Know your audience

At a workshop in Geneva, IL yesterday, I mentioned writing to your target reader, and even on your blog, knowing your readers. You are already aware of the number of readers who visit and return to your blog because they like your work and enjoy reading what you have to say.

But have you really identified your ideal target market? Is it people eager to learn time-saving solutions? Or is it young moms, reading on the run, and looking for advice on taming tantrums? My ideal reader is a man or woman eager to get their writing noticed - to use a blog or to write articles to get their voice heard, and build a following for their work. So my niche is easy because my blog is built to please and inform this market segment.

For your target reader, the more you narrow your blog or book niche the more you can deliver what they expect. As you can see, the puzzle is in figuring out. The reward is having a growing audience of people who look forward to reading more of your work.

Good bloggers succeed

We blog to get people to read our work, and it takes time to build a following. You have something to say, and a free platform with a blog, which writers never had even a few years ago. As a blogger, you start by starting - create a blog, and share it.

If your writing is good and you're consistent, people will visit and return to your blog. You need only to provide compelling posts on your topic and keep up the momentum so visitors are rewarded when they return to see what's new. Then use that momentum to move you forward in wider circles.

As a result of my book and blog here at Release Your Writing, I now share advice for writers on the Freelance-Zone blog.

Several major magazines, including Health Magazine and Cooking Light, have been featuring good bloggers in their print magazine, and sending a wide audience to read the work of these people. Big print media is singling out bloggers who show talent and, promoting their blogs. This is a remarkable opportunity for writers who want to move to well-paying magazine markets. In fact, if you want magazine freelance work, the first place editors look for your writing samples is your own blog.

Another success story is Lois Roelofs, a member of Off-Campus Writers Workshop (OCWW). Based loosely on her book Caring Lessons, her blog is the strongest part of her platform. Now she has added to her visibility with a blog book tour at WOW! Women on Writing in addition to maintaining her blog. She grew into this step-by-step-by-step, starting as she says, because she heard about: "WOW through SheWrites, and SheWrites from Helen at OCWW!" And, Lois says she would not have started her blog without my encouragement.

Can I urge you to do the same? Put enough effort into your blog that you begin to see it as a communication tool, a place to showcase your writing, and to increase your visibility. Link it to your other social media outlets, and good things will happen...

Helen

Yes, we still need real books

Seth Godin, a pioneer in independent published, just had a book rejected by Apple for distribution on the ibook. The reason? His book contains links in the bibliography to books at Amazon! How can firms like Apple and Amazon control the publishing business?

Media Bistro reports: "With Amazon removing IPG books from the Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble and Chapters Indigo not selling Amazon print titles in their stores, and now Apple not accepting a book with links to Amazon in the iBookstore, book retailers are beginning to fragment and make the experience more cumbersome for the consumer.:

As Seth says:“We’re heading to a world where there are just a handful of influential bookstores (Amazon, Apple, Nook…) and one by one, the principles of open access are disappearing. Apple, apparently, won’t carry an ebook that contains a link to buy a hardcover book from Amazon.”

As I see it, its time to sit down, unplug and read a good book.

Klout: Measure your social media strength

At a workshop last Saturday, I displayed the new Klout factor - a measure of your reach on social media. (klout.com). Here's a small sample screen:

To see the power of this new popularity tool, here's an article from Cision Navigator that displays the top ten crafts blogs based on their scores.

In the grand scheme of visibility, this can teach you two things:

1. See how easy it now is to find, not just blogs in your area of interest, but drill down to the top ten in a category.
2. Shows you the importance of integrating your social media - not just Facebook or Twitter, but staying visible among all social network tools. Some people may be glued to Twitter while others prefer using Facebook, and many focused individuals prefer Linkedin, to focus on their most important contacts and resources.

You may not want to sign up with Klout.com, but knowing its now a useful way to measure online visibility, it may prove useful to you.

Blog design options

Today I changed my blog design back to a simpler design. I was testing the checkerboard design but found it awfully confusing for those who want to read my work here.

