Affordable Fountains

I was surprised to read that Twilight flick heartthrob Robert Pattison generously gave his waffling leading-lady love Kristen Stewart this 18k white gold Tibaldi Bentley Crewe fountain pen (personally inscribed, no less.) Dropping $46K on a single writing instrument as a birthday gift is probably the definition of extravagance, I guess. I keep thinking how hard she'll kick herself if anything happens to it. How many times have you lent someone a pen only to realize an hour later they never gave it back? I learned my lesson when a kid at a football game borrowed my favorite purse fountain, a Pilot Plumix, from me to jot down someone's phone number -- swearing he'd return it in a minute -- and never did.

I'm also not sure how you'd dare write with a pen that costs as much as a Cadillac. I'm guessing you don't; you lock it up in a cabinet with a glass front so everyone can look at it and envy you (although I'm not sure why; all that does is turn it into a pretty pricey knick-knack.) The minute you ding or scratch the clip or barrel the pen loses value, so you'd probably have to wear gloves and use it only to sign your next zillion dollar contract. Maybe that's all it's supposed to be use for?

As some of you know I'm also a fountain pen fanatic, but I admit, I don't own anything even remotely in the Tibaldi price ballpark. Nor do I think you have to invest thousands to own a lovely writing instrument that will serve you faithfully. Fountains are initially more expensive that the cheapie disposable variety of pen, but in the long term they work out to be a good investment because you can keep using them for years; all you need to buy are replacement ink cartridges or a converter to fill them with bottled ink. If you happen to lose one you won't feel like half your retirement fund just vanished, either.

Here are three of my current favorite fountains, beneath samples of how they write:



Starting at the top, The Ultra Violet True Writer by Levenger is my most recent acquisition, and I'm still kicking myself for waiting twenty years to buy one. This is a smooth, beautiful pen with nice, balanced weight (not too flimsy, not too heavy) and a nib that seems to fly across any kind of paper. The barrel colors are gorgeous, and when you hold it in the sunlight you'll notice they have a subtle sparkle, too. I got mine on sale from Levenger for $44.95, and the only complaint I'd make about it is that the cartridges are on the small side. It comes with a converter, though, so if you write a lot you can knock down the price of replacement ink by using bottled.

My favorite and most frequently used fountain is the red and white fountain in the middle; my Platinum Koi. This pen retails for about $450.00 but you can find it in the $300.00 range if you shop around; I got mine on sale at a Levenger store for $110.00. That still sounds like a lot to spend on a pen, and it is the most expensive fountain I own, but I've also been using it almost daily for ten years and it has yet to quit. Most Japanese fountains are exception, excellent pens and my Koi has proven to be practically indestructible; I've done everything to it except throw it against a brick wall and it still writes as beautifully as it did the day I brought it home. One thing to note about most Japanese fountains: their nibs tend to be one size finer than they're graded, so if you buy one with a medium nib it will write like a fine nib, fine writes like extra-fine, etc.

Platinum also makes the Preppy, which is the third pen there at the bottom of the pic, and an excellent all-use everyday fountain. Made from recycled materials and sporting a steel nib, the Preppy is very lightweight and has decent flow. I like the transparent barrel because I can see how much ink I have left in my cartridge, too. I think if you want to go cheap you can still be stylish, and the Preppy is a fun option. Extremely affordable at $3.00, too.

As for what Rob might get Kristen for her next birthday, it's anyone's guess. Maybe he'll bid on the circa-1640 Hymnal about to hit the auction block. Touted as the first book ever printed in the United States, the expected price tag: $30,000,000.00

No Cost Ten

Ten Things You Can Have for Free

Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.

The free trial version of Action Outline is a "simple yet useful organizer, ActionOutline consists of an Explorer-like interface where you can store and arrange all your information in a tree outline form. Arrange items using your keyboard or mouse, cut and paste branches, place checks or tags next to listed items, search information, print data, export to the external file, or link to web or local files" (OS: Windows 2000, 2003, 2008, XP, Vista, 7 and 8. 32-bit and 64-bit.)

