Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts

Thursday 24 December 2020

Review of 2020 - What I Did Achieve...

 I'm totally behind schedule this Christmas, but I'm sure many are with all the changes that have been happening...

My little tree...

Usually I review my year, revisiting the fun things I've taken part in since January, plus my word count to date, and a final total at the end of the month.

I have done lots of reading, gardening, and making cakes. I've also completed some writing, but my word count is way down on previous years.

March- at the start of the month there was book related news, Prompts Can Help. I had ten Christmas related story prompts included in the Chapeltown Books ebook of Prompts 2020.

My prompts were originally put together for an exercise for Nottingham Writers' Club members, that didn't happen. They sat on my computer (waiting for another Christmas) until I submitted them last year, and they were accepted for the book.

Then Corona virus took over the world and normal life changed...

Like many writers, I thought the time would be spent working on the novel, but my characters thought otherwise and they went into lockdown too. I tried but the novel wouldn't progress.

My family had the virus, and there was a daily cleaning routine, and ensuring the food was rationed so we had enough to get us through the isolation, until it was safe for someone to go shopping- we couldn't get an online delivery.

April- my trusty Kindle e-reader finally stopped working, and I decided to replace it with a Paperwhite, but like online delivery slots, kindles were out of stock too. I eventually got my new device about six weeks later, in May.

I spent most of my time out in the garden, reorganising, pruning, and nurturing seeds and plants- all good exercise. When I wasn't doing that I was baking.

The last time I made Scones, I was a teenager. They hadn't worked then, so I'd never attempted them again.

Fortunately, there were plenty of recipes online, so I did try again.

(Image on the right: A pot of Salad Leaves grown from seed)

(Image on the left: Home-made Raisin Scones)

I'm amazed I lost any weight with the amount of baking that was done this year!

And yes, Banana Bread did feature in this year's repertoire...


(Image on the right: First attempt at Banana Bread- it did improve)

I made progress with my research reading, and making notes.

And of course, I was submitting my lockdown updates for the NWC (digital) club magazine. Along with photos.

June into July- I had to make a decision on what I'd submit to the RNA New Writers' Scheme. Whichever one I submitted it would be a partial with a synopsis, but that was better than not submitting anything.

Although I had five chapters and half of the sixth by the end of July, I chose to work on editing the first five. Plus writing a new synopsis...

Not having allowed enough time for editing in 2019's entry, I'd set August aside for this year's. It wasn't perfect, but it was done in time, and I'm now aware of my editing weaknesses. 

At least this year, I submitted it four hours earlier than last year. 

I was happy with the report I received back later in September.

I've not had enough quiet at home to do more, but I know where I'm going with the story and I'm creating a schedule for resuming the novel in January.

My new website is working okay, and I'll be adding to it.

Meanwhile, I've been jotting down ideas, dialogue and character insights for two of the secondary characters in the current WIP. I knew earlier this year, they'd eventually have their own story- after the other novel...

Like many families, we're having a quiet Christmas, and I hope to use some of the time to increase my word count before the end of the year.

To date my 2020 word count is: 22,460.

That's better than I expected...

I'm keeping next year's aims flexible.

I've renewed my New Writers' Scheme membership for another year, and fingers crossed for the RNA Conference in July. 

My hope is that by next Christmas we'll all be celebrating it with our friends and family- in person...

Am I satisfied with what I've achieved in 2020?

Considering how this year has gone, yes I am... 






Monday 21 September 2020

Good News...

The good news arrived too late for Sunday's post, so I'm sharing it today...

I have received the report from this year's RNA New Writers' Scheme submission.

It was a partial of 12,000 words and a two-page synopsis (as it wasn't the full draft). 

After last year's experience I was a little apprehensive. 

Fortified by wine and chocolate, I downloaded and opened the report; and discovered encouraging, supportive, and insightful feedback. 

As expected it identified the areas I knew would likely be picked up and need further working on, but other things I'd missed. 

