Cool tools for writers: Timeline software

The other day I hit the point in my current WIP (a historical series) where I need a timeline to keep all the events straight: characters' birth dates, major events in their lives pre-Book 1, historical events relevant to the story, major events in the storylines of the books, etc.

On past projects I'd attempted to use paper and pen(cil) to draw my timeline but found that to be unwieldy. I changed my mind about when things happened, changed it back again, had a bunch of things happening in a short period of time and the writing got all cramped, the tape holding the pieces of paper together ripped, the tape prevented me from folding the timeline up into a portable size...you get the idea.

What I'd love is a home office with walls covered in whiteboard paint, but since that's not going to happen anytime soon, I decided to look into timeline app for writers. After researching several options and asking fellow writers for recommendations, I bought Aeon Timeline because:

Quality Assurance by Soramimi Hanarejima (a guest post on writing)

Once again I'm delighted to welcome Soramimi Hanarejima back to the blog this week. Soramimi is intensely interested in the how, why, and what of creativity. His first post, "Where Creativity Meets Productivity," explored the How: natural tendencies, rhythms, and habits that writers can foster to maximize productivity during our writing time. In his second post, "The Purposeful Writer: Creative Writing Meets the Golden Circle," he explored the advantages to articulating our Why for writing. In the third and final post in this series, Soramimi discusses the What. In his own words: "How do we make sure that what we are producing—what’s on the page—really shines?"

Quality Assurance

by Soramimi Hanarejima

…we have to use the right words and the right words in the best order.—David Morley

Writing consists of a multitude of individual decisions, massive and complex control of language in depth and considerable personal responsibility…—A.L. Kennedy

A coherent text is a designed object… Like other designed objects, it comes about not by accident but by drafting a blueprint, attending to details, and maintaining a sense of harmony and balance.—Steven Pinker

So far in this series, we’ve looked at the importance of (a) identifying the fundamental impetus behind one’s writing and (b) the importance of regularly, effectively acting upon that impetus.

A writer who has grappled with these knows why she writes and how to get crucial work done, but how does she ensure that her work is in the end truly excellent? Her Why, the deep motivation driving her work, provides some assistance here; her work may be falling short because it isn’t channeling her Why as fully as it could. But clarity of intentions alone can’t keep the caliber of one’s writing reliably high. Writers need to have specific skills and resources to firmly establish the quality of their work. This brings us to the final part of Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle: Consistency of What. How do we make sure that what we are producing—what’s on the page—really shines?

Gifts for writers

Whether you're looking for a holiday gift, a birthday gift, or a just-because gift, at least one of the following suggestions is bound to please the beloved writer in your life.

Gift card to favorite bookstore/online book retailer 
The vast majority of writers are readers, and reading helps us become better writers. Support us in our craft by helping fund our book-buying addiction! ;*) Price varies depending on how much you love us. (Just kidding!)

Gift basket
I love gift baskets! It's like getting a whole bunch of gifts in one. I recommend putting one together yourself rather than buying a pre-made one, as it's more likely to be in tune with your writer's preferences. Some ideas for what might go in: coffee or tea (depending on their stimulant preference), a favorite type of pen, a notebook/journal, a sugary snack, a salty snack. Price varies depending on what you put into it.

Qwerkywriter Bluetooth typewriter keyboard
A Bluetooth keyboard that looks like an old-school typewriter keyboard and has a built-in tablet stand. This thing is just cool. It's also regularly priced at $399. (Yikes!) Did I mention that it's really freaking cool?

Scrivener
Scrivener is an amazing software program for writers, and it's available for both Mac and PC for only $45 USD. I have already written a blog post about the awesome sauce that is Scrivener, so I won't repeat all my gushings here. It does have a learning curve at first, so if you're not sure whether it's something your writer would want to learn to use, you can turn them onto the free 30-day trial, which includes a comprehensive tutorial and is 30 days of actual use, not 30 calendar days. Flippin' fantastic.

The Work Conference (*squeal*)

My normal "excited" face.

I'm not one to get visibly excited about much, but last spring, when my colleague Rebecca Heyman (Rebecca Faith Editorial) told me about the idea she had for a boutique writers' conference, I could barely refrain from jumping up and down on my bed. And when she invited me to be a part of it, I shattered eardrums within a three-block radius with my squealing.

Why am I so excited about The Work Conference?

1. It focuses on literary crossover fiction (aka "upmarket fiction" or "literary fiction with commercial appeal"). As Chuck Sambuchino wrote in an article for Writer's Digest back in 2009, upmarket fiction is "fiction that blends the line between commercial and literary." Think Margaret Atwood, George Saunders, Ursula K. LeGuin. THIS IS MY FAVORITE.

2. One-on-ones with agents.
Every conference attendee is guaranteed one-on-ones with two agents. Right at the start of the weekend.

3. A small number of attendees.
Only 30 authors will be invited to attend the conference based on their application materials. What this translates to for me is (1) retention of sanity, aka not getting completely overwhelmed by the crowds; (2) the opportunity to meet and talk with everyone and not feeling like I probably missed out on about a hundred great people that I never got to meet, (3) not competing with a hundred other raised hands when you want to ask a question in the panel.

