NaNoWriMo Hiatus

Updates will be few and far between until December 1st. NaNoWriMo is eating up way too much of my time right now :)

If you are looking to try Scrivener and wanted the 20% discount for this month, you can find it here.

Pinterest for Writers

Pinterest is a place where users can “pin” images, video or other interesting content to digital boards. Pinterest can give your writing some well needed visual reinforcement. Try some of the following:

Create a Pinterest board for your main characters. How do you picture them when you write?
Boards for settings. I love having visuals to build from.
A board for inspiration.  Your favorite quotes, sayings, photos of authors or favorite books.

Some ideas from Becca J. Campbell:

Boards based on your stories. Tosca Lee, author of Demon: A Memoir and Forbidden (among others) uses Pinterest to collect references for her books. It’s a brilliant idea. This would make a great way to keep all the visual story research together—maps, landscapes, buildings, places, people, you name it.
A character board (or boards). I’ve talked before about how surfing for images of people sometimes helps me flesh out my characters. Pinning them is a much easier way to save and access them.
An idea board. Like my Surreal Stories board, this could be a place where you capture images that make you want to write. It might be a poignant photo of an abused woman/child or a faerie dancing on the palm of someone’s hand. It’ll be different for every writer, but it can be whatever sparks your interest.
A setting board. I’m writing a story for JuNoWriMo that takes place in Lake Tahoe. I’ve been there before, but looking up scenic pictures is a great way to refresh my memory before I jump into the novel June 1st. If your story is set in a specific place, you might want to look up local establishments—schools, hospitals, restaurants, parks, etc. that might be featured in your novel.
A cover design board. I haven’t started one yet, but I’ve got a folder on my computer oozing with cool cover art—why not put it up on a board? I love collecting other book covers as a jumping off point for my own—or just to glean whatever artistic vibes I can from them.

And some more from Jason Boog at GalleyCat:

 1. Post your favorite books on your personal Pinterest page. You can add nice images of all the books you love in your life. Be sure to follow the site’s rule: “Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you’re proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion.”
2. Find other writers on Pinterest and follow their example. Novelist Shiloh Walker has a great Pinterest page, complete with sections for Characters & Clothing, Research & Scenes, and various themes from her books.
3. On your page, create separate “boards” (collections of visual links) about your influences. Just like a high school locker, this is a vivid way to show your readers what inspires you. The site offered this handy tip: “If you notice that a pin is not sourced correctly, leave a comment so the original pinner can update the source. Finding the original source is always preferable to a secondary source such as Google Image Search or a blog entry.”

Here are some examples of great Pinterest boards for writers:

Anna Menefee
C. McKane
Lindsey Edwards
And this is mine

Body Language Cheat Sheet for Writers

Good reference for writers OR artists. A nice cheat sheet that presents some obvious and not so obvious indicators of human behavior. Not only helpful with writing descriptors, but also when dealing with people every day.  Originally from tumblr.

More NaNoWriMo 2012 Wallpapers

As we wade into October more NaNoWriMo wallpapers are beginning to appear.  Here are a few to check out over at No Telling.

And here is one that showed up on the NaNoWriMo forums.

Don't forget to grab Scrivener while you can still use the Scrivener Coupon Code.  You'll thank me when November gets here!.

Preparing for NaNoWriMo 2012

    It's hard to believe that NaNoWriMo 2012 is only two months away.  The one thing I learned from participating the last two years is that NaNoWriMo is a glorious, agonizing, fun, terrifying, stimulating level of Hell.  Completing 50,000 words in 30 days in no small feat. We all write differently, but i hope some of the advice below may be helpful for the novice Nano'er. So offer Charon your coin for passage and hope you make it to December unscathed.