Avance Paint is a "complete paint program designed with an intuitive user interface that makes AvancePaint easy to learn and use. It’s powerful enough to suit the advanced user and yet simple enough to please the beginner. Open unlimited number photo´s or pictures and unleash your artistic talents as you will discover the advanced and powerful but easy to use graphical options! A complete set of 20 photo-realistic filters and more then 40 textures are included" (OS: Win 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)

FreeText is a "simple and easy-to-use notebook for making notes, keeping to-do lists, storing information on accounts and contacts, etc. It can be helpful when you need to save a link, interesting citation, phone number or to simply insert text from a clipboard for a short time" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])

Mikogo is a "free remote desktop app full of features to assist you in conducting the perfect web conference or remote support session. Share any screen content or application in true color quality across the world with up to 25 participants simultaneously, while still sitting at your desk. Mikogo can be employed for many desktop sharing use cases, including web conferencing, online meetings, sales demos, web presentations, remote support, group collaboration, and more. Provide online technical support via remote control. Conduct product and sales demos for customers. Use Mikogo to discuss and edit a current team project. Or on a personal level, share your recent holiday photos with friends" (OS: "Mikogo is cross-platform so you can start and join meetings from Windows, Mac or Linux computers")

PDFCreator "easily creates PDFs from any Windows program. Use it like a printer in Word, StarCalc or any other Windows application" (OS: Win 9x/ME/2K/XP/2K3/Vista/7)

QText is a "handy, simple note-taking program similar to notepad. The program includes an auto-save function and features a tabbed interface to organize your notes. QText resides in the system tray for quick and easy access which is ideal for taking quick notes" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7, designer also notes requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.)

To-Do DeskList "automatically arranges to-do notes on your desktop. Synchronize your tasks between computers and users. To-Do DeskList has beautiful minimalistic design and multiple themes to choose from. Supports reminders, notes, and more. It is very lightweight, easy and simple to use, and much more efficient than complex task management packages" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7)

Web Link Collection is a "handy, free multi-tool to enhance your internet experience. This easy to use utility allows you to organize and manage a collection of internet links which provides quick access to your favorite websites. Additionally, this free utility features a password manager to encrypt and store your sensitive data. Web Link Collection also includes a convenient form filler and several tools to facilitate the navigation and operation of the Internet" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8)

XnSketch allows you to "convert your photos into cartoon or sketch images. This easy to use program features 18 different image effects to enhance your images. Simply click the desired effect and it will be applied to your image immediately. XnSketch also allows users to share their results using email or by Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. XnSketch does not require installation. Just unzip the archive and run the executable file" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])

The free version of YeahWrite ia an "easy to use fill-in-the-blank word processor for the computer illiterate or for those business professionals that want to create a document quickly and easily, without having to worry about formatting. You can create journals, keep addresses, take notes, and write simple letters and memos. A memo can become a letter with just a few clicks of the mouse" (OS: Win XP/Vista/7)

Comments Catchup Day

See you in comments.

Five from Target

On a recent trip to Target I found some very nifty stuff for readers and writers:



Starting clockwise from the left:

Hardcover edition of Taking Eve by Iris Johansen -- this novel was not only nicely discounted, it was signed by the author, something I've never before found at Target ($19.59)

Rifle Paper Co.'s Botanicals Notebook Collection, published by Chronicle Books, features three 32-page notebooks with gorgeous soft covers and ruled pages with a vintage floral header design ($12.95)

Neil Pasricha's The Journal of Awesome, published by Chronicle Books, is filled with fun writing prompts and reminders of all of life's especially wonderful moments ($12.95)

Green-Inspired.com's grid journal is printed on FSC-certified paper with soy inks and has a colorful cover design that reminded me of quilt blocks ($7.99)

Green-Inspired.com's set of five mini 32-page journals are the perfect size for a purse or pocket ($4.99)

I also got an additional 5% off everything because I used my Target REDcard to buy the lot.