There was nothing I disagreed with, and the suggestions on possible avenues to consider has been most helpful. 

My working title is okay for now, but I'll need to give some thought to a better one. 

I don't know who the reader was- and never will, but I'm grateful for their comprehensive report, and encouragement. I hope they won't mind me quoting a couple of lines from their conclusion:

You write well, and I think you have made an excellent start, capturing the feel and style of a light contemporary romance with a bit of suspense thrown into the mix very well. 

When I submitted the first 12,000 words of this second draft (or 1.5 as I think of it) I wasn't sure if I would go beyond that, but reading the report again, I'm determined to complete the draft. 

I'll be going through the report with the highlighters this week...



Image by Alexas_Fotos from pixabay.com

Wednesday 29 July 2020

Here and Now...

The Present

Yes, I'm back. Four months since I last posted and you may have forgotten I exist...

I'm into a routine and writing again; important as the the RNA New Writers' Scheme deadline draws ever nearer...

The last four months have been busy.

The Past

The Covid-19 virus hit my family as the country went into lockdown. Writing stopped and the priority was dealing with the resulting health issues- those were scary days.

Putting up the
mini-greenhouse...
I did read, in fact I read so much that the battery on my Kindle e-reader finally died! As I discovered when I ordered a replacement, there weren't any and I'd have to wait for an unknown time. It took about a month, but it arrived.

There's been lots of research reading, baking and gardening going on too- though that's probably obvious from the pictures...



Making Fruit Scones...






Growing Salad Leaves
from seed...
Reading for Research,,,










The Future?

I've also been thinking about the future of this blog, and my Serena Lake website/ blog. No final decision has been made yet as I need to research further options, and the practicalities may mean compromises.

There's lots of catching up to do...





Sunday 1 March 2020

Prompts Can Help...

Prompts 2020 by [James, Gill]
You can find
out more 

here.   




       
March has arrived and spring beckons- thankfully. I may get rid of my lingering cold too...

Do you use prompts to get you writing?

They're a good way to get inspiration during those lean spells, but they can also jog the memory and recall those filed away ideas that you said you would do when you had time...

If you find prompts helpful, then I have two recommendations for you. I have bought both books myself.

First, Prompts 2020 from Chapeltown Books. Alongside several prompts there're pieces on writingcraft and editing a completed piece of writing, along with other helpful items. With 366 to choose from, there will always be something to dip into (and it lists all contributors).

It's only available as an ebook for now, but it's great value and less than the price of a cup of coffee in many high street coffee shops.

You'll find my Christmas prompts in July (there is a reason); one each day from the 18th to the 27th.

By Patsy Collins
I created my list of prompts last year for an exercise at the writers' club, but they remained unused. I'm delighted they have found a home in this book.

~ ~ ~

The other book is by Patsy Collins, A Year of Ideas... 365 sets of prompts and exercises. It's available as a paperback and an ebook.

I bought the paperback for myself as I enjoy having a physical copy available to open at random or browse; you can do that or start from page one and work through, or just choose that day's date...

Have you read any other prompt books that you'd recommend?

Tuesday 25 February 2020

Dropping By...

A quick update.

Making progress on the novel draft for now, which explains the lack of posts currently.

Sadly I've had to remove the contact form as it's being used for spam. But I can still be contacted via Twitter or on my writer page on Facebook.

I'll be back here on Sunday...

This is now...



image:pixabay.com




Sunday 9 February 2020

Filler Words... What's Yours?

Ask any group of writers what their filler words are and 'just' is certain to appear. They're those words we write without thinking and don't help the clarity.

Those pesky filler
words...
I'm guilty of using filler words, but I'm picking them up better than last year. Now, even stopping mid-sentence and asking myself, do I need to use that word? The answer, no.

There will be others that need removing in the editing process, but if I can reduce known repeat offenders along the way, it saves time later...