• Register on NaNoWriMo.org  Say hi on the forums, you'd be surprised how much activity there is year round. It will start to get very busy next month.  Leave a post for writing buddies.  A little friendly competition/encouragement will help you make it through your thirty days.
• If you like to outline - start now.  Decide on your genre, setting, characters, plot, sub-plots, theme, ect.  You may throw half of it out once you start, but having a rich starting point will lessen the shock if you've never written 1667+ words a day. If you write without outlining then damn you, I'm jealous!
• Use your outline to get into a routine.  Try to write 250 (or 500 or 750) words a day for now as you jot down ideas. The hardest part is learning to make time for your writing and forcing it to become a part of your day.
• Learn to write without editing. This one is hard.  The trick to NaNoWriMo is to keep writing, don't stop, don't edit, don't correct, don't reword...just write. You can edit when in December. 
• Remember what Hemingway said "The first draft of anything is shit" and I guarantee your story will be. At the end of November you will have an dirty, back woods, banjo playing, red headed step child of a story that someday....just someday, might grow up and have a top 20 video on CMT, but I doubt it.
• Start buying your supplies. What do you need for your writing, we all have our vices.
• Coffee, soda, tea, water...whiskey?
• Peanut M&M's, pretzels, carrot sticks, whatever will keep your ass in the chair for 1667 words/day.
• Journal - the one I keep by my bed.  I can't tell you how many times I woke up during the night with the world's greatest story idea only to forget it when I rose that morning.  I finally bought this journal for the nightstand.  A spiral notebook would work just as well.
• Favorite pens or pencils? If you have special kind you love buy a few extra for November.
• What are you going to use for your word processor?
• Word - probably the most widely used.
• Scrivener - my personal favorite.  Allows me to brainstorm, outline, and write all in one work space. If you decide you like it, grab the coupon code here while you can still get Scrivener for 20% off.
• yWriter - Free software is always good. 
• There are many other good choices.  The point is pick your favorite and become familiar with it. 
• Dress up your desktop with some inspirational wallpaper.  I always use a few different NaNoWriMo wallpapers throughout the month depending on my mood. Here is the first NaNoWriMo Wallpaper for 2012. I will add more as I find them.
• Decide on your writing space.  Do you write at the desktop in your office, laptop on the couch or favorite chair, or do you like the stimulation of your neighborhood Starbucks. If you can set aside the same time every day to write, let friends and family know not to bother you until you're done.

  The most important tip is have fun, enjoy the experience.  Realize that if you finish you a part of a small group of people that have ever sat down and written 50,000+ words.  It is an accomplishment to be proud of.

NaNoWriMo 2012 Wallpaper

TortugaRachel is on the ball!  Already our fist 2012 NanoWriMo Wallpaper! Here is the link.  Enjoy!

Don't forget to grab you Scrivener Coupon Code now so you're ready to go for NaNoWriMo!

SONAR 3 - Submission Tracking Software

The submission tracking software Sonar 3 is available from Spacejock Software. Best news is it is still free!

Sonar is a manuscript submission tracking program, and I wrote it because I was going nuts keeping track of short story submissions. This program tells me which market has each story, whether a story has been sold or rejected and which stories are gathering dust instead of earning their keep. If you decide to use it, you will be able to view a list of all your stories and then filter them in various ways (e.g. only show stories which are available to send out). You can add markets, stories and submissions and best of all it's completely free!

New features include the following:

• Can be installed and run alongside Sonar 2
• Import Sonar2 data without messing up the original
• Load, use, save as many different databases as you want
• 'Stories' now called 'works', so non-fic writers can use the prog
• You can double-click entries in any list to view details
• Color coded result lines
• Text fields now have unlimited length - guidelines, comments, feedback, etc
• List subs by work AND by market (e.g. a list of everything sent to F&SF)
• All lists can be sorted - including by date
• All forms are resizable
• Now written in .NET 2.0
• Entire project stored in a single XML data file
• Automatic daily backups

Make sure to check out SONAR 3 here.

Shewanda Pugh - New Author Promo

    Whenever possible I like to give the give new authors the ability to get the word out on their newest creations. Shewanda Pugh's new novel offers a lttle something for everyone.

    Press info: "When an insecure woman begins a cloak-and-dagger love affair with a Japanese American man, she is intent on keeping her bigoted family in the dark albeit with devastating consequences. On the night of her brother s murder, Deena Hammond stumbles upon Takumi Tanaka, lost and on the wrong end of a .32. After rescuing him from the certain fate driving through the hood in a Porsche will bring, a sweet kind of friendship begins. A balm for her grief. Maybe, Deena likes to think, it happened the day her white mother killed her black father. Or maybe, it was always a part of them, like DNA gone bad. Whatever the case, Deena knows that her family would never approve, hell, never acknowledge her fast-growing love for Takumi. And had he never made love to her that way, in that unraveling, soul-searching sort of way, she could ve done the same. But love s a devil that way. So, their game begins. One where they hide what they are from everyone. Anyone. And Tak understands this for now. After all, Deena s career hinges on the favor of her mentor and boss, his hard-ass of a father. And the Hammond family is already stretched thin with grief. Yet, each step Deena takes toward family and career brings her closer to an acceptance she s never had. And away from him." 


