My Arsenal

Of course I'm writing on a Macbook Pro, that should go without saying.  However, I'm also using Dropbox to sync my iPad for on-the-go edits and writing.  My main text editor is Scrivener  and it is flat-out amazing.  Nearly every time I sit down to write I find another feature that I know will not be able to live without in the next session.  I don't know how much I should go into the technology I'm using for my process until I've actually published, but you never know what is going to be interesting to people.

Right now I'm working towards having a complete manuscript by May 1 and a self-published novel live on the Kindle sometime in June.  It's my own private NaNoWriMo, but I'm not following any of the rules.  Wrong month, I'm all ready well into the novel, and I'm going to publish it when I'm done.  Just to be clear,  I'm not trying to write a novel in a month.  I've been outlining and planning since last year and now I'm just executing on the plan.  Easy right?  We'll see.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weekend in LA

I had hoped to bang out pages on both the flight down and the flight back, but we had a plane change in Portland that really jammed my flow.  The flight back was non-stop and I'm +600 words or so.  I'd like to get back to it in a bit, but I'm going to have to sync the draft over from the iPad and I'm going to hope that I don't have any issues... In other news,  I had some great conversations with my friends who run a web publicity company and it make me re-think how much effort I'm going to have to put into marketing the books when they are ready.  There's no doubt that it's going to be a big job.  I'm glad I'm starting early, as I'm going to need a media list to start pestering both pre and post launch. Possible marketing strategies include: Excerpts Art previews Book "trailer" Interviews ??? I've all ready been following like madman on Twitter and have cleaned up my online presence there.  I have to remember to twee...
Read more

3:24 AM and the bugbear of inconsistency

I'm staring at the Space Needle wondering how John Grisham did it.  I'm told he wrote his first novel while working full-time in a law firm.  His bio on his website confirms this information.  I don't like 5 AM.  I like this hour.  Between 3:30 and 4:30 AM nearly the entire world is quiet.  If anything breathes,  or snores as the case may be,  you hear it.  The house pops and re-adjusts as it loses heat and your thoughts echo like tympani drums with each satin stroke of a key. That said,  this hour is unreasonable by any sane intellectual measure.  No civilized thought resides here in the dark, only the wild abandon of far more rational people than I dreaming away their day's problems.  No, this is the hour of mad men heated beyond the polite conventions of society,  wrestling dreams only slightly more tangible into being. This unsustainable, delicious hour has to be enjoyed as the rare treat that it is - with only th...
Read more

Our Republican government just decided that you are a product to be sold by your internet service provider to the highest bidder.

Image
 What are you going to do about it?  Fortunately, I saw this coming a while ago and have a plan that I'm happy to share.  This is what I think will work for my family and I hope you can take some of the lessons and apply them in your digital life.  Step 1 - You need your own VPN service.  You may be familiar with VPN as "the thing you use to connect to the office", but VPN technology has many other uses and now the most important one is to protect you from illicit observation.  You should find a VPN service that will work with all your digital devices, and fits in your budget.  There is simply no excuse to not use VPN nearly all of the time.  I chose VyprVPN  from GoldenFrog because I'm a spoiled neckbeard who wants and can afford the fastest and most versatile service.  There are many lower cost options available.   Find one that will work for you and do it today. I will be using VPN software on my phone, tablet, and lap...
Read more