Yesterday was a great day. I had the largest crowd ever for my workshop at the Helen Plum Memorial Library in Lombard. A terrific audience stayed with me as we did a 90-minute race through Everything E, covering writing for e-markets, e-books, e-publishing and e-marketing.

Attendees are welcome to leave questions here in the Comment section and I'll reply here or privately - your choice.

Thanks to the hard-working staff at the library.
I'll be back!

Helen

Looking for Helen? Upcoming event schedule

I have quite a few events coming up as part of the North Suburban Library system program "Inside Writing and Publishing."

All are free for attendees, and there are several topics I'll be discussing. Each library has a full list of the events on their web site - some calendars show the Jan-Feb "Inside Writing and Publishing" events, and others are updated to include these March-April dates as well. All of the speakers on the schedule offer great information at libraries all over the north and western suburbs. Like indie book stores, we owe a debt of gratitude to our Illinois libraries for recognizing the need for more writing/publishing/technology programs:

My events:
Feb. 25, Helen Plum Library /2:00 p.m. / Topic: Everything E! -- ebooks, epublishing, emarketing
Mar. 25, Geneva Public Library / 1:00 p.m. / Topic: Writing effectively for today's markets
Apr. 28, Ela Area Library / Lake Zurich / 11:00 a.m. / Topic: Blogging for authors/writers
Also Apr 28. Fremont Library, Mundelein / 2:00 p.m. / Topic: same program as Lake Zurich

Check all library websites for further details and other events you might want to attend on the same dates.

Will your next book be published by NBC?

This from the Business of News SmartBrief:

E-books and video are on tap from NBC News, which launched a publishing unit. The company said the expanding notion of a book amid increasing possibilities offered by digital media will allow it to provide a more "immersive" reading experience. NBC has some experience in the field, having worked with Penguin and The Perseus Books Group on enhanced e-books. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Media Decoder blog

If the rumor is true: Apple is about to start a self-publishing business

This Jan. 9, 2012 news could be great for authors or doom for ebooks. What do you think?

"We broke the news last week that Apple is in development of a self-publishing program and many leading websites such as Media Bistro, Paidcontent, and tons of others. The essence of our writeup was that Apple will be holding an event at the end of the month where they are expected to take the wraps off of their self-publishing program for iBooks. This may benefit indie authors that want to submit directly to the service and not be forcibly relegated to doing business with various Aggregators. What does it mean for these companies if Apple starts their own program?

iBooks only launched in the last few years and has been playing catchup with Amazon, Kobo and Barnes and Noble. All of its competitors have expansive ecosystems that have been developed for many years and have solidified partnerships with the leading publishing companies and also smaller ones. The iBooks store is woefully sparse in terms of selection compared to the other stores. Most of their books are overpriced and many bestsellers are not available for an international audience.

One of the advantages Amazon and Barnes and Noble have over Apple is their own self-publishing program. Apple does have a little known process to publish your own books but it involves a validated ePub file, ISBN identifiers from the Library of Congress and a willingness to run the gauntlet of contracts, paperwork, and use iTunes Connect. This entire process is very daunting and many users are unaware of its existence.

Instead of dealing directly with Apple self-published authors have been using official Aggregator’s such as; Ingram, INscribe Digital, LibreDigital, Lulu, and Smashwords. If you live and publishing in Europe, you can do business with Bookwire and Immatériel. Of these, only Smashwords will convert MS Word documents to ePub.

Publishing Aggregator’s are proving to be a popular option for people to self-publish with because they help you along the entire process and normally submit to many other bookstores. Smashwords is one of the leading companies that do this and even provide you an ISBN number for free. They submit to Kobo, Sony, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple and a few others. One of the drawbacks of using any major Aggregator service is that they brand your book and serves as self-promotion."

Continue reading at the source: http://goodereader.com/blog/category/e-book-news/

Feb. 11, 2012 Lawyers for the Creative Arts hosts DIY Publishing and more...

