Scrivener: Why I Love It!

Scrivener has made my life much easier as I achieve to be a published author. Before, I was lost. I had note cards scattered throughout the house, notebooks (about 50) laying around the house and always screamed when I couldn't find the one I needed at the moment.
I am a free writer, as in I never do an outline per-say. I get my characters, some idea of what I want them to do and write. Usually my characters never do what I thought they would. Scrivener has changed all that ciaos of tracking my characters mind-changing events. Example: I had planned on two certain characters to get together but in the current WIP the girl is liking a different guy than I intended.

Reasons:

1.) Scrivener allows me to import research, photos,  MS Word docs. This helps with organizing it all in one place. You don't have to have 50 million screens open and bounce between them.

2.) Cork-board mode is my best friend. Here I can have my note cards and move them around. In Scrivener, every document is attached to a virtual index card onto which you can jot a synopsis; moving the cards on Scrivener’s corkboard rearranges their associated text in your draft. Mark common themes or content using labels, or stack cards, grouping related documents together. I have folders for each wolf pack with all their pack members. I can click on the folder and see everyone's photo I have suggested for them. You can also move you chapters and scenes around to re-order them in corkboard mode.  I can just drag the notes cards to re-order them. As mine are in order of rank at the moment. It would be easy and take less than a minute to change that to age. I have the definitions is alphabetical order but had them in order they appeared at first. It took me 3 minutes to move the note cards around.


3.) Ease of moving things around. As I said it's easy to move your notes, research, chapters, scenes and characters in cork-board mode. It is also easy to move them around in the binder. All you have to do is drag what you want moved and move it! It's that simple.

4.) Being able to have photos on your note-cards has me jumping every time I open the screen. Having them to jog my memory as to what someone or some place looks like is easier than opening up my pictures on my computer. They are right there. And the split-screen makes it quick work to look up a fact on a note-card.

5.) I love the fact that I can color code everything in my binders. As you can see below I have changed their look. It makes it easier the click the correct one without reading the names.  You can also code your note cards. The coloring can be all of it or just some of it, like I have. Or it can be just the outside border.

6.) It makes it easier for me to start another novel in my series by dragging the info from one project to a new one. I don't have to retype it all in. Everything is there with a click or 2.

7.) I love that it tracks my word counts for each session and the whole document. It keeps me on track with my daily word counts. Below is my current WIP. As you can see it allows you to set the whole document goal and the session goal. AS you progress the bars turn color. When you get really close to your goal it turns green!

8.) The name generator has been a big help. I can set it for regions of the world and click 'generate' and is comes up with a list of names. Settings can be male/female, first/last names, meanings, and you can import others.  I usually use this for last names rather than first of middle and I change the spelling if it's for a current character.

9.) The full screen makes it easier for me, personally, to edit. It blocks out all the distractions of windows I might have open.

10.) Compiling into e-pub for makes it easy for me to proof-read it anywhere. I have done it while waiting for the kids to get out of school or at the doctor's office. All I do is upload it to my NOOK.

There are many other things that can be done with the program but I haven't learned everything yet. Learning everything I can do may take years but as I go, I learn a little more and the more I love it. Windows version is a little behind Mac but they are working on it. I have been working on Binders but haven't had a need for them yet. Some use it to track all their blogging, not me; at least not yet. 

If you prefer a more traditional planning environment? View and edit the synopses and meta-data of your documents in Scrivener’s powerful outliner. Organize your ideas using as many or few levels as you want and drag and drop to restructure your work. Check word counts, see what’s left to do using the Status column. Scrivener’s outliner is easy on the eyes, too, making it ideal for reading and revising an overview of a section, chapter or even the whole draft.

Others I have talked with say,

' It's a must for me.  Keeps everything all in one place.'

' I adore Scrivener - it allows me to visually order scenes & keep everything open. Plus character & research tabs.'

' I have full versions for both PC & Mac! Still hoping for iOS.'


Get a free 30 day use version of Scrivener at http://www.literatureandlatte.com/index.php
If you're not sure watch the tutorials and get more of an idea of how it can help you with your writing.

*All screenshots are mine. The photos are from Literature&Latte's website.
**This blog is my opinion and mine alone. I am not paid for my views on the product. 

My Writing Schedule ???

Many ask how do you plan when you write?

Well that all depends on the day and my mood. I am a participant of WriteChainChallenege so I make myself write at least 1500 wordies a day. I have managed for the last 53 days to do so. Here's my schedule (changes made when kiddos involved)

Monday - Thursday during 9am and 3pm for at least 2 hours. At night I write while cooking and cleaning up after dinner.
Fridays I write from 1pm-2am with a few breaks for food and dishes This is for FriNightWrites on Twitter
Saturdays I write any where from 9am-3am for a minimum of 6 hours. In the mornings I do #TalesAndTea with The Sprint Shack on Twitter.
Sundays it all depends on when my kiddos get home. usually I write around noon for a few hours (like 8).