Resource for writers: Margie Lawson Writers' Academy

It's kind of a long story, but I'll try to tell the short version. I wanted to Octsober again this year. My goal was to give up alcohol, tobacco, refined sugar, and television for the entire month of October.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I know, I know. The only thing I'm addicted to that I didn't try to give up is caffeine. *shudders to think*

Anyway, I knew that if I wanted to have even the remotest chance of success with Octsobering I was going to have to find some other activity to fill my time and distract me from the extreme discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. What I decided on was taking a couple of courses from the Margie Lawson Writers' Academy (LWA) - one to help me with my WIP and one to help me learn more about the business side of indie authorship, especially book marketing and publicity.

Writers' tools: Duotrope

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you might've noticed that on most Mondays I post 3-4 calls for submissions, usually themed calls with upcoming deadlines. Where do I find these calls? Duotrope.

What is Duotrope?
Duotrope is a database that helps writers find markets (e.g. journals, magazines, publishers) that accept unsolicited submissions (meaning you don't have to be agented or personally invited to submit). The database interface lets you search by a number of different factors, including word/line count, genre and whether or not it's a paying market.

You can also build your own little database within their system of your own pieces of writing, which you use not only to list what you've written and want to submit but also to track where you've submitted which pieces, how long it takes for markets to get back to you, which pieces have been accepted/rejected, and your acceptance rate.

In addition, subscribers can elect to receive email announcements about new markets, markets that have reopened, those that have been declared defunct, and upcoming themed deadlines in the genre(s) in which they write.

Why I like it
Before someone told me about Duotrope, I spent hours searching for literary magazines and journals via Google search. The ones I found weren't guaranteed to be open to unsolicited submissions, much less be paying markets geared toward what I write. Not only do I come across a ton of markets I probably would never know about if not for Duotrope, but their search features mean I can narrow it down to what's relevant to me.

Gift ideas for you(r beloved reader/writer)

Like many people, I have a complex relationship to holiday gift-giving. Certainly I appreciate gifts when they're thoughtful and useful, but for me, gifts do not equal love. For whatever reason (genetics? social conditioning? abnormal brain chemistry?) it's just not something I care about. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, I'd much rather have someone's time and attention than something they bought for me in a store.

Giving gifts can be tremendously fun, but only under the right circumstances: I see something that reminds me of someone, I'm reasonably certain they will appreciate it and that they wouldn't/couldn't buy it for themselves, and I can afford to spare the money to buy it for them. This idea of having to run about frantically trying to buy something for everyone in my family/friend circle/neighborhood because of holiday tradition is both stressful and, it seems to me, unnecessary. And then there's that whole pressure to be a consumer, which I don't buy into (pun intended)...

Diatribe aside, I know that many people truly enjoy giving and receiving gifts at this time of year. That it is, in fact, important to many people. People who don't share my cynicism and lack of romanticism about the gesture. If you are one of those people, this post is for you, for here I have compiled lists of books and one writing tool that you might consider purchasing for a beloved reader or writer in your life.

And if you're not the gift-buying kind, you can always pick up one of these items for yourself. Perhaps at the library? ;*)

Literary awards

a guest post by Andrea Scovel (@AndreaScovel1)

Hey, writers! Do you ever wish that you had some credentials for people to see when they visit your site? An award may be just the thing. Some awards you could nominate yourself for and others - if you are aware of them and how they work - you can be nominated for by other people. I know as a writer you already have a lot to think about (i.e., writing, blogging, keeping all social networks going and up to date, how to publish, finding an editor, etc.) and it can be overwhelming. However, you may want to add applying for awards and getting noticed by their committees to your list. Receiving an award can do a lot for your reputation in the writing community. Not to mention your pocket book. Read on!

Another residency

a post researched by Andrea Scovel and co-written by Andrea and Sione

This past week Andrea has been researching literary awards (post coming Wednesday) and came across one more residency. We both thought the prize was so awesome that we wanted to include it here as an addendum to last week's post on fellowships and residencies.

Madeleine P. Plonsker Emerging Writer's Residency Prize: It is sponsored by Lake Forest College in Chicago and &NOW Books. Emerging writers under 40 years of age with "no major book publication” are eligible to apply. 

Writing fellowships and residencies

a guest post by Andrea Scovel (@AndreaScovel1)

I began researching fellowships and residencies, not really even knowing what they were. If you’re like me and completely in the dark, let me explain: a fellowship is a fund put together by a group of people for a certain cause (in these cases, to help writers). A residency is usually a mentorship program wherein the awardee may receive a stipend and live in an inspiring environment while working on a project.

This research turned out to be an emotional journey. I was so touched that there are people in this world who care enough about writers and other artists to actually raise and set aside money to help them get by so that they can write and develop the kind of career that they have always dreamed of; the intention behind it all is just so beautiful. Even though a lot of people apply for these awards, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t bother; you never know what the judges will find interesting. 

Residencies