This Botanical Notebooks trio would work great as gardening journals, to use for short writing projects, outlines, research notes etc. I really like this mini-journal set too, as they come with a variety of pages: two ruled, one grid, one dotted and one blank -- I can use one set to sketch, draw maps and keep notes and keep them all stowed away in the neat little holder.



The Journal of Awesome (interior pages shown at the bottom here) will make a nice gift for a friend who needs to remember life doesn't always suck. The Green-Inspired.com journal with the quilty design on the brown cover not only opens flat but also has grid-lined pages that are excellent for map-making; since the cover design invokes quilting for me I'll probably use mine for working out new patchwork designs.

Have you found any neat things for readers or writers out there recently? Let us know in comments.

San Diego Rocks

See the city of San Diego, California in less than four minutes, thanks to Michael Shainblum's gorgeous timelapse film (background music, for those of you at work):

WELCOME HOME TIMELAPSE from Michael Shainblum on Vimeo.

750 Words

750words.com is an online writing site that challenges the user to write 750 words per day. You register to create an account, which then takes you to a page where you simply write. Everything you write on 750words is counted and saved, and when you reach your daily goal you're awarded two points and an X in that day's box. Here's a screen shot of one day's page from my account:



There are obvious benefits to joining 750words.com and using the site to get some writing done. First you have a place to work that has no distractions, bells, whistles, etc. -- it's basically just a blank, private page where you can work. The only goal is to write 750 words in one day, and earning your points for accomplishing that goal can be an excellent motivator. You can also leave and come back to it without having to start up a program or open files; you can log off or minimize the window, do some other online work and then go back to it. The site is an excellent way to get into a daily writing routine, whether you make goal or not.

Here's another screenshot that shows the counter at the bottom of the page:



You can print whatever you write on 750words.com, and since it's saved online you can either leave it on your account or copy it to a file on your hard drive (I did this by highlighting, copying the text and pasting it in Word.) Writers who collaborate can easily share an account and use it to pass their day's writing back and forth; all you have to do is coordinate when either of you will log on. This is also a nice site to use for online writing challenges like word wars or group daily goal drives with other writer pals.

At present registering for an account is free (donations are much appreciated), but that will be changing shortly:

On May 1st, all existing users of the site will be given lifetime free accounts (we hope you'll continue to donate when you can). New accounts created after May 1st, 2013 will be required to become members within 30 days after signing up in order to keep writing. Everyone will always have access to previous writings, stats, etc, even if they choose not to become members.

The site owners do note that after May 1st they will be giving out free accounts monthly, and are always willing to hear from someone who might not be able to afford the new usage fee and possibly give them a free account on a case by case basis. In the meantime, you still have a week to snag a free account, so if you're interested do check it out soon.

Interesting Sub Op

Crossed Genres Publications has an open call for their Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History anthology: "Your story must be set between the years 1400 and 1920 C.E., and take place primarily in our world or an alternate historical version of our world. (Travel to other worlds, other dimensions, Fairyland, the afterlife, etc. is fine but should not be the focus.) Your protagonists must be people who were marginalized in their time and place. By “marginalized” we mean that they belong to one or more groups of people that were categorically, systematically deprived of rights and/or economic power. Examples in most times and places include enslaved people, indigenous people, queer people, laborers, women, people with disabilities, the very young and very old, and people who do not share the local dominant religion, language, or ethnicity. Many people belong to multiple marginalized groups, and many are marginalized in some ways and privileged in others. Your story should acknowledge the complexity and intersectionality of marginalization. Your story must contain a significant element of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or the weird, without which the story would not work or would be a substantially different story." Length: 3-7K (firm); Payment: "USD 5¢/word for global English first publication rights in print and digital format. The author retains copyright. Payment is upon publication." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: July 31st, 2013.