    Shewanda Pugh is a native of Boston's inner city. She has a bachelor s degree in Political Science from Alabama A&M University and a Master s in Writing from Nova Southeastern University. Fueled from a young age, her passion for crossing societal boundaries like race, class and culture, is the inspiration for both her cluttered bookshelf and her writing. When she s not busy obsessing over fiction, she can be found traveling, nursing her social networking addiction or enjoying the company of loved ones.

Paperback
Kindle
Author Site

20% off Scrivener For All Camp NaNoWriMo Participants

Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft. It has been enthusiastically adopted by best-selling novelists and novices alike. As a Camp NaNoWriMo 2012 participant, you will be eligible for a 20% discount on Scrivener’s regular licence on either the Mac or Windows platform. Great news! Make sure to grab it now so that you have full use of it for NaNoWriMo 2012 in November.

If you’re looking for a discount on Scrivener for OS X or Windows (or both!), you can save 20% off the retail price by following the simple steps below (links open in a new window):
Get your 20% discount on Scrivener here!

Scrivener How-To Books

Books on Scrivener

The writing and story development program Scrivener is taking the world by storm. This amazing software has the ability to take users through the basic processes of structuring a full-length novel, writing and developing the story, then delivering it either as a manuscript for an agent or publisher or as an ebook direct to Kindle or iBook. The books below take you through the steps to becoming a successful writer, using Scrivener's host of features you can mold the program to work most efficiently for you.

Take Control of Scrivener 2

By Kirk McElhearn
In Take Control of Scrivener 2, an eBook from TidBITS Publishing, experienced author and senior Macworld contributor Kirk McElhearn walks the reader through using all of Scrivener’s main features for a real-world writing project. Note that this book currently covers only the Mac version of Scrivener. Available in ePub, PDF and MOBI. Buy now ($10)

Writing a Novel with Scrivener

By David Hewson
Excerpt from Amazon.com: Bestselling author David Hewson, creator of the successful Nic Costa series, offers a personal, highly-focussed guide to using this powerful application to create a novel, now newly-updated to cover the brand new release version for Windows.
Hewson, a Scrivener user for years who’s written five of his popular novels in the application, takes users through the basic processes of structuring a full-length novel, writing and developing the story, then delivering it either as a manuscript for an agent or publisher or as an ebook direct to Kindle or iBook.
Alongside the practical advice, he offers a working novelist’s insight into the process of writing popular fiction. And this book is, of course, created entirely within Scrivener itself, from development through to publication on Kindle, a process followed in detail in the book. Available in Kindle format. Buy at Amazon.com ($5.99)

Scrivener for Writers

By Ivan Pope
Excerpt from Amazon.com: They say everyone has a book in them, but writing any long piece is a complicated process, from the original idea, marshalling of sources, research, filing of texts, creation of structure, rough drafting, editing and production of final document.
From outlining ideas through to output of a formatted hard copy for an agent or publisher; from organisation of research through to the automatic generation of a Kindle ready copy, Scrivener for Writers helps you maket he best of this superb and economic piece of software.
Over 300 pages of content and illustrations include How to Write a Book; Getting Started; Get to grips with Projects; Getting Set Up; Finding Your Way around; Planning your Project; Writing and Editing; Managing Your Writing; Backup and Saving; Output and Printing
This is the Apple Mac OS X edition. Available in Kindle format Buy at Amazon.com ($4.99)

Scrivener for Dummies

By Gwen Hernandez
Excerpt from Amazon.com: Whether you’re a planner, a seat-of-the-pants writer, or something in between, Scrivener provides tools for every stage of the writing process. Scrivener For Dummies walks you step-by-step through this popular writing software’s best features. This friendly For Dummies guide starts with the basics, but even experienced scriveners will benefit from the helpful tips for getting more from their favourite writing software.
From idea inception to manuscript submission, Scrivener for Dummies makes it easier than ever to plan, write, organize, and revise your masterpiece in Scrivener.
Buy at Amazon.com ($4.99)

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find. Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

The 18 Rules I Learned In My First Year As A Full Time Writer - Myke Cole comes clean about the hard truths of being a writer.