Remember I have two kids and they interfere a lot with my scheduled writing times. Friday my son came home from school early because of a migraine. No problem he went to his room and slept for a bit, so no stopping is needed. Then I have to figure out which laptop I am gonna use, my daughter's or son's. If neither then I HAVE to use my desktop. Using my desktop isn't as inspiring as writing in the kitchen for some reason.

Most of the time I do word sprints for 30 minutes with friends and fellow writers on Twitter. They keep my grove going and when my writing groups aren't running sprints I do. Example, I ran six 30 minute sprints today and had several join in. I always use the hashtag #getwordies because that's our goal, to get words written.

Yeah I am on Twitter most of the day doing sprints. Like I said before, they keep me writing and during the breaks I get dishes, laundry and other things done in the kitchen. I even cook while sprinting now. Though finding TweetDeck was the best thing in the world since Scrivener.

No matter what wordies are written everyday. I wrote only 2540 words today but I created several supporting characters for this 'Dalara' and they may end up with one of their own in the future. Already planning on one for sure.

So, my writer friends and followers, if you need motivation to keep you on track find me on Twitter @jesdeh2o or search #getwordies to see if I'm running sprints! Or you can always ask if I can. I am more than willing to help out my fellow writers.

How Does a Writer Do It?

Question to a Writer

I have had a lot of people ask what music I listen to while writing, if I even do. Well it depends on the scene I'm working on I guess. Mostly it's Enya, Praga Khan, Dean Evenson, Kitaro, and Yiruma, which is also my meditation music. I have it on low in volume so it's just background noise. If I'm writing a fight or sex scene it's 2 Live Crew, Nickelback, Rush,  Metallica and some Queen here and there.

I know many of my fellow authors have their favorites as well. I would have to say it all depends on the mood of the author and our own preferences. Some may not even listen to music but their kids as to not find a mess after a session of writing.

Other questions I get:
1.) What do you do when you are struck?
Well, I message my friend and we go over the scene before and what I want to happen after, I as my son if it's a fight scene, or I get on Twitter and talk with other authors.

2.) When do you write the most?
That's a though one. Mainly at night when the kids are sleeping, but then I also write while they are at school if I'm up. I tend to sleep in late (11am) . If I'm in a bipolar manic state I will write 24/7 in between cleaning.

3.) Where do you get the character names?
Everywhere! Though I prefer old Celtic and anglo-saxon the best. I look them up online or Scrivener has a name generator I like.

4.) Where do you get the ideas for books?
That's a though one. Sometimes I have an image come to me when I'm watching tv, reading the news websites or I just think shoot that's the next one. It goes the same for my plots and twists.

5.) Why just paranormal romance genre?
That's the easiest to answer. I love it and it's about the only thing I read. Being only 6 years into my book fetish I can't seem to get into anything else. I'm hoping to branch out in the next year.

6.) Do you only write adult?
No, my first novel written was YA for my daughter who is an advanced reader. I just wanted to be able to add sex scenes if I felt like it. My Ya had to be cut due to one. I have also thought of doing one for pre-teens though I am not sure about what.

7.) How do you come up with places, like where it all takes place?
Interesting indeed. My bestie and I plan out what we are going to do if we win the lottery. Lots of property looking. Since I am working on werewolves it works wonderfully with the large treed land. With looking at homes and land I get the general idea for it. With the current WIP(work in progress) I drew out the house plans one night when I was bored and had writer's-block. Since it's an old house built in the 1800s circa I googled that type of furniture and downloaded the pics I loved. For the names, they just pop out of my head.

8.)Who is your favorite author?
Okay people, a person with a book fetish can't really answer that question. I have so many, but the one I couldn't live without would be four, J.R.Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon Alexandria Ivy and Laura Wright. Though there are many others I love. Those are the ones I would throw a fit if I couldn't read their books. For the others check out my my Loving and Engaging Authors page.

Well, guys and gals those are the most common questions I get. If you have one not listed ask away.

My your New Year be blessed with good health, love, warmth, family and good friends.

The Long Process

As I sit in front of my computer trying to write, I can't help but think it's not good enough. Nothing seems to flow nor does it seem like a book I would read. Some think that an author just sits down and writes a story without trouble, well NOT! Many of us aspiring authors and even New York Times best sellers have this issue of being stuck.
Once I get started I end up going back and reading through what I have several times. Yep, you guess it; I change a lot. I need to learn to write it then edit it. I doubt that will ever happen which is something slowing me down.
I have however' learned to ask for help when I get stuck. I was hard at first because I didn't want to hear, "What the hell are you thinking? This sucks."  Now I have a few people I trust to tell me the truth and I can listen to their hating on parts of my book.

Things I learned in 2013

1. I can write any time of day, not just in the middle of the night.
2. I can't read when I'm in the process of writing.
3. Editing isn't as hard as I thought it would be.
4. My son can drive just fine and I had no need to worry.
5. I can clean and write in the same day.
6. I love my washer and dryer being in the kitchen. I do loads while typing at the table.
7. Scrivener is something I will never be able to live without.
8. Aeon Timeline is almost as needed as Scrivener.
9. My time management skills improved.
10. I love my son's laptop!