The Game of Storytelling

I've finally found a game that can make a storyteller out of anyone: Levenger's Scheherazade Storytelling Game. Created for 2 or more players, the game comes packaged in a little Aladdin-styled shoe pouch and contains a one-minute egg timer, 125 picture tiles and the game rules sheet (which I scanned and posted here if you want to have a closer look.)

The object of Scheherazade is to see which player can use the tiles they draw to tell the longest story in one minute. Each player pulls ten tiles out of the pouch and places them face up, and then takes a turn telling a story inspired by the pictures on the tiles. Each tile used in the story is worth 10 points, and at the end of every round the players vote on who told the most interesting story, and the winner gets an additional 50 point bonus. If a player uses all ten tiles in a minute, they can draw more one at a time from the pouch until their turn is up. Any tiles that are not used during a player's turn are returned to the pouch, and all the tiles are returned to the pouch at the end of each round. There are also 5 special tiles featuring an image of Aladdin's lamp which the player can use like a wild card to represent whatever image they want.

Since there's no actual writing involved I think anyone can play this game, even kids (parents, please note that while the pictures on the tiles are G-rated, they are made of foam and would definitely be a choking hazard for children under the age of 3.) The pouch and its contents are very lightweight; I rolled up mine and stuck it in my purse, so I think it would travel well.



This game is a marvelous way to practice improvisational storytelling and give your imagination a real work-out. The fact that you draw the tiles at random and have only a minute to tell your story is a nice challenge without being too time-intensive. If I still belonged to a writer group I would definitely take something like this to the next meeting. I think it would also be a fun, interactive group activity for both writers and readers at conferences. To suit your particular group you might tweak the rules so that every story has to be told in a certain genre, or you could easily create some custom-designed tiles of your own to add to the pouch and present different challenges (what POV to tell the story in, setting, color themes, specific words; the sky's really the limit.) You could also hold a terrific live storytelling contest with this game.



Levenger currently has the Scheherazade Storytelling Game priced at $14.95 here, and I give it a great big PBW gold star for being fun, unique and quite affordable.

Sub Ops Ten

Ten Things About Submission Opportunities

The Drue Heinz Literature Prize, awarded by the University of Pittsburgh Press, is open to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or at least three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals. The prize carries a cash award of $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract. No entry fee, submission period opens May 1st, 2013. See guidelines for more details. Deadline: June 30th, 2013.

The Eric Hoffer Award for Short Prose and Books was "established at the start of the 21st century as a means of opening a door to writing of significant merit. It honors the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers. The winning stories and essays are published in Best New Writing, and the book awards are covered in the US Review of Books. Two grand prizes are awarded annually: one for short prose (i.e. fiction and creative nonfiction) and one for independent books from small, micro, and academic presses, as well as self-published books. Prizes include a $250 award for short prose and a $2,000 award for best independent book. In addition to the two main grand prize awards, various other honors and distinctions are given for both prose and books, including the Montaigne Medal, the da Vinci Eye, and the First Horizon Award. Submissions are accepted each year by nominating books and prose." Not entry fee, see guidelines for more details. Deadlines: "The book deadline is January 21st. The prose deadline is March 31st."

The 2013 Family Circle Fiction Contest is open to U.S. resident writers who are 21 or older. Submit an original, unpublished short story up to 2.5K. First prize $1000.00 plus online memberships, second prize $500.00 plus online memberships, third prize $250.00 plus online memberships. No entry fee, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: September 16th, 2013.

Fanstory.com holds contests throughout the year in multiple genres. No entry fees, and every entrant will receive feedback from the site's volunteer community, which reads and discusses all of the entries. Various cash prizes for winners. See full contest listing page here for more details and deadlines.

The University of Iowa Press holds an annual short fiction award open to "any writer who has not previously published a volume of prose fiction is eligible to enter the competition. Previously entered manuscripts that have been revised may be resubmitted. Writers are still eligible if they have published a volume of poetry or any work in a language other than English or if they have self-published a work in a small print run. Writers are still eligible if they are living abroad or are non-US citizens writing in English. Current University of Iowa students are not eligible. The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages. We do not accept e-mail submissions. The manuscript may include a cover page, contents page, etc., but these are not required. The author's name can be on every page but this is not required. Stories previously published in periodicals are eligible for inclusion." No entry fee, prize is publication by the University of Iowa Press. See guidelines for more details. Deadline: September 30th, 2013.