We use many of the filler words in everyday conversation, and according to an expert, in this 2017 article from the Independent newspaper online, those words have a purpose- politeness and processing.  (That explains my use of 'well' in conversations...) :D

Perhaps that also fools our brain into giving filler words a pass card when we're writing drafts?

My top three: so, well, and just. I'm working on negating very.

Which filler words do you have to edit out?



Image created with canva.com






















Thursday 9 January 2020

The Self-Doubt Gremlin...

The decorations came down on Sunday and a normal regime began on Monday- my snoozing creativity woke up, but the rest of me was failing to keep up.

I've been dealing with the self-doubt gremlin for a few weeks now. It nearly derailed the mini workshop I was putting together for the writers' club meeting (last night), but I got through it and the gremlin has scarpered.

Weeks of disturbed sleep haven't helped; caused by strange disjointed dreams that had no clear meaning or any sense. I assume my brain was deleting unwanted junk in the memory...

Amazing how beneficial eight hours' undisturbed slumber can be.

There's still lots to catch up on, besides getting back to the novel rewrite; I need to make notes on new scenes before I forget why they're needed and get on with finishing the book I'm reading for research.
No Self-Doubt Gremlins
Allowed...

Meanwhile, avoid gremlins...












Image: Pixabay.com with additions in canva.com

Monday 25 November 2019

Reading, Writing, Learning and Improving...


Only a month to Christmas Day and I've just started thinking about all that I need to do.

Usually that's because November is busy with family birthdays so I don't think about the festive season until they're over.

I'm determined to get the Christmas cards into the post sooner rather than the last few posting days- which usually happens.

Since I received my readers report back from the RNA's New Writers' Scheme I've read it again and analysed what I need to concentrate on this time- I've identified my weak spots...

There are other aspects in the historical that need further thought, so while I resolve those, I'm going ahead with my original plan to do my contemporary romance idea for the 2020 NWS.

So, I've been learning more about character arcs which has helped me understand the issues with my historical romance protagonists- and for my contemporary where I'd gone astray in the first draft.

I've got a better understanding of beats in the three act structure, but need to work on the middle 50% of the story.

Our Uninvited Guests: The Secret Life of Britain's Country Houses 1939-45 by [Summers, Julie]
Image from
Amazon.co.uk
As I've been able to set the new story up on Scrivener from the start (rather than half way through) it's given me time to identify changes I hadn't considered before, but need.

The good news is the first 25% of this one is doing what it should do, so I've begun the rewrite on those chapters, while I continue the outstanding research items.

My current reading is Our Uninvited Guests by Julie Summers.

It was pure chance that a Google search led to a mention of it in an article; then I searched for it on Amazon to find the kindle e-book on offer for 99 pence- a definite sign I should buy it! (It's now £3.99.)

An interesting read too.

It does have relevance; indirectly...


Have you ever gone looking for a book and found it's on offer just when you need it for research?












Monday 7 October 2019

Pressing the Pause Button...



I've been taking a break from writing to catch-up on reading for enjoyment and learning, but most of all not putting pressure on myself...

Trying to get my head around character arcs was giving me a headache until we discussed the topic on #writingchat on Twitter last Wednesday.

On the recommendation of several writers, I bought Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody.

I'm working my way through it and it's helping put some sense of proportion on the novel's current state.

Though I've been a little down the last few days, I've assorted writing events coming up this week and next. It's good to go out and meet other writers.

I'm especially looking forward to attending a book launch in Leicester in a fortnight, for Rosemary J Kind's latest novel, Unequal by Birth. Having known her online for many years we've never met- she lives in North Yorkshire, so it will be wonderful to say hello in person and support her launch.

Do you remember me mentioning the #SelfPubCon2019 sessions put together by ALLi
Vine Leaves Press
Notebook...
(Alliance of Independent Authors) last month?

Well, the Vine Leaves Press session about Video Marketing to Sell Your Books, ran a giveaway for their notebooks.

A few weeks ago was delighted to receive an email telling me I was one of the winners and asking which of the three notebook designs I wanted to receive and my address for delivery.