I have attended this even in the past and it is a wonderful learning opportunity. Hope to see you there:

Pen to Digital Press: DIY Publishing in the Digital Age

Date: Saturday, February 11th

Time: 9 A.M. - 6 P.M.

Place: John Marshall Law School, 315 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL 60604

On Saturday, February 11th, Lawyers for the Creative Arts and John Marshall Law School will host an all day symposium titled Pen to Digital Press: DIY Publishing in the Digital Age. This day long program will feature a diverse group of speakers from the writing and publishing professions, professors of law and literature, and members of LCA's Staff and Board of Directors. A detailed program will follow.

Topics to be covered include:

1. Overview of Publishing in the Digital Age: Perspectives and Alternatives;

2. Choosing a Publisher: Contracts and Other Pitfalls;

3. Taking It to the Bank: Monitoring Your Sales and Reading Your Royalty Statement;

4. Problematic Content: Solving Privacy and Defamation Issues; Collaborating; and Legally Using Third-Party Content; and

5. How to Become an Outrageously Successful Author: Using Social and Other Media.

This not-to-be-missed program will include lively round table lunch discussions on hot topics of the day, ranging from how to write a query to idea protection to writing for television to Q & A with literary agents and entertainment lawyers. We will also host a book signing and networking reception at the close and authors are encouraged to bring their books.

Local writers, law and college students, professors, and attorneys are all encouraged to attend.
Full details are available here.

Registration fee is a real value:
$85/person, including lunch and our written materials*
$55 for each student currently enrolled in a full-time higher education program**
* 3.0 MCLE Hours are anticipated.
* *Complimentary for JMLS students and faculty.

Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Marci Rolnik at LCA: mrolnik@law-arts.org or (312) 649-4111.

From the folks at Goodreads.com

The year has just begun, but we're already looking forward to World Book Night 2012. On April 23, 2012 join thousands of volunteers for a million-book giveaway. Inaugurated last year in the United Kingdom and now expanding to the United States, this nonprofit event is looking for enthusiastic readers who want to encourage their communities to read more. World Book Night needs 50,000 volunteers to help distribute 1 million books nationwide, especially in underserved communities that may not have easy access to books.

To become a book "giver," sign up by February 1, 2012. Select one of the 30 available titles—a range of fiction, nonfiction, and books for teens—and you'll receive 20 special-edition paperbacks to hand out to readers near you. The books are available free of charge thanks to support from the publishing industry. This year's lineup includes The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and many more!

Full details here at World Book Night

Could it be that we're writing too fast?

Could the computer be making us write too fast? And, with its inherent distractions, maybe that means we'd write better if we slow down. A 2012 conundrum for sure.

Here's a look at some writers who don't use the computer, at least for certain parts of their writing work.

Novelist Orhan Pamuk, a favorite of mine, is Turkey's best-selling writer, and with his Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Turkish citizen to be awarded a Nobel. His prize-winning works are not composed on a computer, but in a graph paper notebook. He likes to write one full page, and then leave the next one open for revisions. Using his notebooks, Pamuk relishes in the absence of a backspace button, and the opportunity to capture inspiration when it strikes.

For bestselling author Tess Gerritsen, her blogging is best done on the computer, but for novels, only pen and paper will do. She doesn't use a computer or even a typewriter, instead using a Bic pen and sheets of unlined paper. Gerritsen is quite comfortable composing articles and other pieces at the keyboard, but for her, fiction is a completely different matter. She struggles to make things work while writing novels on the computer, finding that she hardly finishes a thing at the end of the day because she's spent too much time "perfecting them." But beyond that, Gerritsen values pen and paper for its physical properties: "I like knowing that once the ink’s on the page, it can’t magically disappear when the power goes out.

Michael Ondaatje, the award-winning novelist behind The English Patient, prefers Muji brand notebooks over computers when it comes to writing his works. But interestingly enough, Muji notebooks actually come with a lot of the same functionalities as MS Word, allowing Ondaatje to cut and paste his novels as he goes along. Unlike other pen and paper authors who ultimately transfer their works into type, Ondaatje has been known to compose up to three drafts by hand on his notebooks.

