Writing Software

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Arizela

I have struggled for years to find a good solution to writing a full-length novel on the computer. I tend to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of words on the screen once a project hits 7k or so in a single word processing file. I also refer back to my work a lot when writing and even more so when editing, so having things in convenient, bite-sized chunks is very important to the way I work. Having those chunks be centrally accessible and organized into the proper story order is vital, too.

I’ve tried a number of products and solutions over the years, some with more success than others, and I wanted to share a few free or very-low-cost options with you guys that have worked pretty darn well for me in the past.

  • yWriter by SpaceJock Software – this is a product made specifically for novel writing by a fellow from down under named Simon. He writes SF novels of his own and designed the software to meet his own needs. You can find a free copy of the software on his website. I can only recommend version 4, as I had several incidences of lost data (notes and labels, not prose) when I switched to 5 that the developer was unable to explain or fix. yWriter4, however, is rock stable, simple, versatile, and can be installed on a thumb drive for portability.
  • TreeDBNotes – this is actually a personal data manager and isn’t strictly intended for writing, so it requires a bit more set-up than the other products listed here. That said, it does give you a lot more options than the other two programs, which are fairly simple by design. It is available in full for free or through the voluntary purchase of a license.
  • PageFour by Bad Wolf Software is the single best writer’s utility I have found to date. It is simple and sleek, with a beautiful interface. Like yWriter, it stores your prose in RTF files, so they can be accessed from any word processor program if you don’t want to get into PageFour itself. It stores all your creative writing in one place, each in its own “notebook”, saves on the fly (so no lost words, even if your machine dies mid-type), and automatically creates versioned archives of your notebooks to ensure that your data is always there. It even allows you to password protect and encrypt your data. Download it for free with its generous demo terms, or buy the license (which allows installation on multiple computers) for only $35.

Check them out if you’re looking for a new way to organize your stuff and get more out of your writing time. Enjoy!

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Pratchett and an Appropriate End

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Arizela

I read an interview today from the Guardian (a UK news source) who interviewed Terry Pratchett, author of over 50 novels, primarily set in a fantastical world called the Disc. He is my husband’s favorite author, and features pretty highly on my list as well. We even named our cat after one of his unforgettable characters. This article wasn’t a feel-good, new-book marketing piece though. It touched on a couple of issues that I feel are worth discussion.

See, Terry Pratchett, whose latest book came out this week, has known for a while that he suffers from a rare form of Alzheimer’s. He is dying, and what’s more, he is gradually losing his ability to function. He can no longer write long-hand or type effectively. He now dictates his books using a voice recognition software, but he’s still writing. He describes himself as open to joy, but also cynical. He foresees a time when life will no longer hold meaning for him, and when he will want to seek a most appropriate ending.

Euthanasia is illegal in the UK, as it is in most of the United States. So-called assisted suicide has been deemed unethical by medical licensing bodies and doctor’s organizations alike. There is a resounding cry of “first do no harm” in the rationales given for this.

As a nurse, I have seen patients dying. Sometimes it is a quick process, unexpected and shocking. Sometimes it is foreseeable but still impossible to fathom. More often than not – in our society with advanced life support and technology and treatments, and with our mentality that the physical beating of a heart is worth saving no matter the cost to families or individuals – death is long in coming. It is often a long, drawn-out process of false hopes and crushing realities.

I don’t know where I stand on political spectrum when it comes to euthanasia, and in a way, that doesn’t even matter. I do know that my own personal definition of “do no harm” involves not extending needlessly the pain and suffering of an individual or a family.  Mr. Pratchett brings up a very good point about peace of mind. He wishes to be the one to determine his end, rather than being allowed to wither away one slow day at a time, beyond the point where the man he was ceases to be.

As a writer who is currently dealing with a major health challenge of my own, I am in awe of Mr. Pratchett’s continued diligence to his chosen career, and in his willingness to tackle such a major political battle as the one for End of Life Rights. Palliative care, both in the US and the UK, has a long way to go for people like Mr. Pratchett.