This is the one I chose (on the right) in the paperback form - they have a hardback version of each design too...

I received it at the weekend. Lovely isn't it?

Now I just need to decide what to write in it...





Notebook image via Amazon




Monday 23 September 2019

Disappointment & Determination...

It surprised me to receive an email on Friday telling me the reader's report from the New Writers' Scheme was ready to access. I hadn't expected it so soon.

I considered ignoring it until later in the day, once I was home from meeting up with the Nottingham RNA Chapter, but I gave in and had a quick look through.

It was worse than I'd expected.
Wine...

I went out as planned.

Sharing my angst with the chapter members when we met up, I received sympathetic advice and helpful suggestions. Lunch and a glass of wine later, I had a more positive frame of mind.

Following one of the helpful suggestions I received, to print it out and go through the report with different colour highlighters, I could see the positives not just the negatives.

Many of the major points raised in the report I'd known about, but hadn't left enough time to fix before the August deadline- a lesson in time-management for next year's submission.

And the synopsis, let’s not go there...

There were a handful of positives, which gives me hope that with hard work I can improve the manuscript. But it will take time and thought.

Having learnt from this year's submission and report, I will apply that to another first draft I have waiting.

No, I'm not giving up on this story. I knew there was still plenty of work to do on it, along with the additional research points that popped up as I'd worked on the draft. But for now I need a short break away from it.

Getting it right is never easy...






Image: epicantus at pixabay.com





Sunday 8 September 2019

Workshops and New Projects...

It's been a busy month so far and it's only the first week...

Yesterday (Saturday) I was at a workshop at Nottingham Writers' Club. The guest writer was Patsy Collins who was leading us through Characterisation and Dialogue.

Personally I think the latter element is really helped by getting the former element pinned down.

Patsy Collins & a few
of her books...
Something I will definitely be applying to my characters is how do my other characters see my main characters?

It was good to know my creativity was kicking back in again with the writing exercises.

For the first three days after getting my manuscript into the RNA's New Writers' Scheme my brain just went on temporary strike.

I put in a lot of hours in that last week- 15 hours on the Friday into the early hours of Saturday morning alone- as well as having spent a few hours at the walk-in centre on the Tuesday after a bad fall- catching my toe on the door ledge stepping in from the back-garden.

Yes, my mind had been on my manuscript and that approaching deadline rather than what I was actually doing at that moment...

 I damaged the ligaments either side of my right knee and bruised my tibia. Pleased to say nothing was broken. The bruises are now fading and after taking everything slowly I was moving around with care by the end of this past week, so no problem attending the workshop.

The broken tooth is being sorted later this week.

*   *   *

As I knew it would be a few months before I heard anything from the RNA NWS, I decided to make a start on setting up one of my other novels on Scrivener, but which one?

I have a complete first draft of a contemporary or the first five chapters of a 1920's story- the first three chapters and synopsis won the NWC 2018 Mary Street Romance Novel Shield. Admittedly the first draft novel (the synopsis and first three chapters of it) also won the 2016 Mary Street competition.

A 1920'S hat...
I know I have quite a lot of background research I need to do on the 1920's story, but it was calling to me, so I decided to start setting it up on Scrivener first and use the elements I hadn't used on my main manuscript.

I first started using Scrivener back in April when part of my historical was already in Word 2007 and as I was still becoming familiar with how Scrivener worked, I didn't have time to sort out all those helpful little aspects of the programme. It was get the second draft written!

This year I've learnt a great deal about how I write and put my novels together, so I'm now putting the knowledge I've gained into action with my other projects.

My Dorset novel needs looking at again to see what I need to research there too. That's at a similar stage to the 1920's novel, but will need complete rewriting as my voice has changed since it was started.

Priority is still to complete my 1802 Nottinghamshire novel, but I'm not going to waste the time in between...

Do you have more than one project on the go?