Want to know more? Read the full article "12 Writers Who Still Refuse to Use a Computer" at Accredited Colleges Online.

A quote from my review of "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published, 5th ed."

Here's a link to the full review of The Complete Idiot's guide to Getting Published, 5th ed. by Sheree Bykofsky and Jennifr Basye Sander on the book review page of this blog:
http://releaseyourwriting.blogspot.com/p/book-reviews-for-writers-by-writers.html

One important quote strikes me as so relevant for your 2012 publishing achievement goals. Remember, It's hard work.
Here's the quote:

Writing a book is an art
Self-publishing a book is a business.

2012 Writer's Calendar

Still time to buy your 2012 writer's calendar...

Bylines Calendar for writers is running late this year but now you can view and purchase the 2012 edition of their spiral-bound calendar dedicated to writers. Here's the link: http://bylinescalendar.com.
Great holiday gift!

I decided a few years ago that I needed a paper calendar specifically for tracking my writing. Between assignments, submission deadlines, and those floating ideas that need to be organized somewhere, using an online calendar or Outlook just doesn't have the flexibility you can get with Bylines Calendar for 2012. The publisher was not able to produce a 2011 edition, due to a family medical problem, so I purchased a different one, and really missed my Bylines.

HAPPILY, it's back and you can order it as a gift to yourself, or for a friend, here.
I even have an essay in it this year, so I'll be even more excited to receive my copy.
Helen

We blog because...

"Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since
no one was listening, everything must be said again." Andre Gide

Thanks to Jan Phillips, visionary thought leader, for sharing this quote, along with her MuseLetter this morning.

Jan is the author of Marry Your Muse, one of my all-time favorite books.

Give Thanks for Brain Food for Writers

Thanks to Writer's Relief for these brain food suggestions for your holiday weekend. Thanksgiving is a perfect time for inspiration, with time away from the computer, family fun, comfort food and holiday memories. So eat well, tell stories, and listen ... the inspiration for your next essay or article might be passed around the table.

Brain Food For Writers:
What To Eat To Support A Creative Mind

By Writers Relief Staff On November 21, 2011 ·

We all know certain foods contribute positively to your physical health, and some foods contribute positively (in inches) to your waistline. But did you know that some foods can support brain function—and maybe even make you a better writer?
You might even see some of them on the table this Thanksgiving!

Antioxidants, like those found in fruits and vegetables, offer disease- and age-fighting power to keep your creative impulses firing at top speed. Blueberries are said to be especially powerful.

Omega-3 fatty acids (from fish oil and flax) are said to boost your brain’s gray matter. That’s like building muscle in your mind. Prepare to do some heavy mental lifting…or just impress people with your mental calisthenics.

Choline is a nutrient found in egg yolk or milk that can help ward off senility. Choline also keeps your memory going strong, so you can actually remember whether your character was wearing a red shirt twenty pages ago or a blue one!

Folic acid: One study found that adults taking regular folic acid supplements demonstrated better cognitive function, especially in memory and critical thinking. So if you’re really having trouble getting past a problematic plot point, it may be time to supplement!

Chocolate lovers rejoice! According to WebMD: “A study by food scientists found that the antioxidant concentration in a cup of hot cocoa was higher than that found in either red wine or green tea.” Of course, getting your antioxidants from veggies (sans whipped cream, fat, and added sugar) may be a better bet. But next time your spouse gives you “that look” for drinking hot chocolate, you can say “I’m doing it for my brain!”

Green tea is good for your brain. People who drink green tea regularly fare better mentally when it comes to aging. This is happy news for writers—especially if you’re the type who stays up into the wee hours working on a manuscript; your green tea can multitask by keeping you both awake AND young! Plus, moderate amounts of caffeine are said to boost concentration as long as you don’t overdo it.

There's lots more. Read full article here: Brain Foods for Creative Writer