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The Power of Revision

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Arizela

I used to think the best part of writing was imagining new worlds and painstakingly (or in a sudden rush of elation) drafting a new scene.

Don’t get me wrong, those parts are still fun, particularly if I already have a good handle on the characters and I’m putting them into situations where they really have to show who they are to get through. But the real work of writing for me, and the real joy of it, comes in revision.

I adore those butterfly breeze changes that trickle through an entire story from start to finish. Change how a character reactions even slightly to one thing and you’ve either done nothing very relevant or altered the course of the entire story.

Words matter in the revision phase. Every minute detail brings my characters to life and gives them beating hearts and emotions and depth in ways that I never even imagined possible when I was drafting their original stories.

… now all I have to do is keep myself from being caught in the joy of revision to the point of never actually being DONE. *grin*

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Tilt-a-Whirl

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Arizela

So my new cardiologist ordered a test called a Tilt Table Test, also known as a head-up tilt test. The principle is that they strap you to a table in the flat (horizontal) position and monitor your heart rate and blood pressure for a while. Then they “tilt” you up to about 70 degrees from the floor, meaning you’re *almost* standing, but most of your weight is still against the board.

Doesn’t sound so tough, right? Even for me. I can stand up for a good ten minutes before getting tired, and the fatigue I experience with the heart problem isn’t generally so bad that I can’t push through it for a while at least. 45 minutes? Eh. No problem. Mostly, it sounded boring.

Until about 6 minutes into the test anyway. 6 minutes of standing still on a tilted table and my heart rate spiked 40 beats per minute. I became very lightheaded and dazed, and my hands and feet began to hurt, tingle, and then go numb. After 8 minutes of this, when my blood pressure still had not dropped, the technicians called the physician on call and he instructed them to stop the test early.

Tech tells me that my test was “definitely abnormal”. No… really?

Won’t get the results for another 3 weeks. Also, my new doc is questionable about either listening or dictation, too, since he recorded in his visit notes that I am still on the med I went off 6 weeks ago before seeing him. Doh.

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Serendipity

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Arizela

The happy accident – that’s what serendipity is, and I’ve had more than my fair share when it comes to researching my new novel project.

I started off by asking a friend of mine for help picking a geographic region where artifacts would likely survive intact. The Sahara came up, but I wanted to stay pretty far away from Egypt and even the Green Sahara sites in Niger. So I settled on Algeria. Googled “Algeria, map, 1910” and the first thing to come up was a map for sale – an original drawn in 1910 of Algeria and Tuni.

I picked an arbitrary date, late spring, early summer of 1910. I wanted a setting where steampunk could meet and greet a cultural upheaval. I certainly got it. The transition period, from 1900Victorian America to the Roaring 1920’s when morals were scandalously loose by Victorian standards, was stuffed full of interesting world events. Women’s suffrage was getting a foothold in the US independent from the successful abolitionist movement, the Civil and Labor Rights movements were inching toward notoriety, the Model T was turning American into a country of movers and shakers, and women’s hemlines were drifting up to show the ankle.

But I picked better than I realized. My two main characters are scheduled to meet in late April, 1910, and to arrive in New York City the first week of May – just in time to see the first womens suffrage parade walk through New York City. After that, they’ll spend a few weeks preparing for their journey and dealing with the comet panic as Halley’s Comet sweeps through the heavens and Earth traverses the comet’s tail. Street vendors sold comet pills, comet umbrellas, and comet gas masks to protect the gullible against the deadly gas from the comet’s tail, and posh New York hotels hosted rooftop comet parties in the wee hours of the morning.

Then it’s off across the water aboard a period-accurate luxury liner. I managed to locate a travel log written by the commander of the ship I selected at random from those available in 1910, which includes dates, weather and surf conditions, and even miles traveled each day.

I can’t wait to see what else 1910 has in store for me. The most exciting-and a little scary-part of all this is that my “happy accidents” have all been real history and the fantasy elements of my story may end up being pale by comparison.

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