The Secret to Writing? - Chuck Wendig keeps it short and sweet.

Authors Whose Names Sound a Little Too Related to Their Subject Matter - Emily Temple finds the wordplay humor in a name.

Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Writers - Some words of wisdom from The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Humphrey Carpenter.

The Complete Works of H.G. Wells - I somehow stumbled across this the other day.

Lastly, our friends over at Shadowbinders have a Kickstarter Campaign going right now.  Stop by and donate to a great project.

Shadowbinders Web Comic

  I'd like to share a great web comic I stumbled across the other day. Shadowbinders bills itself as a magical Steamfantasy web comic.  The story follows Mia White, the main character of Shadowbinders. She is a 17-year-old student facing typical high school issues: crushes, friends, and bullies. Mia loves antiques and unusual objects. One day, her grandmother gave her a puzzle box that contained an unusual ring. The ring cannot be removed, but it gives her the ability to travel between two worlds. This other world being filled with magic and airships is beautifully illustrated.  Currently, the comic is updated three times a week, usually Monday, Wednesday, and Friday sometime during the day.
  The husband and wife duo of Thom Pratt and Kambrea Pratt work on the project together. Kam writes the story and Thom draws it. If you find yourself hooked consider making a donation by clicking on the link on their site.  You can get some nice prints, bookmarks and B&W sketches if you do!
  Shadowbinders Vol. 1 is now also available in paperback!

Her Majesty's Explorer: A Steampunk Bedtime Story

Her Majesty's Explorer: a Steampunk bedtime story It's a dirty job, but he loves it. St.John Murphy Alexander walks the world exploring for the Queen. He sees the most extraordinary landscapes, creatures and weather. He gets very, VERY dirty. Exhausted, he returns to H.Q. and gets ready for a well deserved rest and some sweet dreams. This gentle book, written by Steampunk novelist Emilie P. Bush and brilliantly illustrated by William Kevin Petty, is the perfect wind-down for your little adventurer.




Reviews from around the Steampunk world: 

 "The illustrations are adorable!" ~ Beyond Victoriana Blog

 "I did enjoy Steamduck. A wonderful whimsical story so real you might feel a little seasick. But in a good way." Jenny ~The Bloggess

 "St John Murphy Alexander marches the young reader through the excitement of exploration and duty, and lulls us with the tender familiarity of a comforting bedtime routine. The story is curious and intrepid, yet ready to be tucked in for a good night's sleep." ~ Nancy Overbury, Overbury Ink.

 "St. John Murphy Alexander, "Her Majesty's Explorer," is literature's most charming mechanical man since L. Frank Baum's Tin Man." ~ Jim Barnes Independent Publisher Magazine.

 "I just finished reading Her Majesty's explorer to Chloe (9 years old) and Isabella (just 6). They both loved it, and both wished they could have their very own Steamduck." Captain Robert of Abney Park.

 "Utterly charming" ~M.K. Hobson, Steampunk Novelist

 "This is the perfect childhood book for steampunk parents to introduce their children to the steampunk subculture. I use that term loosely. Steampunk has managed to increasingly wedge its way into popular culture and this book drives that opening wider and opens it to the youngest of readers." John Iwasz, ComicBooked.com

 "My syn­apses have always fired for a bot in uni­form..." ~ S. J. Chambers, co-author of The Steampunk Bible

 "A story that is sweet and dreamy-a perfect bedtime story and a great introduction for children to Steampunk." ~ Benito, Corral, Betwixt Book Reviews.

 "Absolutely charming. It is the Dr. Seuss of Steampunk, and... I LOVED it." ~ DJ Doctor Q, The Artifice Club and The Steampunk Chronicle.

Making a Living as a Full Time Fiction Writer

    Many of us would love to make a living writing fiction, and only fiction, full time.  Aspiring authors find whatever spare time they can muster to write. Would you need to write a bestseller or could you settle for a spartan existence if it meant doing what you love?   No day job, no boss (except maybe your agent or publisher).  Is this a realistic goal?  Realistic, yes.  Worth the sacrifice, maybe.  Only you can decide that for yourself.
 