My for 2014!

1. Finish editing novel 1 and self-publish
2. Finish WIP1 and edit
3. Start WIP2
4. Keep house clean while writing...yeah harder than said with 2 teenagers in the house.
5. Save enough for my own laptop for X-mas 2014
6. Do more mommy/kid things with the kiddos

Excerpt:
"Dalara was laying on the couch in pain, it had never been this bad before, she thought. Every muscle and joint felt as if they were on fire, she was shaking with the fever and then her thoughts went fuzzy. She could here Sage and Naleena talking but they sounded as if they were far away. Her mind drifted to her dreams of the black wolf. It had haunted her since the first night." from WIP1 "Dalara"!

1st Week of December!

As I sit here and wait for the 5th I am thinking back over what I accomplished in November. Though it is the hardest month of  the year for me, I wrote 3/4 of a novel hitting over 50k words. I won NaNoWriMo! I never thought I could do it, but with the support of @TheSprintShack, @WriteChain, @FriNightWrites and many others within them, it would take forever to list all that helped and are still helping me. Always pushing me to sprint and get those words out of my head and on the computer screen. You guys *ROCK*.
As I have not completed my NaNo novel, I have begun finishing up the PREQUEL to it.  It is a shorter process after doing 50k+ in 30days. I am so glad I took the challenge and if I hadn't won, it still would have been awesome.

With winning I get to purchase Scrivener from Literature and Latte at 50% off on the 5th. Along with AEON Timeline. Both helped me so much I would never had made it without their NaNo Trials. With Scrivener I had everything from places, character bios, and relationships all in one place. I didn't have to open another program. Aeon Timeline allowed me to track the timing of each event and I never forgot what day it was in my novel.

There are tons of tools for writers and these are the only ones I have tried and I don't think I will try anything else. This is it for me. Each writer has their own way of doing things and Scrivener and Aeon Timeline is what I need.

With all that said I will definitely be participating next year in NaNoWriMo! I only wish I could make a financial donation this year. If you wish to help out the non-profit organization of NaNoWriMo please do so on their website (Link is above). Thanks!

NaNoWriMo Day 7

Today is day 7 of National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo for short. I am impressed by how well I am doing and the fact I am sticking to it. I hit 15k and am still going. Just look at the progress at the upper right side of this page. Many of my NaNoPals are pushing their little fingers to the keyboards as much as I am. Today I did  1k1hr, 1k words in 1 hour, with one and did over that. The sprints at #NaNoWordSprint is keeping me going... Here is a list of the sprints I partake in:
@TheSprintShack, @FriNightWrites, @NaNoWordSprints

What is a word sprint you ask?

Well, you get together on Twitter with buddies and challenge yourselves to improve your word count. There are many different places I do word sprints and it keeps us all on track. @FriNightWrites we sprint for 30 minutes and take a 10 minute break. There are writers from all over the world that join in.
Times:
UK: 7pm-7am
US EAST COAST: 2pm-2am
US WEST COAST: 11am-11pm
You can always jump in to any of them, whatever your schedule allows. I am there off and on during the day here in US Central and a lot at night. There we use the hashtag #writeclub and the #StatsGuy keeps track of how many words for each sprint. It is quite amazing to see the numbers pop up.
Want to learn more about FriNightWrites check it out, Write Club @FriNightWrites

Is there anything I couldn't live without during NaNoWriMo?

Yes, Scrivener. I love the software from Literature & Latte, it has made writing and keeping track of facts, characters, ages even. It's all in one place and easy to access. I downloaded the free trial version and loved it. Then when I signed up for NaNoWriMo I found they offer a special free trial to NaNoWriMo participants. It got even better, if I complete my 50k words I can buy Scrivener for 50% off.

I have just found out how helpful their split-screen is. I now can look at a character sheet and type at the same time without leaving either. There are tons of features I have not worked with and can't wait to buy it after NaNoWriMo and find all the wonderful things I can do with it. It has definitely made NaNoWriMo experience easier and less stressful. I think once November is over and less frantic I will use Scrivener for my blogs and all my books.

I also couldn't live without my kids running up and down the stairs when I am in the middle of a sprint and need a fresh soda or some snack. They are the best in helping me out and not fighting with each other. Being 16 and almost 12 it amazes me as I wait for a fight and I hear them talking with each other rather than at each other.

Now it's time to get back to my story but before I do here is another excerpt:

Tasmina started crying once Azri left. She didn't understand what she was doing. He had caused the challenge and could die. That would probably get her sent back to Johnathan’s pack and to her father. The Warrior had told her that Azri was a strong fighter and would do well, at least that’s what she got from the conversation they had. Why was Azri risking his life to protect her? Why does he care so much when no one else had. Her mother watched the abuse and did nothing while the other did as they pleased. If only she had someone she trusted to answer her questions about Azri, but there was no one.  Someone that knew about males in a way she didn't.