"Three times a year Jerry Jazz Musician awards a writer who submits, in our opinion, the best original, previously unpublished work of approximately one – five thousand words. The winner will be announced via a special mailing of our Jerry Jazz Musician newsletter. Publishers, artists, musicians and interested readers are among those who subscribe to the newsletter. Additionally, the work will be published on the home page of Jerry Jazz Musician and featured there for at least four weeks. The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theatre, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Your writing should appeal to a reader with these characteristics. A prize of $100 will be awarded for the winning story. In addition to the story being published on Jerry Jazz Musician, the author’s acceptance of the prize money gives Jerry Jazz Musician the right to include the story in an anthology that could appear in book or magazine form. No entry fee is required. One story entry only. Submission deadline for the next contest is May 31, 2013. Publishing date will be on or about July 1, 2013."

The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize is awarded to the best scholarly book in English about Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier or a subject related to that era. Occasionally an important article, essay, work of fiction, poem, theater project, piece of art or film may also be eligible for the prize. No entry fee, prize: %50,000.00, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: November 1st, 2013.

The annual L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest is open to short fiction submissions of up to 17K by emerging SF, fantasy and horror authors. Open to those writers who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novellete, or more than three short stories, in any medium. No entry fee, first prizes are $1000.00 quarterly, and quarterly winners are eligible for the annual $5,000.00 prize; second prizes are $750.00, and third prize is $300.00. See guidelines for more details. Deadlines: June 30th, September 30th and December 31st, 2013.

The Richard J. Margolis Award is open to nonfiction journalists or essayists "whose work combines warmth, humor, wisdom and concern with social justice. The award was established in honor of Richard J. Margolis, a journalist, essayist and poet who gave eloquent voice to the hardships of the rural poor, migrant farm workers, the elderly, Native Americans and others whose voices are seldom heard. He was also the author of a number of books for children." Submit at least two articles, published or unpublished, up to 30 pages in length. No entry fee, prize is $5,000.00 stipend and a month's residency at the Blue Mountain Center, a writers' and artists' colony in the Adirondacks See guidelines for more details. Deadline: July 1st, 2013.

The St. Francis College Literary Prize is awarded to authors for their third, fourth or fifth published fiction book between the dates of June 2011 and May 2013 (and self-published books are eligible for this one.) No entry fee, prize is $50,000.00. See guidelines for more details. Deadline: May 1st, 2013.

Comments Catchup Day

See you in comments.

Winners

I liked seeing some of the new series novels you all recommended this week -- some here I definitely want to check out. In the meantime, we got the magic hat revved up tonight, and the winners of the Never Give Up giveaway are:

Diana Troldahl, who thought Written in Blood by Anne Bishop was great

Petite, who was captivated by Deborah Crombie's series.

Leslee, who recommends Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

Jennifer, who can't put down Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Winners, when you have a chance please send your full name and ship-to info to LynnViehl@aol.com so I can get your books out to you. My thanks to everyone for joining in.

Making

This video is for all the other writers out there who cope with disability and creativity (narrated with some background music, for those of you at work):

The Metalsmith from Dan McComb on Vimeo.

Be Happy We Work at Home

Ten Things That Would Happen if Writing Became a Day Job

Accounting: could slow down in a big way and no one would notice. Meanwhile, the payroll clerk would become everyone's BFF.

Bosses: would have to do a lot more reading, stock up on Pepto, hire an extra secretary just to answer their intercom or phone extension and learn how to speak editor ("Get it done" = "If you can send this to me by close of business today I'll authorize your D&A payment").

Business Conferences: would have to include new events like Project Pitchorama, Character Dress-up for Literacy and The Vampire Ball.

