Writing on the ipad

Every writer I talk with has a different tool that he/she uses for writing. Some use the computer. Others use notebooks or index cards. I've even heard about notes on dinner napkins.

I'm now the owner of an ipad and wanted to find an app for writing where I could take my tool with me everywhere. Okay, I know that paper napkins can be had anywhere...but I need organization. And something without a ketchup stain.

Are you a writer? If so, check out the wonderful Manuscript App. With this app, I'm able to use electronic notecards, make outlines for chapters, and then organize each chapter in separate sections. For a visual boost, I can access my Work-In-Progress as a hardbound book with the title in gleaming gold letters. The work also has the word count listed at the bottom.

The cons are there, of course. I haven't figured out if there is a spell check, but I'm pretty sure it's missing. It is also too easy to delete something without getting the handy message you get in other software programs. You know the one. The box pops up with, "Are you sure you want to delete this file?" I was always annoyed with it before. Now, I miss it.

Overall, I'd recommend the app for your first draft and for organizing all your thoughts.It also worked well for putting in my synopsis, outlines, and notes. For the second draft, I had to move to Word or Pages. I'd give it a thumbs up for the writer working on the ipad.

I'm going to Write a Novel...

An author, Rebecca Zanetti, shared this on her blog and I couldn't stop laughing.

NaNoWriMo Novel: Nine

Just thought I would give an update on my writing project for November. I logged in at 13,900 words a few moments ago, so I am behind. The friendly NaNo site gives me a status update chart that shows a bar graph depicting my failure to meet word count goals. Joy, joy. My excuse? A trip to Orlando for StemTech and another to the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute at Petit Jean Mountain took me a little off-track. Oh well, that's life---trying to stay on the right tracks. I will proudly say that I am writing at a much faster speed under the pressure of NaNoWriMo. Not only am I writing faster, but I'm discovering the joy of writing online with others. I've tried writing sprints this month and am so glad I did. It's a great way to stay focused.

Here are the details of my current work in progress:

Title of my NaNoWriMo challenge novel: Nine

Summary: You might call Abby a very lucky person. Even though her heart has stopped beating two times, she's been brought back to life. First, the man in the well-tailored grey suit rescued Abby from the rubble of 9/11 and left her with a gift- a nested box. Then, JT, Abby's mysterious guardian, gave her the key to decipher her destiny from the cryptic messages printed on each the nine boxes. She's escaped death twice. Why doesn't she feel so lucky?

Déjà vu

I'm ready to outline a story for my NaNoWriMo novel. New ideas are practically bursting forth by the minute. I had lunch with my son on Saturday and thought I'd throw some out there for an honest opinion. He is the brutal critic in my life.

I began...."What about a story where the heroine keeps dreaming and having this mystery unravel. In the dreams, she meets someone that she needs and wants more than anything else in life. AND then it begins to confuse her because some items are bleeding over into her waking hours. She can choose to live in the dream world or find a way to bring him to her world. AND...." I look into my son's face as he stays silent. The déjà vu hits me. It all sounds very familiar.

I had been thinking about this storyline for a couple of days. It all seemed very original at the time. Looking into my son's eyes told me why it suddenly sounded very much like another story. He and I had seen the movie Inception together. We had both loved it and talked about it at length. If I hadn't been looking into my son's eyes, I'm not sure I would have made the connection. As a matter of fact, I'm sure that I would have just had that freaky déjà vu feeling while telling anyone else.

"It's too much like Inception, isn't it?"

"Not exactly. Well, yes a little," he says.

I frown. He smiles broadly.

"Don't feel bad," he says. "Did you know that the guy who wrote Inception originally wrote ten years ago? Then he kept fine-tuning it. He had time to watch The Matrix and a lot of other movies that I'm sure influenced him..."

Anna Quindlen said, "Every story has already been told. Once you've read Anna Karenina, Bleak House, The Sound and the Fury, To Kill a Mockingbird and A Wrinkle in Time, you understand that there is really no reason to ever write another novel. Except that each writer brings to the table, if she will let herself, something that no one else in the history of time has ever had."

Maybe I'll hang onto that that plot.

Manuscript Milestone

Today I completed the last chapter of The Waiting Booth. It was the moment that I've been waiting for in this process. I didn't actually type the words, THE END, but I did a little dance (Napoleon Dynamite style), took a deep breath, and let myself feel good for a minute. Now what? Well...it was only the first draft. I have gone through this process knowing that I will hate editing, rewrites, and more editing. Thus, I now begin the second draft of the book which will focus on edits. There are some holes in my story. Sometimes the details were in my head and didn't make it to the page. I've also taken two online classes during this process on POV and Show vs Tell. I'm thinking about adding in an entire POV. I'll take what I've learned and try to apply better writing techniques throughout the book. Wish me luck. THE END.

On the Road Again

Baltimore is an extraordinary city.  I traveled to a conference for work this week.  I think that they must have tailored the sessions with me in mind.  Technology is the overwhelming theme. I love it!  The conference is League for Innovation 2010 with lots of attendance from community college personnel around the world.  I must say that I am exhausted from the load of conference sessions PLUS sightseeing, shopping, and eating.  Yes, I have eaten the best crabcake ever.   No, crabcake isn't the only good thing I've dined on this week.

I am in an awesome room with a view of the Oriole Park and only a few blocks from Inner Harbor.  I've been to the World Trade Center in Baltimore and had a spectacular view of the entire city.  Have I complimented Baltimore enough?

Bad things about traveling: eating too much, spending money, and procrastinating about writing.  I did receive critiques from Chapter Three of my manuscript to review, and I have much work to do. I am currently writing on Chapter Eight.  I read through all my critiques and take their advice on edits to heart in my current chapter that I am writing. 

Baltimore is great, but I'm ready to return home tomorrow.  There's no place like home.~Dorothy