    Over at BubbleCow they discuss Chip MacGregor's suggestions that the blueprint for becoming a full time writer is complex and is based on a three rule system.

1. You need to have four-to-six books earning you a royalty.
2. You need to have 18 months to 2 years of book contracts.
3. You need to have a plan in place.

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find. Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• Write Because You Love It - Words of wisdom from Author Jody Hedlund.
• 25 Reasons I Hate Your Main Character - More humor and good advice from Chuck Wendig.
• How To Balance Dialogue and Description -  by Sarah Baughman.
• 20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes - Jon Gingerich.
• Are Self-Published Authors Happier Than Traditionally Published Authors? - Joanna Penn.

Mayageddon 2012, by Ken Baumbach - Book Review

I added this at the last minute to my weekend reading list and am glad I did. Ken Baumbach does an amazing job of intertwining political thriller and satire. As the story unfolds he shares a world of corporate greed, sexual dalliances and the possible end of the civilization. I often found myself grinning at its cleverness. I truly can't compare this to anything on the market right now. Well worth the price!

Mayageddon 2012 is a comedy with a liberal splash of political satire and a dash of spy thriller and science fiction. (Imagine Tom Clancy and Dan Brown meet Carl Hiaasen and Harlan Ellison in a bar for drinks and start brainstorming novel ideas). On December 21, 2012, the mysteriously abrupt ending date of the Mayan calendar, the earth is rocked by global seismic events as the earth and the sun line up with the center of the galaxy, an event that happens only once every 26,000 years. Dolly Roderick, ruler of the Roderickstan, the remnants of the ravaged USA, and Mary Ellen Martin, heir to the M-Mart fortune, are in a dangerously escalating struggle to become the most powerful woman in the torn post-Mayageddon world. CYA agent Ryan Jackson- The committee of Yenta Agents- (formerly the NSA)- uncovers the deadliest terrorist plot ever conceived and is convinced it is linked to Dolly and Mary Ellen’s battle for power. He must stop the plot before it wipes out the North American Eastern seaboard and kills tens of millions of people.

It's an entertaining romp through the world of political possibility. Mayageddon 2012 is available from Amazon in both paperback or Kindle.  You can also find it for sale at Barnes and Noble as well as Smashwords.

Scrivener Can Export To Many Different File Formats

    So you're wondering what formats Scrivener can export to? Scrivener allows you to take one large document, or combination of small ones, and compile them into a multitude of formats.  The following is taken from the Scrivener Users Manual (there are links at the bottom of the page).

The main purpose of Scrivener is to provide a place that will help you write a long piece of text (whether novel, thesis or factual book), which may be structured as individual pieces in the binder but which can easily be output as one large file for working with “the rest of the world”. Thus, you write, gather and organise the material for your manuscript in the Draft folder, and when you are ready to export or print the manuscript as a whole, you use File Compile... (Ctrl-Shift-E) which takes the contents of the Draft folder, formats it as you specify, and outputs (or prints) it as a single document. Using the various settings available, you can export or print your texts however you like—even regardless of how the files are formatted in Scrivener itself.

Each format has its own group of supplied presets for formatting.  Most users will not need to change these presets. If the need arises you can alter almost all of them in a few simple steps. The following are the formats you can output your document to depending on your needs:

Format	Extension	Description
Rich Text Format	.rtf	General purpose rich text format supporting multiple fonts, images, tables, bullet points, footnotes and comments. Almost always the best option when exporting for use in a general-purpose word processor. This is a Microsoft Word compatible format.
Plain Text	.txt	UTF-8 (Unicode) plain-text file. Plain text contains no formatting but can be opened almost anywhere, on all platforms and devices and as such is useful for long-term archival.
Word Document	.doc	Industry standard Word .doc file.
Open Document Format	.odt	Format used by OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and other word processors.
Web Page	.html	Creates a single HTML file suitable for webpublishing.
eXtensible Web Page	.xhtml	Likewise, though using the newer XHTML format and is thus better suited toward modern web publishing platforms.
Print	N/A	Use to send the compiled draft directly to your printer.
PDF	.pdf	The Portable Document Format is useful for archival and sending copies out for read-only use, as it will look identical on all machines.
PostScript	.ps	A typesetting standard similar to PDF in what it provides, a stable format that will appear identical on any machine or printout, used more commonly in the design and publishing industry.
ePub eBook	.epub	Generate feature-rich e-books for use in portable reading devices that support the ePub format, such as the Sony Reader, Nook or iPad (ePub files can be dragged into the iTunes Library to import them into iBooks).
Kindle eBook	.mobi	Generate feature-rich eBooks for use in portable reading devices that support the .mobi format,such as the Amazon Kindle. Requires Amazon’s KindleGen.

