Writing101 Free Writing Course

I'm currently in the process of putting together a free writing course, based on my university lectures. It includes foundation units on descriptive writing, literary perspective, character development, writing dialogue, worldbuilding, biographical writing, and useful tips on laying out your manuscript for submission and improving English grammar. You can find the course here, on my website. If there are additional units you think I should add, please do let me know. The course is completely free, but there is also a paid option in some of the units to receive personalised feedback on your work.

 

Ranty Post: How Authors in Developing Countries are Disadvantaged

Morning.

Today I'm having a bit of a rant about something that's irritated me for a couple of years now. I'm looking at the way PayPal, Adobe and Amazon KDP work differently for people in developing countries than they do for westerners, and the impact that has on artists.

Love to know your thoughts.

Steampunk Retro Keyboard

Way, way too cool. @Modquokka posted it on Twitter. It's stunningly gorgeous and if I could get post delivered here, I'd buy one. It's available through this Etsy shop which also stocks a few other cute gadgets.

Burnout

This year, I'm really taking hold of my online communications.

Starting to feel like I have too many in-boxes: Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. Sometimes I read a message, then forget which platform it was on and have to search through them to find it again.

It really isn't good for anybody, especially a writer. Too easy to get distracted.

I'm employing two methods.

One is putting my phone on aeroplane mode unless specifically checking messages. I know this means people can't call me either, but if they can't get through, they can always message and I'll see it later in the day. I'm definitely more of a messager than a phone speaker.

The other useful tool I've discovered is Boomerang.

If you're using Gmail, I think you get this automatically, or it's an app you can install.

Boomerang has two helpful features. One is that it allows you to schedule posts. It helps with those people who always reply to e-mails instantly. You don't want to reply, because you know you'll get another e-mail in the next five minutes and feel compelled to reply again - and the cycle continues. This way, you can reply, then schedule your post to send later in the day, late at night, next morning or next week. 

But Boomerang's best feature is Pause Inbox. You can stop anything new coming into your in-box for the next few hours, or until tomorrow morning, or Monday morning. You can even set it to automatically load new messages at your chosen time once a day.

It really does make me feel much lighter and negates that compulsion to keep checking my in-box. I can get through everything in the morning, then turn it off for the rest of the day.

Provided I don't open up Facebook or Twitter, I'm hassle free and able to focus on more productive things. And, if I do find myself actively looking for a distraction, I can always unpause my in-box and reconnect my mobile to the network.

Canva

This just dug me out of a hole. I'm self-publishing a story on an online platform and needed a book cover. Wasn't about to buy one for a free book, and know that my design skills leave a lot to be desired. I'm a total technonumpty.

This online software allows you to throw together something acceptable with minimal effort. A useful emergency tool when you need a simple Kindle cover, Facebook banner or promotional poster. Just head to Canva, click create a design, type book cover and away you go. 

First, choose a template from the top left menu, then drag/drop a background over the template to give it texture and depth, then play about with the font.

It's extremely simple but quite effective if you don't have the money to pay a designer or your project isn't important enough to warrant one. There's also an option to upgrade and access many more designs and features. After a thirty-day free trial, it's $12.95 per month pay-as-you-go, or $9.95 ($119.40) on an annual subscription.

WordHippo

I've found a new love, next to EtymologyOnline and Omniglot.

It's called WordHippo.

I'm currently doing a massive amount of editing for development agencies, we cover lots of subject from gender-base violence through to undertaking aid work in conflict-affected areas and, most recently, making money transfers to regions where there are no banks.

That's how I stumbled across WordHippo. I was looking for the plural of hawala, which I was fairly sure was hawala, but someone kept typing hawalas.

I was surprised to find the answer so easily. Not only did WordHippo give me the plural straight away, it told me where the word originated from and even told me how to pronounce it!

The site hadn't come up for me before, so I assume it's a new one or maybe I'm just late to the party, but I love it.

Free Celtx

 

I was fairly gutted when the Celtx community forum closed. 

Celtx used to be the best free scriptwriting software available, but more than that, it spawned a really active and engaged community of writers around the world.

It's gone a bit more up-market now, and you have to pay a subscription to use it, but I was totally over the moon to discover that there is still an old version of the software free online. It doesn't give you access to the cloud or to many of the flash new features, but it gets the job done.

There's an excellent article about it here.

You'll find the download for PC and Mac at the very bottom of it.

For me, it's not about begrudging Celtx the money - they're really great at what they do, and it's a product that's a) worth the money and b) a heck of a lot cheaper than other brands such as Final Draft.

My problem is that I'm teaching scriptwriting in an economically developing country that doesn't have access to an online payment system such as PayPal. Even if my students could afford it, they have no way of paying for it. It's a common problem in many parts of the world. Forcing them to try to format a screenplay using the teeth-grinding option of MS Word, just because of their geography, seems a little cruel.

Word Up: Speech-to-Text

In light of recently maiming myself, I decided to try out Word's speech-to-text function. 