Casual Friday: would be pretty much every day, and would have to be expanded to authorize the wearing of pjs, yoga pants, fuzzy socks and T-shirts with slogans like "OCCUPY PUBLISHING".

Company Coffee Pot: would burn out from overuse every other month or be filled with extra-large tea bags immersed in something vaguely purple that smells a bit like like the Queen's perfume.

Desks: would be buried beneath stacks of corrected chapters, two years of The Writer back issues, three dozen pens that ran out of ink and assorted widgets/gadgets/gizmos, index cards, newspaper clippings, and at least one hundred sticky notes inscribed with enigmatic phrases like "Sx scene Chap 9!!!!" or "Dismember by ch. saw?"

Offices: would need three walls of book shelves, stereo systems, scented candles, locking doors, pillows to scream into and at least one large window overlooking something pretty.

Personal Calls: would have to be authorized for mid-afternoon moments of panic when the employees need to call their best writer pals to say, "I suck. Go ahead, just tell me the truth. I suck."

Supply Closets: would have to be kept stocked with six months' supply of toner, bond paper, highlighters, red pens and lots and lots of notebooks with cute kitten covers.

Water Cooler: would be much more popular, at least until the boss discovers someone refilled it with wine.

Third Set of Twins . . . Maybe

Our mourning doves came back for round three with their nest, and Mama finally flew off long enough for me to snap some quick pics:



Dad is actually standing guard here; he's been especially attentive with this nest. I think that's due to some recent bad weather. I've noticed that in past years when we have storms he tends to stick much closer to Mama and the babies:



I was only able to photograph one baby's head so I'm still not sure there are two this time. I didn't want to upset Dad so I kept at a safe distance:



Once the baby/babies are a little bigger I should be able to tell how many there are. In the meantime, welcome to Dove Central, little one/s.

Never Give Up

There are many kinds of heroes, and yesterday there were quite a few of them trying to help the victims of another despicable, cowardly attack on this country. I actually wrote the following giveaway post (and the title of it, too) this past weekend; as soon as I heard about the bombings I considered holding off on it until next week. But if I can share a book like this, with a story of such hope and heroism in the face of great despair and loss, then it may help someone else who needs that right now. My heart and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and all the people of Boston.

Stephanie Tyler's Surrender, the first novel in her new Section 8 series, is an action-packed romantic suspense novel featuring Dare O'Rourke, a former Navy SEAL and the son of a CIA black ops specialist. Dare is still trying to put his life back together after being tortured and nearly killed during a ruinous mission, but his recovery ends when he's sent to rescue Avery, a half-sister he never knew. By the time Dare finds Avery he realized someone is systematically executing his father's old team as well as their families. To stop the killing, he must find his missing father and take out the traitor -- and the only way to do that is to kidnap his enemy's daughter, Grace. What Dare doesn't know is that Grace barely escaped from her murderous stepfather with her life -- and she's already been warned that Dare is coming for her.

Surrender is a dark, edgy story with lots of twists and turns to be navigated by its unusual cast of characters. Dare and the boys aren't simply unsung heroes trying to get past the ways they've been unfairly judged and treated; they operate in that shadow zone where nothing is black or white. The evolution of the relationship between Dare and Grace was fascinating to follow as it bloomed. Oh, and I'll warn you now, there's a marvelous secondary character named Gunner who will not only steal your heart but he'll probably tattoo something beautiful on it to boot.

As always you don't have to take my word for it. In comments to this post name a series with a first novel you loved (or if you can't think of any, just toss your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Friday, April 19th, 2013. I'll draw four names at random from everyone who participates and send the winners an unsigned copy of Surrender by Stephanie Tyler. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

One final note -- I'm also holding another giveaway over at the Disenchanted & Co. blog; stop in if you have a chance.

Tax-Free Ten

Ten Things to Take Your Mind Off Income Taxes

Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.