Here are some useful links:

Free Mac User's Manual for Scrivener
Free Windows User's Manual for Scrivener
Scrivener 20% Discount with this Coupon Code

Make sure to download the manual for your version of Scrivener and keep it handy.  They are full of useful information and should address any problems you run into.

Monk Mind: How to Increase Your Focus

I confess to being as prone to the distractions of the Internet as anyone else: I will start reading about something that interests me and disappear down the rabbit hole for hours (even days) at a time.  This all comes out of precious writing time.

But my ability to focus on a single task has dramatically improved, and that one habit has changed my life.

While a few years ago I couldn’t sit down to work on something without quickly switching to email or one of my favorite Internet forums or sites, today I can sit down and write. I can clear away distractions, when I set my mind to it, and do one thing. And that changes everything: you lose yourself in that task, become so immersed that you pour everything you have into the work, and it becomes a meditative, transformative experience. Your happiness increases, stress goes down, and work improves.

Ira Glass On Creative Work

A little bit of inspiration from Ira Glass.  We all have a learning curve, the trick is not to give up.  Accept it and keep pushing on


.
Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find. Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• 25 Things You Should Know About Word Choice,  always hard hitting truth on writing from Chuck Wendig, hop in the trenches and get dirty with him.
• Ain't no one fucks with tiny hippo - From Peter Smalley on G+ , file this one on the same shelf as "Go the F*ck to Sleep" and other classics of children's literature.
• See your name here? - Then get off the fucking internet and get back to writing.
• 50 Iconic Writer's Who Were Repeatedly Rejected - So drag your ass up off the ground, put on your big boy pants, rub some dirt on it and get back to work!
• 17 Ways For Writers To Use Pinterest - Still unsure about Pinterest as a whole, but I found this an interesting read.  Never say no to a new way to find ideas - or to market your ideas.

Scrivener For IPad

A 2012 release date has been set for the IPad version of Scrivener. An IPhone and Android version of Scrivener are also in the works. The IPhone should be released closely with the IPad verion. The Scrivener Android version has no release date yet.

Don't forget to grab your 20% Scrivener coupon code here for a limited time only.

 From the Literature & Latte blog:

I think it’s in the customers’ interests to have a dedicated developer for each platform to ensure that each version is always kept up-to-date, and my hands are full with the Mac version. To that end, I’m very pleased to announce that we have just signed contracts with a developer, Jen Yates, to develop the iOS versions for us. Jen has been beavering away in secret for two or three months now, putting together some proof-of-concepts.

I have to say that moving index cards around on a touch screen is a lot of fun, and the corkboard implementation she has come up with is, I think, one of the nicest I’ve seen on a touch screen device in terms of selection and dragging.

It’s still early days, though – we are about to embark on the design process proper, and all we can say in terms of a release date is that our iPad and iPhone versions will be out some time in 2012.

The ability for Scrivener users to seamlessly work between Mac, IPad, and IPhone platforms will be a writer's dream.

Don't forget to grab your Discount - 20% Scrivener Coupon Code.

Scrivener Templates

Scrivener is a great tool for both the fledgling and seasoned writer.  The ability to design a template that allows an intuitive workflow on every project is one of its strongest points.  Once you find out what works best for you writing style you can tweak and reuse a single template.  Don't forget you can download a free trial in wither a Windows or a Mac version.  If you decide to buy grab this Scrivener Coupon Code for 20% off you purchase of this great program. To make your search easier here are some templates to work with:

• General Novel Project - This is a free novel template for Scrivener designed by David Hewson.
• Hero's Journey - Based on the story structure of the Hero's Journey, designed by Mel Corbett.
• Mystery Novel - A template for Mystery enthusiasts, also by Mel Corbett.
• Beat Sheet Template - Story structure based on Larry Brooks 'beats' story stucture, template by Mel Corbett.
• SFWA Short Story - An enhanced Short Story template designed for SFWA markets, by Jamie Todd Rubin.
• Academic Paper - Scrivener is good for more than just fiction.  This is an academic template for writing journals and publications according to a generally accepted approach, by Michael Alaxelson.
• Book Length Academic Research Project - (working on fixing template) for a profession length project, by Katherine Pickering Antonova.
• For more great template ideas and help with templates visit the wonderful Scrivener User Group. 
• You can grab a great picture book template here, compliments of Claire O'Brien.