Whilst partially incapacitated, I use my good hand to brows websites. On a news channel I stumbled across something that completely grabbed my attention. So much so that eight hours later I was still reading about it, going from Wiki to Wiki, jotting down notes. I think I've found my next major story subject, but it's driving me up the wall because I can't actually start writing about it. My right hand is currently doing the work of both hands, and it's exhausting. There is a saying: 

On balance, as annoying as it is not being able to tell my story, falling into a fire was a thousand times more agonising.

Anyway, Word.

I've been a huge fan of text-to-speech for a long time. I regularly get Word to read e-mails and news articles to me whilst I contemplate my belly fluff.

Unfortunately, speech-to-text ain't quite all there yet.

Here's a brief Windows explanation on turning on speech recognition for Windows 10 and some further information for Windows 8. Basically, in 10: File Explorer/This PC/Open Settings/type Speech into the Search Box/Speech Recognition.

It's worth taking the time to Train Your Computer, which basically involves training yourself at the same time by reading aloud the user manual. This allows your computer more time to get to know your voice and the way you pronounce things.

I find the whole concept fascinating. Usually, my thoughts appear on the page as I'm thinking them, but with speech-to-text I find myself pausing a lot to consider how my words sound before saying them. I think the type of book I would wright using speech-to-text might be very different.

If that were the only delay, perhaps I'd persist, but there are other issues.

I tried an opener:

The night was cold. Snowflakes fell like falling hope between the cobblestones. White winter swept the town, holding the lives of young and old between its skeletal fingers.  

and got:

Of the the the night was cold.  Snowflakes fell like falling home between the cobblestones.  White winter swept the town holding the lives of young and old between their skeletal fingers.

Perhaps it's an old microphone, but when I was silent for too long, thinking how to begin, the programme filled the silence for me with a couple of extra thes.

I threw it the old tongue twister Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers and received Peter Piper picked up at him for a month for.

Perhaps this would improve with time, but the process of correction is tiring. Each time there is a mistake you have to tell the program correct [word] and either choose a number from the list:

 

Or spell it out letter by letter, correcting each letter it mishears.

 

That's really the problem. In the time it takes to correct the mistakes in one sentence, you could have written twenty more. Speech-to-text has still got a long way to go. Which might be why it's tucked away right at the very back of the Windows tool box. I've heard Dragon is pretty impressive, but it's pricey and you'd want to test it out before purchasing.

Marvel At These

My favourite pen producers, Cross, have just issued a Marvel Comics range.

Check It

Ancient Illustrations

Oh, bravo!

What a very clever idea: Public Domain Illustrations from Old Books

Old Book Illustrations was born of the desire to share illustrations from a modest collection of books, which we set out to scan and publish. With the wealth of resources available online, it became increasingly difficult to resist the temptation to explore other collections and include these images along with our own... We are not the only image collection on the web, neither will we ever be the largest one. We hope however to be a destination of choice for visitors more particularly interested in Victorian and French Romantic illustrations.

Essentially, they have taken illustrations that are out of copyright and made them freely available for anyone seeking artwork for their book. Enjoy - and be sure to follow along on Twitter: @obillustration

Typo Equation

Thanks to my friend Fred for this. A fascinating equation for calculating the number of missed errors in a manuscript. Also, check out my post The Invisible Typo, which explains why typos are so hard to catch. 

Natural Reader

Today, I finally finished 308 pages of editing. 

Ugh.

Even when you love a story - ugh.

Editing is hard bloody work, but I've found a way to make the proofing easier, at least. 

I've posted before about Word's Speak Function.

(click to enlarge)

Once you've enabled it, it can cope with blocks of text up to about 700 words at a time. I find this is perfect, and rarely cover more than about 300 words at a time, as there's invariably a typo, a missing letter or a mistake that I need to correct, and I don't want the words to run away with me whilst I'm doing that.

However, once you get to the end and you want to listen to the whole document back, or if you've found a long article during your research and your eyes are getting tired, give Natural Reader a go. Same principle, only it copes with larger documents and PDFs. You can even choose the gender and accent of your reader.

(click to enlarge)

It's ridiculously helpful. The voice is still quite synthesised, but following the text whilst it's read aloud really helps you catch the slip-ups. Things like thought and though, of and or that your eyes skip over and often miss, get picked up by your ears. 

Worth giving it a whirl.

ClipDiary

Haven't posted this since the Blue Screen of Death.

Fate - you fucker.

For some unexplainable reason, I woke up at 6am this morning. Saw the most incredible sunrise through the attic window and ran for my camera. It complimented the half-dozen gorgeous shots I'd taken the day before of Cold Ashby Church from up in the rafters.

Went back to bed. When I came round again, at a sensible hour, I poured a coffee and checked my e-mails whilst plugging in my phone to transfer the pictures.

Hit ctrl+x to cut/copy everything, then got distracted and hit ctrl+c (copy) before I'd ctrl+v (pasted) the pictures to my Photos file.

Thus overwriting the data copied to the clipboard and losing everything.

It took me a moment to realise the photos weren't safely in the folder. Palpitations kicked in. Screamed, wept, rolled about on the floor a bit.

