Posts

I recently had the urge to share some information I had acquired through trial and error.  That information being how to use the "lists" feature on Facebook.  So with a little poking around, I discovered the eHow website and wrote my first article.

How To Use Facebook's "Lists" Feature If You Game

It all started when I stumbled upon the Mafia Wars game on Facebook and began playing just to pass the time. Then Vampire Wars.  Then Farmville.  Soon enough, I was taking time out of my day to play them all.  Or rather, using time that should have been spent doing other things.  Like, laundry or dinner.  Okay, so I got a little addicted to them.  There. I said it.

I have since grown somewhat bored of them.  But during the time that these games were consuming me (it was entirely their fault!  I swear!), I learned a few tricks about using Facebook itself, that the other four million players of these games might be able to use.  Please have a look.  I get a small amount of money (like two cents or less) for every view.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for the article.  Even suggestions for small grammatical items that you think might make it better, would be welcome. 

Since it's been two years (really?) since I've posted, I thought I put some recent information to me on here. 

I have:

• Starting writing a book
• Cut my hair short (pictures forthcoming)
• Bought a motorcycle ("99 Ninja ZX6R) and painted it white (pictures also forthcoming)
• Started working part time in a bookstore (which I LOVE)
• Got myself an office (really just a shed of the rubbermaid variety and, wired it for technology)
• Lost 25 pounds
• Completely changed my outlook on life for the better.
  

Not too bad.

I recently spent the better part of a week trying out writing programs.  This was prompted by the building frustration I began feeling with the limitations of my word processing software.  Where did I put notes?  How could I rearrange scenes easily? etc.  My criteria was simple.

• Have a simple to use interface
• Allow me to rearrange my scenes easily
• Keep track of my notes
• Develop my characters personalities via a database
• Be able to format my text
  

Programs I tried:

Writer's Blocks
New Novelist
Dramatica Pro
yWriter

Here's my reviews:

Writer's Blocks

Pro's

• Great visualization tool
• Reformats idea "blocks" onto your writing space.  What that means is that you can rearrange your ideas how you like then click a button and they appear as headers on a blank page.
• Fairly simple interface.
• Color coding boxes to help with idea arrangement
  

Con's

• The arrange box features proved more confusing then helpful (they kept overlapping)
  
• No place for notes
• No place for character development
• Expensive at $149
  

Overall:
Gets 2 out of 5 on my helpful meter.  One you have all your ideas this might be a useful program to use to arrange everything.

New Novelist v.1.0

Pro's

• Very simple interface
  
• Good idea base if you have never written a novel before (complete simple story outlines)
  
• Notes area
  
• Good (not great) character development area
  

Con's

• No text formatting (I want to be able to double space for hard copy editing later)
  
• Scene rearrangement is not built in
• Authored in UK English (not a huge draw back)
  
• Less expensive at $59 but more than I was hoping to spend.
  

Overall:
Gets 3 out of 5 on my helpful meter.  I think v 2.0 might be more helpful but I did not try it.

Dramatic Pro v4.0

Pro's

• Very in-depth plot line development.  Asks you lots and lots of questions.
  
• Extremely, and I mean extremely, in depth character development
• Lots and lots of help guides to explain all the terminology (I think it assumes you have a degree in writing)
  
• Never-ending possibilities for creating character depth. (I'm not kidding. You could spend months on it.)
  

Con's

• Could not figure out where to actually write.
  
• If there is a scene arrangement area, I couldn't find it
  
• Super complicated.  It would take a month of Sundays to learn how to use it. (I just want to write!  Is that too much to ask!)
  
• All the pro's above are also con's in that you spend so much time thinking about your story you never actually get around to writing it.
  
• Out of my budget at $255
  

Overall:
Gets 1 out of 5 on my helpful meter.  The only reason I even gave it a 1 is that it asked me some leading questions that provoked me to flesh out my story more. That was only after I stumbled upon that particular feature which I could not begin to tell you how to get back to.

yWriter4

Pro's

• Very simple interface
  
• Easily rearrange scenes with drag and drop
  
• Very good notes area
  
• Perfect amount of character development
• Great price FREE!
• Developed by a writer who happens to also be a programmer
• Word count targeting
  

Con's

• No text formatting
  

Overall:
Gets 4.5 out of 5 on my helpful meter.  Again, the text formatting thing kept it from a 5.  But the author Simon Haynes has a discussion group where you can input your ideas, which I guess he may consider putting into his program.  If you want to check out yWriter, you may do so here. Needless to say, this will be the one I use.  I am still writing in my Word Processor and pasting my work into the program, but maybe he'll update it later so I don't have to.

One last note:

I was going to try Thoughtline Software until I read this review of the software in the New York Times. The review looks dated (1987?) but given that I had already tried the other four mentioned above, I decided not to give a spin.  If you have tried the latest version, I would love to hear your comments about it.

Hope this helps someone.
Aloha, Laura

Show us something from the 80's.

What were your top 5 TV shows of 2006?

Only one for me: Grey's Anatomy

Merry Christmas Comment Graphics
                    

Show us a video that cracks you up.

Show us your desktop.
Submitted by Anthony.

Show us something you can't live without.
Submitted by tOiXc_HoNeY.