Monday, May 14, 2007

Share Ten

Ten Things Writers Can Try for Free

Shareware caution: always scan trial or demo downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.

1. Looking for one of those 3D book image rendering programs? Give 3D eBook Shot a try.

2. The 15-day trial version of Action Outline will organize your data in tree form.

3. YaduDigital.com offers two shareware programs, Book Writer and Finders Keepers, that mind map ideas and search files for you.

4. Book authoring software Chrysanth NETime Author offers a free trial or demo download (the wording is a bit weird; probably a demo.)

5. Get the look of a paper journal for your electronic scribblings with the free trial version of Forever Journal.

6. Grammar Slammer offers a free demo download; now available with spelling and grammar checkers.

7. Another journaling shareware, LifeJournal, stores your entries, provides writing prompts, searches your entries, and more.

8. Liquid Story Binder XE is a shareware word processor/document tracker program geared specifically for writers.

9. Need a program that actually nags you to write? Give the free trial download of Modjex Coaxer a whirl.

10. Nolad.com's Visual Typewriter shareware allows you to write on a virtual typewriter. I wonder if they have it in a Royal Academy edition.....

For the readers, check out The National Academies Press website, which offers free online access to over 3,000 titles with a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and medicine.

11 comments:

  1. I've been playing with Liquid Story Binder for a couple of weeks. I'm slow to learn new software, but I'm still interested in what this program has to offer.

    In fact, I just finished springing for paid registration right before coming over here.

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  2. I wish I could learn to use one of those writing software. I downloaded yWriter, which is free. It looks good, but sheeshh... I need time to get used to writing using one of these software.

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  3. Anonymous9:45 AM

    I've actually been thinking about getting Liquid Story Binder. It looks really interesting, and it actually sounds quite a bit like the Scrivener program that Holly uses.

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  4. Anonymous9:54 AM

    Hi PBW,
    This is the first week in months that I missed the Friday 20, but I wanted to wish you a belated congratulations and Happy Mother's Day. What a nice story to start my week!
    JulieB

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  5. Anonymous11:56 AM

    P, your novel made #12 on PW's mm bsl list. Nice cover pic and write-up. I'll hard mail you a copy.

    L.

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  6. I tagged you for a Thinking Blogger Award.

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  7. A question unrelated to today's post content, if you have the time.

    It seems like you built up a large list of works before you got published, considering the time it took before that first deal. Once you were published and had the opportunity to pitch for future projects, did you go back to those older manuscripts and try to bring some of them into the light, or did you move forward and continue working from scratch? Or perhaps a mix of both?

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  8. Jean wrote: I've been playing with Liquid Story Binder for a couple of weeks. I'm slow to learn new software, but I'm still interested in what this program has to offer.

    Have you blogged about it, Jean? Me and all the other nosy people would love to hear more on how it's worked for you.

    Tempest wrote: I wish I could learn to use one of those writing software. I downloaded yWriter, which is free. It looks good, but sheeshh... I need time to get used to writing using one of these software.

    When I started using Dragon Naturally Speaking, I set aside some time every specifically to work on learning the program and practicing my speech. It was a little like going back to school, and got pretty dreary after the fun factor wore off, but I'm glad I did. I think I would have given up on the program if I hadn't.

    JulieB wrote: This is the first week in months that I missed the Friday 20, but I wanted to wish you a belated congratulations and Happy Mother's Day. What a nice story to start my week!

    Thank you, ma'am, I appreciate it. Btw, we take roll call on Fridays now and will need a signed absenteee note or it's detention for you. Lol.

    L. wrote: P, your novel made #12 on PW's mm bsl list. Nice cover pic and write-up. I'll hard mail you a copy.

    So I heard. Robin is sending me a copy, so if you haven't gotten to the mail part yet don't worry about it.

    Cherylstj wrote: I tagged you for a Thinking Blogger Award.

    Does that mean I have to start thinking? We could be in big trouble there.

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  9. Josh wrote: A question unrelated to today's post content, if you have the time.

    Usually we do Q&A here on Fridays, but dinner isn't burning yet, so no problem.

    It seems like you built up a large list of works before you got published, considering the time it took before that first deal. Once you were published and had the opportunity to pitch for future projects, did you go back to those older manuscripts and try to bring some of them into the light, or did you move forward and continue working from scratch? Or perhaps a mix of both?

    After I got my first offer, the only novel I sold out of my inventory was StarDoc book #3, which was about half finished at the time I sold #1 and #2. I pitched several others, but nothing I had already written sold.

    I have sold some partials I wrote before I was published. In 2003 I reworked a 1998 proposal for three dark fantasy novels, of which I had written about 100 ms. pages (not counting the original short stories that inspired them), and sold those as the first three Darkyn books.

    I've turned a few of the old unsold manuscripts into free e-books or promotional CDs, but the majority are still gathering dust and silverfish. I'm not a trunk-book lover; I prefer to write new versus rehash something that didn't interest the editors I pitched.

    This is not to say you shouldn't repitch a trunk book. If you've got something you believe in but there seems to be no market for it, you may want to wait to see if one develops. That's basically what happens with my Darkyn books.

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  10. PBW asked, Have you blogged about it (Liquid Story Binder), Jean? Me and all the other nosy people would love to hear more on how it's worked for you.

    Excellent idea. I'll put something together.

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  11. Thanks for the link to the NAP website. They had an article on peak oil that I can use right now for my novel.

    I'm way too busy right now to test new software, but I love it when you come across stockpiles of information.

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