Discovery writers, or write-by-the-seat-of-their-pantsers, may shy away from anything that looks too much like outlining or planning. That includes story structures--surely the idea is to fit your story into the structure before you start writing? Sh ...
I've written about Pacemaker before, but this will be a more comprehensive overview. There are more and more apps out there that help you track what you've already done. Where Pacemaker shines is that it helps you plan how much you need to/can wri ...
This is one of those things that drove me batty until I figured a way to fix it. Scrivener is amazing, even with its limitations. (Still waiting on Scrivener 3 for Windows... *sob*) Screenshots are for Scrivener 1 on Windows. When compiling ...
A while back I got a comment wishing for a reusable Monster Worksheet, the primary tool for my Monster Novel Structure Workbook. I love this idea, so I researched the options. My first thought was to see what custom-printed white boards would cost ...
The last time I got ready to query, I was advised to get 1-month subscription to Publisher's Marketplace. It's one of the best decisions I could've made. I knew about Publisher's Marketplace before then, and I'd written it off as too expensive ($2 ...
So, you're going to attempt NaNoWriMo this year and you figure now is a great time to also try out Scrivener, cuz, hey, they have discounts and free trials this time of year. Sounds pretty sweet, huh? Then you open Scrivener and realize you have n ...
Many writers wait until their novel is polished and ready to go out before they approach writing their query letter. They have to figure out how to distill 60,000+ words into just 250. No wonder querying is so daunting! Drafting the query letter b ...
Updated 10/29/20 Given a choice between text, audio, and video, I'll pick text 98% of the time. But there are times when audio is a godsend, like when I'm cooking or in the shower. (Showering is boring!) Since I don't have endless hours for listen ...
There are as many ways to brainstorm as there are writers. Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of guides on how to brainstorm that work for me. Most provide prompts or expect you to work alone. And while that can be valuable, I find having another perso ...
I may be a writer but I love using visual cues to organize my writing. I really like and have used index cards to arrange scenes and beats, but that usually requires physical items. I know you can have virtual index cars in Scrivener, but in Scrivene ...
0Days0Hours0Mintues Last week marked 100 days left before NaNoWriMo. Surely not, you may be thinking to yourself. It can't be that close! Oh, but it is. Most people only start thinking about NaNoWriMo in late September or October. And my fri ...
I rebooted a project a short while ago, and I was pleased that each time I felt I needed a new tool I knew exactly what to reach for. My arsenal of devices, software, and more is keeping this project humming along really nicely, so I thought I'd shar ...
I've been thinking a lot over the last few months about what it means to have and set priorities--and then act accordingly. I think a lot of writers think they're prioritizing their writing but don't live as though they are. It's so easy to talk a ...
This song by The Beatles is definitely my revision anthem this year. Aside from being a beautiful song, it's also full of yearning. And that is what revising UNCHURCHED has been like for me: a lot of yearning. Why can't it just BE the book I want ...
First, let's define some terms. Draft Zero is the very first draft, the one you don't dare show anyone because even you haven't read it yet. You don't know what's in there. You don't know if it even tells a complete story yet. The First Draft come ...
To start, there's the official definition: Project management is the practice of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time. The pri ...
Everybody's been talking about bullet journals, how great they are, how they've changed people's lives, how fun and pretty they are. But did you know that we as writers can also use them? There are specific benefits to using a bullet journal specific ...
A short, powerful, reusable online course that will help you prepare for NaNoWriMo! Every year I see writers who either forget about National Novel Writing Month until two months or less before November, or who know it's coming but keep putting of ...
You've decided you want to join a writing group. But what kind of writing group? There are so many combinations out there! Online or in-person, critique or support, small or large—and in what combination? The possibilities are endless! Here's a brie ...
(and people short on time, like me) Bullet journals are all the rage. Basically, a bullet journal is a DIY planner. You take a blank notebook and set it up the way you want, and use it to track anything from appointments to daily habits. It's a wa ...
It's finally here! THE MONSTER NOVEL STRUCTURE WORKBOOK is available for pre-order, releasing on September 15, 2018! Beta readers agree, this book will change the way you novel. “I feel like I've won the novel-writing lottery! For the first time ...
A novel synopsis is a summary of the major events of a novel. It retells the story in a condensed form so that a reader can get the gist of the book without having to read the whole thing. If you plan to query your novel you'd best prepare a synop ...
I've used all kinds of tools to track things across the length of a manuscript. I've used giant pieces of paper, spreadsheets, and meta-data. But I think I'm in love with this one: Aeon Timeline 2. First, let me explain what I'm tracking and why. ...
Seeing as I love spreadsheets, are you surprised that I keep my digital files relatively well-ordered? I just saw yet another post from someone lamenting that she's working on Draft Number "FinalNoReallyThisTimeForSureIMeanItEtc" for the millionth ti ...