The thirty-day free trial of Brainstorming Toolbox "not only allows you access to better lateral thinking, creative thinking and problem solving. It also enables you to use the techniques in a simple, structured way on a day to day basis. Brainstorming Toolbox is extremely user-friendly, so you spend more time using it than learning it. By promoting pro-active brainstorming, Brainstorming Toolbox helps you develop new ideas and solutions to bring success to you and your business. Brainstorming Toolbox makes generating new ideas and solutions extremely easy and will improve your brainstorming sessions greatly. It will even allow you to brainstorm successfully by yourself by using the computer to steer you in alternative directions" (OS: Window 98/2000/NT/XP)

Cinta Notes is a "simple program for basic notes keeping that provides a convenient way to quickly store pieces of information that are collected from other documents or websites. All you have to do is select the text to be stored and then press the CTRL+F12 hotkey on your keyboard to create a note. CintaNotes captures the text and uses the application title as the note´s title. Alternatively, you can copy/paste the text into the application and append it to the list of previous notes. You can optionally assign keyword tags that can be used to locate and identify notes at a later time. An instant search feature quickly locates keywords within notes as you type them. Other features include merging of notes and support for automatic capturing of Internet links from IE" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7)

i*write4life™ is a "professional tool for serious journal writers. You can now get the fully functional version that used to sell for $69 for free. There are no strings attached. Chances are you will never again want to miss its lightning-fast full-text search and powerful navigation capabilities. Check out the optional iwrite.4.life extensions, too" (OS: Windows 98 / NT / 2k / Me / XP / 2003)

Keep Writing is "a word processor that works like an old school typewriter: it doesn't let you delete. If you really, really have to, you can type over mistakes just like with a real typewriter. The idea is that this will let you focus on productivity (instead of endless polishing) and on reaching your word count goals. It simply encourages you to Keep Writing!" (OS: Windows 7 / 98 / NT / 2k / Me / XP / 95 / 2003 / Vista / 2008 Server)

Pro Frequency's Names List is a "complete US Census Bureau names list data of all the US Names. Can be used in your programs for a variety of purposes, including name spell checker and card verification. Format: Data CSV. Line 1 = Male, Line 2 = Female. All updates, upgrades and lifetime support are free with frequency. Features: Complete list, all US names, CSV usability, multi-platform format, instant use" (OS: 7 / 98 / NT / 2k / Me / XP / 95 / 2003 / Vista / 2008 Server)

Scheduler allows you to "schedule tasks to perform at a particular time of day. Tasks include the ability to open any file in its default program, open a URL in the default web browser and shutdown or restart your computer. The main window can be minimised to the system tray. The uses of this range from using it as an alarm clock or reminder to shutting down your computer at a set time after any remaining tasks have been completed" (OS: not specified but it looks like Windows)

Speedy Painter is "an OpenGL based painting software for Windows. It supports Wacom digitizers to vary size and opacity of brush strokes according to pen pressure. Features: Reference view that follows zoom! Available using the F3 key; Export drawing process into a video: ready to upload it on YouTube!; Multiple layers; Ability to vary stroke size and/or opacity according to pen pressure (supports Wacom digitizers); Replay of drawing process; Import/export drawing process; Loading of most common image formats; Canvas rotation; Canvas flip; Selection mask" (OS: Windows Vista/7 [32-Bit/64-Bit])

Stellarium is "a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go" (OS: Linux/Unix; Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8; 64-bit Mac OS X 10.6.8 or greater)

The thirty-day free trial of WhizFolders helps you to "begin your writing project in this writer's outliner for improved productivity. This is an outline software for writers that uses a new list-based outlining approach. Better writing involves being able to cope with new ideas as and when they strike you. With WhizFolders, you can write your ideas in pieces, outline them with drag and drop, and merge then to make a document for your word processor. If you think about it, a word processor is only needed for formatting and fine tuning your manuscript and not as a writing, outlining and research tool. Manage all kinds of notes, ideas and writing projects with this versatile outliner and organizer software. Additional features include a rich text editor, automatic pastes to collect text from Internet browser and other applications, hyperlinks to other notes, documents or web sites, boolean search, keyword tags and so on. Includes a nice tutorial to get you started quickly" (OS: Windows 7 / XP / 2003 / Vista)

