Coming Home

You know how a while back I said I was writing a few books? Well, funnily enough, I’m writing a few more.
My brain has issues with working on one project, as in, it doesn’t like to. So I’ve started another novel, this one modeled after the parable of The Prodigal Son.

“Keisha, a minister’s daughter, ran away from home and her church years ago to pursue her dream of music stardom in Hollywood. Now, on the cusp of a scandal to end all scandals, she’s forced to flee the Hollywood Hills to the one place the press would never think to find her – only she doesn’t receive the homecoming she expected.”

That’s the synopsis I’m working with at the moment, though it is rough.

The exciting part? I’ve found a few new writing tools that have promised to make me scarily productive (they really haven’t but its good to dream).

yWriter is a novel planning tool, to put it simply, available for free download, and as far as I can tell puts similar for-purchase programs (like Scrivener) to shame. It may not be the prettiest program, but by damn does it help you get things done. I’ve added four new scenes to two separate fanfictions in the past month, more than I’ve been able to do in the past year. The program itself is amazingly simple to use yet powerful at the same time. You’re able to describe scenes even before you write them, which is key for a visual writer like myself: I can type up a bunch of scene descriptions and work on them at a slightly less-than manic pace without fear of losing the thread of the story.

The other thing I’m having a ton of fun with is ilys.com, which is a productivity tool, if nothing else. You can set your target word count and then type along until you meet said word count. Catches: You can only see one letter at a time and you can’t see what you’ve typed so far till you’ve hit your target goal. Cool right? Nerve wracking for me, because I have a habit of needing to go back, delete and edit. Needless to say I’ve been cringing my way to my wordcount goals, and its been awesome.

I’m also using Celtx for scriptwriting, but that’s a separate post.

Why am I not using Write or Die anymore? I may do so if I find myself in a bunch, but all in all I find myself a little disappointed with my interactions with a Mr. Jeff Printy, aka Dr. Wicked, the creator of WoD, or at least his customer service. His website states that you only have to purchase the program once, and if you misplace your copy or likewise need a replacement, he or his team will get you back in working order in no time. I contacted Mr. Printy more than three months ago, and I’m still waiting. I won’t tell anyone not to use the program, because it is great, but I’d preach caution; if your computer crashes and you want the program again, you may be stuck with the online version, or have to purchase again.

All in all, I’ve been fairly busy on the writing end for the first time in a very long time, which is gloriously, gloriously illuminating and freeing and amazing and I never want it to end.

Next time, we’ll talk about the 8 points of a script, how I translated that into novel writing and why its so a boost for productivity. Woohoo!