Most of these are zipped files. To use, first unzip the file. Then open the file with the .scrivx or .scrivtemplate extension in scrivener. Then go to “File –> Save as Template…” and follow instructions there (it’s very easy, but if you have trouble leave a message or email me). You may also be able to go to New Project, Select Options, then Import Template - depending on the template. Once you do that, the template should be available in the templates section every time you open Scrivener.  Again, if you have any problems, please leave a comment or email me and I'll give you a hand.

Get a 20% Scrivener discount code if you purchase here.



You may also like:

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find. Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• 25 Ways to Unfuck Your Story - Terriblminds.  I find it hard to think of a week where Chuck Wendig wouldn't be in my required reading.
• Scrivener: 3 Reasons You Should Use It For Your Book - The Creative Penn.  Also, check out the great podcasts.  If you decide you'd like to try Scrivener don't forget to get your 20% discount coupon code here.
• The Daly Show: Episode 7: "The Daly Superheroes" guest starring Nathan Fillion.  Just because it has Nathan Fillion duh.
• Pinterest Tips for Writers - Galleycat.  Decide if this newest social media outlet is for you.
• 21 Ray Bradbury Quotes: Your Moment of Friday Writing Zen - Writer's Digest. If you need some writing inspiration from one of the masters.
• NY Steampunk - Artists and Enthusiasts.  This is a new group for lovers of all things STEAMPUNK!

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find.  Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• How I Make It Work - Myke Cole talks about downsizing his life in order to make writing a full time endeavor.  A must read for all of us who only dream of making this leap of faith.  Also, be sure to check out the release of his new book Shadow Ops: Control Point
• 25 Things You Should Know About Protagonists - another one of Chuck Wendig's great lists. I don't think I've read one of his lists I haven't enjoyed.
• How to Return to Writing After a Long Break - Nathan Bransford talks about exactly that.  There is also a great article on Game of Thrones and being unsentimental about your characters. "Don't get attached. Anyone may die at any moment."
• 6 Wordsmiths Who Couldn’t Spell - Sometimes it's nice to see some of the greats had flaws of their own.
• Stewarding Your Career and Your Agent - Some helpful pointers, as always, from wordserve water cooler.

Writer's Quote Of The Week - E.L. Doctorow

"Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon." ~ E.L. Doctorow

Top 10 Writer's Podcasts

So, I have gradually made the move from listening to music while running every morning, to listening to podcasts.  While I do not listen solely to writing podcasts and still do occasionally need some music to get pumped up for a run - I decided to list my top 10 writing podcasts I listen to right now. In no particular order:

1. The Once and Future Podcast
2. The Creative Penn Podcast
3. The Creative Writing Podcast
4. Grammar Girl Podcast
5. Litopia Podcast
6. Fantasy and Science Fiction Podcast
7. Writing Challenges Podcast
8. Writing Excuses Podcast
9. The Writing Show
10. Escape Pod

For those of you with an iPod, iPhone, iPad or iWhatever you can simply search for these under the podcast tab in iTunes and add them at your leisure.  If you are on a different platform you should be able to download many of these in mp3 format and listen to them.  I am not as familiar with other platforms, so you are on your own when it comes to moving them to your device.

If anyone has any I SHOULD be listening to, please share them!

Scrivener Coupon Code - 20% Off Scrivener

Last updated: Saturday, August 3rd, 2019. All links and promo codes are still valid as of this date.

If you are an organized writer, like myself, Scrivener is the best software for both your fiction and non-fiction endeavors. It's even better with a discount!  It is available for either OS X or Windows and you can save 20% off the retail price now! This is currently the best coupon code available for Scrivener.  To get Scrivener on sale make sure you visit one of the links listed below for the code to work.

"Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft." -Literature and Latte

One of the great things about the writing community is, as a whole, we tend to be a supportive bunch. So I thought it only fitting to share the links below for anyone that wanted to get Scrivener at a discount.  Remember you can always try it for free first.

