Monday, January 7, 2013

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE, 1/7/13

You're a practical person with your feet on the ground.




SNARKY RESPONSE: Talk about damning with faint praise. I'm a fantasy writer, dang it. We're supposed to walk around with our heads in the clouds. And as for "practical," well, that's just mean.




You're a practical person with your feet on the ground.

Actually, as a writer, you absolutely MUST be practical. Only the lucky few get rich doing this, so it's a matter of juggling priorities and desires. Scheduling writing time in the midst of family, work, and friends. Learning your craft with books, classes, or workshops. Tracking your hours, receipts, characters, and plots. Organization is as much a key to one's success as that fickle creature, your muse.

In my constant search for a better mousetrap, I've acquired Scrivener and am trying to work on my current WIP, Aces Down. It's loaded with ideas and ways to organize your first draft and works for a variety of project types, from novels to screenplays to non-fiction.

I imagine that many of my forthcoming blog posts will be about my efforts at flattening my learning curve. Consider yourself warned.

In the meantime, why not share with me and "the rest of the class" your favorite writing program or method for organizing your writing. As I said, I'm always on the hunt for the better mousetrap.

2 comments:

  1. Since I am currently working on my memior, I am constantly taking notes throughout the day/night. Memories of my past will crop up unexpectedly and I have to be prepared. So, I keep a pen and pad in my purse at all times. When I'm ready and have the time, of course, I will pull it out and run up to my office and try to place it in my W.I.P. I really do not use a writing program. Heck, I wasn't even aware that they existed until now! But, I certainly will check them out now that you have mentioned them!

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Stacey! The pen/pad ready to hand is priceless. The trick is to do as you've mentioned, get those notes into the WIP, something I've failed to do far too many times. Kudos to you! There are a plethora of writing programs out there, but they don't fit everyone, so be judicious. Check them out, get referrals from other writers, then trial test them before shelling out any cash. While I'm excited over Scrivener, I'm well aware that a system is only as good as the user. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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