Sunday 25 August 2019

Almost There...

One week to go to my final deadline.

Today (Sunday) I've done about seven hours at the keyboard- obviously I did get up to make coffee and eat an occasional snack- okay there was a few pieces of dark chocolate involved. The result was the completion of Chapter 23.

My antagonist gets punched in the nose by my hero- with justifiable cause...

I'm at the stage of tying the various strands together in these last chapters.

I know some of the strands are still vague in the first half (I'll have to sort those out in the next draft) and they'll definitely need a lot of attention. I might have to try working backwards...

The downside of getting my submission in so close to the deadline for the RNA's New Writers' Scheme is I'll have a longer wait for the reader's comments to come back, but it gives me time to develop a couple of future stories.

#writing-romance

My first draft had 17 chapters; by the time the second draft is finished it will be at least 25 chapters and approximately 50,000 words.

 Normal blogging about a variety of subjects, annual book related events and topics will resume as soon as I have my partial submitted- and I decompress.

Almost there...



image: pixabay.com








Saturday 17 August 2019

Cake and Lots of Words...

Two weeks to go and lots still to do.

I've had a couple of days break, rewarding myself for all the words I've achieved by attending the Nottingham RNA Chapter meeting. I was late arriving due to public transport hold-ups and the very heavy rain, but the food was worth waiting for...

Plus I need to sort the next scene out in my brain as there's new snippets as well as the part from the first draft for this upcoming scene.

My week three word was peril...

My hard work
reward...
The scene of peril was written- my heroine was lured to the big house and- sorry you'll have to wait for the book to come out to discover the rest.

Of course she survived, but for a moment there it did actually make me shiver, which should be a good sign, but maybe that's because I could see it in my mind.

I need that effect on the reader too.

This week I'll be trying to put in even more writing time as other demands on my time are put on hold or scaled back.

By next weekend I'll know whether I will have the draft complete or almost completed, so I can get the submission formatted ready for sending in.

I do have an old synopsis for this novel saved so that will need updating but it means some time will be saved.

My word for week two is determination- mine and my hero's...


Sunday 11 August 2019

Three Weeks to Go: Progress Report...

Thursday my second draft went over the 40,000 word mark.

(Admittedly at the start of the year I already had a handful of the early chapters typed up.)

3 weeks to go...
I've still got chapters to go of course, but I have now picked back up the latter chapters of the first draft after writing the new ones in. A few scenes have moved position too and I feel they're now in the right place.

I can see where I'm heading. The fact that the first half of the draft is still missing scenes is another thing entirely...

(The last time I reached the 40,000 words stage was with the first novel I tried writing- in the last century!)

Although I don't use Scrivener to it's full potential (at the moment) it has definitely helped my progress. With Word, I was always conscious of how little I seemed to be producing, but now I get to the end of the chapter and I'm surprised by the word count.

(Changing the font really does help with the writing.)

I print out each chapter as it's finished and then slip them into clear plastic sleeves, they're then held together with a couple of green treasury tags. As the stack has built up it's made the novel feel more real.

My original assumption was that this story would end up around 50,000 words, but that may have been an under estimate. By the time it is finally completed- some time next year- I'm hoping 60,000 words may be nearer.

This week, the big peril scene in Chapter 19...






image from pixabay.com












Wednesday 31 July 2019

Counting Down...

I have one month to get my manuscript in to the RNA's New Writers' Scheme. Fortunately I can submit a partial if that's all that's done.

At the moment I may just get the second draft finished, the manuscript tidied up, my form filled in and do the best I can on the synopsis...

As I've rewritten this second draft I have discovered how I make substantial progress, as well as realising that just because I think there's only a few missing scenes to fill in, my brain can think otherwise.

Starting out on draft 2, I believed I probably had two or three scenes each in two, maybe three new chapters to fill in the gaps. How wrong I was!

Still working on it...
Honestly I'm not sure how many new scenes there are, but I've added five chapters that were missing from that first draft.

