Here is the promised list of productivity applications that aim to get you focussed during a writing session. It took a little longer than expected because I wanted to represent Windows users as well as I could (productivity tools seem to be a much healthier sub-culture on Macs for some reason). So behold a great list below of tools to focus for both Mac and Windows writers! Read more…
A few weeks ago I blogged about my new method of organising my web-based reading. I find it difficult enough to find time to read, but I make a point of it because reading is so essential. But there is so much more to read now! there are literally thousands of blogs out there, and each posts once a week or more. So, I am now organised, and I said I’d update you, so here I am. Read more…
A while ago, I made a blog entry about getting inspiration to come to you. Some of the ways I mentioned to do this would actually help as research tools as well. Read more…
Following on from the last couple of posts on the nature of inspiration, and how to find inspiration, now I’ll talk about a kind of automatic inspiration. Read more…
Writing comes with a Catch-22… no, not the book, though it is well recommended. As you may be aware there are lots of writers in this world (look in the library, lots of books, lots of writers wrote those books). Now, once you’ve written your book or script or story or whatever, you think ‘right, I’ll just send this to (insert random publisher here)’. You think they will go ‘Perfect, get David on the phone we have a cheque for him.’ Read more…
I’ve mentioned DropBox briefly, but wanted to give an idea of how it can be used by writers. It is designed as an easy means of transferring documents automatically from one machine to another. And the key word there is ‘automatically’ – as long as you have an active internet connection you don’t have to turn on and off (most people), you never have to even think about it. Read more…
One aspect of writing I really enjoy is note-taking.
In the early stages of a project it feels really creative to get some ideas down and start shaping the thing that’s lurking in your mind. And it’s most joyous when it is as instant as possible. It allows me space to think, generate more ideas and importantly, not forget any! (How many times have you been writing a paragraph where an idea to include in the next paragraph comes to you, only for you to forget it by the time you’re ready to write it?)
One fantastic piece of software I use for this is Freemind. Read more…