I want to sincerely thank all those that continue to use the links provided below.

You can grab the  Mac version or Windows version of Scrivener, just follow these steps:

• This is the most current Scrivener coupon code: WORDSWITHJAM  (This code is still valid as of  Saturday, August 3rd, 2019)
• Highlight the discount code, right click and copy. You'll be able to lick the link and add a coupon at final checkout.
• You must go here for the Scrivener Mac OS X version and paste your coupon code.
• You must go here for the Scrivener Windows version and paste your coupon code.

If you successfully completed NaNoWriMo you may have a 50% Scrivener Coupon Code.

Make sure to take advantage of some great free Scrivener Templates as a bonus for ordering here.

Enjoy this Scrivener Coupon Code and get writing!

Weekly Express

Since I tend to spend way too much time reading other writer's blogs, I thought I would deliver some of the better ones I find.  Here are this weeks articles delivered by the Weekly Express:

• Writer's Digest 18 Most Popular Articles of 2011 Based on their most read articles of 2011.
• Chuck Wendig's 25 Things Writers Should Start Doing (ASAFP) Caution -  "Here There Be Bad Words. Naughty profanity. The sinner’s tongue."  Biting sarcasm, hard truth and a minefield of eff-bombs.  If you have never visited, you will thank me.
• SF Signal - The Years Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2012 Edition The table of contents for the upcoming anthology.
• Flavorwire - The 25 Most Beautiful College Libraries In The World  Add visiting some of these to your bucket list.
• Lisa Gardner - Writer's Toolbox A great collection of articles in PDF on the writing process.  Many are geared towards the romance writer, but all are a good read for writers of any genre.

Feel free to share your own links to anything you stumbled across recently.

2012 Writing Goals

After enjoying the responses to my previous post and looking through other writer's articles I tried to decide on a few realistic goals.  I wanted to set attainable goals in order to challenge myself, but not so hard as to become discouraged.  Here is what I've settled on:

• Finish writing and editing of my NaNoWriMo 2011 novel before NaNoWriMo 2012
• Write one short story a month
• Submit one short story a month
• Write one piece of flash fiction a month
• Submit one piece of flash fiction a month
• Regular posts at least three times a week on this blog
• Maintain at least 1000 words/day of fiction
• Read 26 new books this year.  Low I know, but like I said I don't want to over commit

I'll see how this goes with my crazy schedule, it may need to be adjusted.  I think these are fair goals though.  I need the push without feeling overwhelmed.  Feel free to leave a comment with your goals or post a link.  I love seeing other writers lists.

How Do I Claim My NaNoWriMo discount for 50% Off Scrivener?

If you're wondering how to get your 50% discount on Scrivener, here is a quick how to.  It took me a while to find the answer and there were similar questions on the NaNoWriMo Forums, so I thought some may find this useful. Follow the steps below to get the Scrivener sale price. Remember if you don't qualify return here to still get your Scrivener Coupon Code worth 20% off!

• Go to the NaNoWriMo website.
• Log in using your username and password
• The first link on the brown navigation bar is My NaNoWriMo.  Hover over this and select Dashboard.
• Now scroll down to the bottom of the page.
• On the bottom right is a section labeled Winner Prizes. Click their link.
• Now you should reach the page with your various winnings.
• Scroll to the bottom and find the Scrivener coupon code.  Highlight the code, right click and Copy.
• For the Scrivener Mac OS X version click here and paste your coupon code.
• For the Scrivener Windows version click here and paste your coupon code.
• Either version will be $20 after discount!
• Your coupon code is good until October 1, 2012, but the sooner the better.
• Now fall in love with Scrivener!

Like I said, not the easiest task to find your reward.  Though being able to snag Scrivener for 50% off is a huge bargain!

If you didn't participate or compete in NaNoWriMo and would still like a discount on Scrivener use this 20% Scrivener Coupon Code.

Have You Set Any Goals For 2012?

Sorry for the month long absence. I took a much needed family vacation (for them and me). NaNoWriMo 2011 was a
great experience, but it burned me out a bit. I am looking forward to editing what I wrote and finishing the story. I am excited now to be back writing. I am setting my writing goals for 2012 and would be interested if anyone already has theirs? Have you posted your 2012 goals anywhere? I would love to read what others have planned for this year.