There is still a lot of work that will need to be done in the next draft, improve the first half, then there's odd bits that need reworking, narrative changed to scenes/dialogue, descriptions added and character arcs checked. And that's before I start the editing process!

Even though all this work lies ahead I'm satisfied with all I've achieved so far, also what I've learnt about how I write and plot.

But most importantly I've learnt to trust my subconscious; those random bits of dialogue that don't seem to serve a purpose at the time, do fulfil a role later on...

When I do get the RNA's reader's comments back I am expecting quite a lot of pages to read and consider, then decide where I go from there.

For now it's get this draft complete.

Wish me luck...



image: pixabay.com

Sunday 28 April 2019

To Prologue or Not...

After taking a break over Easter to start sowing vegetable and herb seeds in pots and tubs, I'm getting back to the novel.

Moving to Scrivener was definitely a good move, I can concentrate much better using it.

I'm working my way through writing the new scenes (missing from draft one) and am now finding a few of those original scenes in draft one have changed, moved or are no longer needed.

I even have a scene that I thought I'd put in the first draft but hadn't!

On Friday I got together with a couple of fellow romance writers and shared my concerns over how I deal with a particular piece of important information, currently in the second chapter, that still comes over as an info-dump.

Working it out...
While a small part can be slipped in naturally in conversation (where it is now) I need to remove the rest but find some way to show the really important part. As the rewriting has progressed it still can't be worked in elsewhere.

(It has to be dealt with in the third draft...)

So I decided the only way to overcome the problem was to create a short prologue.

Prologues are like Marmite, love them or hate them.

I don't mind them if they are used for a valid reason, but did wonder if my decision for it was reason enough.

So I did some Googling and came across two articles that discuss the do's and don'ts of prologues. First there's a post from the Writers Digest and the Writers & Artists website...

Having had a couple more days to consider the possibilities, I'm sure it's right for the story, as the consequences of that moment will lead to incidents that bring my hero and heroine into contact and eventually together...

By the time I'm ready to go back and finalise the first couple of chapters (I'm not totally happy with them yet) I'll be ready to write that prologue.

Now over to you; what's your view on prologues?





Image by Geralt from Pixabay.com

Sunday 14 April 2019

Multi-tasking...

Are you a multi-tasking writer?

Although I'm concentrating on my novel at the moment I'm thinking about two other projects in-between all the home-life.

More than one
direction...
I've started thinking about a research trip sometime in 2020 for the next novel in the queue, whilst a scene idea for another novel (further down the queue) popped into my mind while I was out in the sunshine.

Maybe it's Spring that has been the inspiration...

Having got over the recent bug that stuffed up my sinuses and then moved to a bad cough, I've also been running errands for a close relative who's recovering from major surgery so I've not been at the work in progress as much as usual, so that's probably why my brain has allowed me to think about two of my other future projects.

I found this article, How Many Books Should You Write at Once? by author Debbie Young, interesting. There was such variation in the answers each writer gave her.

A couple of years ago I did try doing two novel drafts but it didn't work for me; I needed to concentrate on one at a time. But I did then complete two first drafts one after the other...

I am a slow writer, but Scrivener has definitely helped me make better progress now I'm used to it. I know where I'm going with the current rewriting and new scenes so I'm not stopping and starting when I'm writing, like I used to.

Thinking time.
I've discovered I need to do this at the end of the writing day before the next new scene is written- which surprised me as I thought I had it worked out in my head already, but it does help.

(It may just be this particular story, but I'll be prepared and allow extra time for it with the next book.)

So do you write more than one book at a time? Or a mix of books, short stories, articles or other writing?




image from Pixabay.com


























Wednesday 6 March 2019

The Joy of Progress...

March already and I'm finally making progress on the new scenes in the second draft of the novel.

Back in January I was a bit concerned that my heroine wasn't as three-dimensional as my hero, but as I've added the missing scenes and shifted the position of others she's finally started to fill out the gaps.