Whereas there are loads of programs (Dr. Fone, Pandora, Asoftech) that can retrieve lost data from a hard drive, USB stick or memory card, not a single bloody one can do it from a DCIM internal memory folder.

If anybody has got any ideas, please let me know. I'm toying with taking it to a shop - they were lovely photos - but I know they'll charge an arm and a leg.

Blah.

Anyway - lesson for today folks.

Grab a copy of ClipDiary. It's one of those thing you don't realise you need until you need it. If you're like me, a cut/paste fiend with no hope of changing old habits, this might just save your life, or at least your data. It keeps a record of every time you hit the ctrl+x/c shortcuts or copy to your clipboard in any other way. Then allows you to return that data to the clipboard should you need it again.

Pure. Simple. Genius.


[UPDATE: A miracle has occurred - I have the photos!]

Rosy Hours Book Club Pack

Hold the phone! 40% book club discount when you order five or more copies! 

DOWNLOAD BOOK CLUB PACK

Pleased to announce a book club and writers' pack to accompany Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran.

It includes:

• Questions for book club discussions
• Links to related media and reading
• Prompts for creative writers

If you are a member of a book club and wish to buy in bulk, please contact Ghostwoods Books directly to discuss discounts. 

I will be in the UK from September 2015 - January 2016 and available for book club discussions. If you'd like to request this, please also contact Ghostwoods Books directly. Check my website for upcoming events.

If you are a book review blogger, you can request review copies online.

Brain to Text

Now here's a fascinating thought: Mind-Reading Computer Writes Words with Brain Waves.

Imagine a world in which authors can write books in days, not months, using only the power of their minds. This hands-free future could be around the corner: scientists have created software that hooks up to your brainwaves and transcribes whatever you're thinking.

Given Word's speech-to-text software and the amount of errors that makes, I wonder whether we're truly ready to take it a step further. I hope so. Though, if it's true that people think about sex every seven seconds, there may be a surge in erotica submissions.

Speak Easy

I love reading. I do a lot of it. But every now and then I find a wall of text off-putting. 

I've recently switched to using Word's Speak function for Wiki, news articles, blogs and e-mails. 

Here's how to enable it (plus tips on other read-out-loud programs).

Speak seems to have a finite reading time (couple of minutes, or around 700 words), perhaps Narrator is a better option, I'll have to try it out.

For me, though, it's perfect. 

It doesn't take the place of an actor for audiobooks, as the voice is heavily synthesised and gets a lot wrong, both in terms of pronunciation and inflection, but it's a helpful tool nonetheless. 

I'm a notorious multitasker. Often, I see an article I'd like to read, but, considering its length, think of other things I should probably get done. Speak has been especially useful with the heavy weight of research and fact-checking I've had to do for my current novel. I can follow all the Wiki links I want, and set them reading whilst I reply to emails and brows social media. It's not much different to having the radio playing, and I only need half an ear on it to pick up the important points. If I hear something of interest, I can pop back and check the text any time.

The other thing I find it really useful for is clearing my in-box. That sinking feeling you get when faced with twenty e-mails you're supposed to respond to... Speak is like having a PA. If I've opened the blank document in US English, I get an American PA, in UK English, I get a British PA. 

It's also useful when things get heated, such as customer complaint back-and-forths. You dread having to give up your attention to them, so having things read takes the ugh factor out of it. Plus, the voice on the screen always sounds a lot calmer than the voice in my head, thus my responses tend to be calmer too. 

The hotkeys you might want are: highlight the text from the web you want read, ctrl+c for copy, ctrl+v for paste (into the word doc), ctrl+a for select all, then hit play.

Wiki Worship

With Rosy Hours due out with Ghostwoods later this year, I'm poking about with ideas for my next one. I've decided to depart from heavy literary fiction for the time being and pursue something 'fun'.

Whereas it's not going to be Historical Fiction per se, it is set in a time of privateers and parliamentarians. I started out playing with pirate ships, then realised:

1. I have no idea how to sail a ship
2. I didn't even realise Oliver Cromwell ran the Navy (but didn't have any Admirals)

It just hadn't occurred to me that the conquest of the Caribbean overlapped with the English Civil War(s).

See, even 'fun' can be taxing.

I'm only about 7,000 words into the story, so I haven't passed my golden number for 'does it have potential,' yet alone the one for 'it's going to be a novel.' In order to add to the word count I need to do a bit of reading to find out:

• Does the subject matter interest me enough (do I want to know about sailing terminology and the English Civil War?)
• Can I make it interesting for someone else?
• Are there any interesting characters or events I could weave into my plot?

So far it's looking good, but I have a major problem with Wiki.

Every time I go there to read about something like the English Civil War, I find something else of interest. Before I know it, one open browser tab miraculously becomes twenty.

Sometimes my eyes get tired and I try to find a summary on YouTube.

To be honest, despite coming from a village right next door to Naseby, the English Civil War has never been a period in history that has particularly interested me. Yet, all of that has changed. Thank you, Horrible Histories, for explaining things to me in a language that I understand.