The fourteen-day free trial of Writer's Blocks is a "writing program for writers who want all the bells and whistles. You’ll get the core of our program, of course, our unique Block Panel where you organize and visualize your writing with our flexible, sizeable movable blocks. Plus you’ll get our fully integrated word processor. You’ll also get our unique floating Power Panel that makes gathering material from other sources a snap. If you need to track references, we’ve got you covered with our footnotes and endnote capability" (OS: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP Home or Pro - 32 bit or 64 bit )

Comments Catchup Day

See you in comments.

Librarians Want Promo

Got this heads-up by e-mail today:

The Ohio Library Support Staff Institute (www.OLSSI.org) is looking for promotional items to give to their attending librarians at this year's conference. This is a great opportunity for writers to reach out to those all important librarians who can hand-sell and recommend books to patrons. Around 100 librarians will be in attendance. They are looking for bulk of up to 100 or individual items including overstocks and ARCs. If you would like to donate some of your works or goodies to the cause, please contact Katie Mihaly, OLSSI Steering Committee, at 419-372-7908, or kmihaly@bgsu.edu.

Evidently the theme for their con this year is noir and mystery fiction, so if you're publishing in those genres your promo will probably be especially welcome. Also, for those of you who are librarians but can't afford the $225.00 registration fee, OLSSI is holding an essay contest here that will award three winners free registration; deadline for entering is April 22. There are some other conditions involved so do read the rules carefully.

Doing What You Love

After working fifty years as a shoemaker and repairer, 91 year old Frank Catalfumo still puts in five days a week at his Brooklyn shop -- and is still smiling (narrated with background music, for those of you at work):

The Shoemaker from Dustin Cohen on Vimeo.

(Video link nicked from Gerard at The Presurfer)

Something Grand

This morning I was made aware of yet another commonly-used term that has become a new no-no: Stay at Home Mom. For some reason it is now offensive to use this as a reference for a woman who opts to pass on the day job in order to care for her family and home. I did try to watch the interview explaining why, but the responsible party had a loud, obnoxious voice and weird white wires sprouting from her ears (those iPod things? Not sure), a combo that frankly I found a little unbearable at 7:00 am.

I was a stay at home mom for ten years, so I'm also a little perplexed. I never minded being called a housewife or homemaker, but when those terms became no-nos I was okay with the replacement (which happened to be stay at home mom). It's a tough, thankless job and really, no one else wants to do it; you don't see all that many new fathers marching into work and declaring "I'm quitting so I can stay home with my kids and take care of the house." I do have one guy friend whose circumstances led him to become a stay at home dad while his wife worked for the last year, and let me tell you, he has all kinds of new respect for his lady.

Sometimes -- probably more frequently than most gals -- I simply don't understand my gender. Having a job and generating income is great, especially in this economy, but it doesn't make you superior to someone who elects to be whatever we're now supposed to call a stay at home mother. Nor does the opposite. You do what you have to so you can take care of your family. If that means a day job, good for you. If that means no day job, good for you. Why do we have to call you anything? Whatever sex we are and wherever we choose to work, if we have kids or we don't have kids, we're all working people, yes?

Right now I do both: I work as a professional writer, and I work at the house in order to care for my family and home. Honestly, I'm tired of having to relearn a new term for my second job every couple of years. So if we're going to do away with stay at mom, I vote we come up with something so grand that it will forever shut up the nit-pickers. My personal favorite is Domestic Crises Manager; that's a one-size fits all unisex term that embraces all aspects of the job. Can never be called sexist, sounds important, and looks good on an application or resume when it's time to stop being a Domestic Crises Manager and work outside the home.

I'd also like to hear from those of you who are stay at home moms or dads: what do you want to be called? Let us know in comments.