I'm definitely going to have to make her a few years older than I originally imagined her, so I'm going to look at my backstory and timelines.

As to Scrivener I'm definitely feeling more confident about writing with it and using a different font has helped- I'm more aware of the words filling the page too, but that's helping not hindering.

Today I finished chapter 11, all new scenes and conflicts both internal/external. I also realised how two-faced the antagonist is...

Last month I was not feeling as confident about how the draft was going and I was doubting my ability all round- impostor syndrome!?

There's still a lot of work to do, but I'm not going to give up.

There's still about ten days of my Scrivener trial left and I will probably go ahead and purchase it...

This year...


image:pixabay.com






Monday 11 February 2019

Scrivener: My Progress So Far...

Last month I downloaded Scrivener.

I was warned it is a steep learning curve but taking the time to watch the videos and work through the tutorial is definitely worth doing. The basics start to stick- well some of them!

So far I've written chapter 10 on it. Admittedly it's a short chapter and was originally in chapter 9...

The issues so far have been remembering where certain things are, but that's probably more to do with having used Word for so many years.

Then there's how to delete something in the side bar that's wrong- it must be in the settings somewhere.

The Manual which you just click on- good- has a well set out index- also good- but sometimes it's hard to find the simple things, almost as if it makes the assumption that it's so obvious it doesn't need more detailed explanation (of course it may just be me).

Writing in a different font has definitely helped and my short chapter 10 didn't seem to take as long to type out (considering I can't touch type) but I was keeping the format simple.

I liked being able to switch to the cork board easily and back to the text without having to worry about losing anything meanwhile. Though I do think I'm going to need to watch the video on the cork board section again as I think I'm missing a stage somewhere.

Undecided...
I've still got trial days left and I'm now 50/50 about whether I will go on to purchase Scrivener or not.

Suspect how well I get on with the next two chapters will be the deciding factor...







image from pixabay.com

Monday 21 January 2019

Scrivener, Word or Open Office?

I decided I'd try out Scrivener to see if it would help me get my manuscript done.

There's a 30 day free trial and the days only count down every day you use it, so if you only open it a couple of days a week the free trial will last longer than a month.

When the trial is up you either purchase it or remove it.

Friends do say it is a learning curve but there's lots of helpful info available: YouTube videos, a user manual within the programme and instructional videos. Then there's Anne Rainbow's ScrivenerVirgin site.

At the moment it's all making my head spin...

Which programme?


I can import a Word document, but apparently Tabs are not good and muck up the formatting later.

Since Word 2007 no longer has technical support- no updates- I've found it creating glitches in my formatting of documents and I've had to use the tab key more.

I'd considered Office 365, but apart from having to pay monthly or annually, the version of Word would not read my much earlier documents; as I understood the info it would remove my 2007 version during the download.

I bought the Office 2007 disc when I purchased my previous computer and then had to reinstall Office 2007 when a Microsoft update created major issues with my current desktop (resulting in it having to be wiped) I am now on my third and final use of 2007.

I've downloaded Open Office and found it useful for a number of things, but I wasn't comfortable with it for the novel. So I've persevered with Word.

Now I'm trialing Scrivener.

As I'm mid-rewrite of Chapter 9 in Word 2007 I've decided to start Chapter 10 in Scrivener and see how it goes. If it works for me and I buy it, I can sort out the earlier chapters in Word and then import them in.

I like the ability to make your own templates so you can use them with every novel or use the pre-existing templates.

Like any new programme it's as much about learning where things are and how to use it.

The biggest advantage is being able to prepare the finished novel for being an e-book, in ePub for example. (Of course you still need an editor.)

Today I set up the title and the chapters, then tomorrow I'll try the cork-board bit...

I must admit that the last time I looked at Scrivener (about four years ago) I didn't like it, it confused me, but now I'm at a stage with my writing where it makes sense and I can see how helpful it could be.

Are you a Scrivener convert or a Word or Open Office user?