Blog posts

Home > Blog posts (Page 37)

Posted on 24 September 2015
In Novel writing

If asked 'What's your new book all about?', I can say 'Safari Supper is a whodunnit', that much I know. The next question - to myself - is: What's it going to be like, as a 'reader' experience? What's my writing style? It's probably easier to say what Safari Supper won't be! I'm not aiming to write anything gruesome. All (there's more than one?) deaths will be quick and painless with not a...

by

Posted on 21 September 2015
In NANO, Novel writing, Scrivener

Hoorah! My story arc is written. I've been waiting for ideas to come but today, determined to make progress, I opened my Scrivener project 'Safari Supper' and just started typing. The words flowed. It never ceases to amaze me how, faced with a blank page, given a prompt, I can write. What I write comes from who knows where. Hence my tagline: I don't know what I think until I read what...

by

Posted on 18 September 2015
In Novel writing, Scrivener, Training

  In much the same way I used Scrivener's Setting Sketch template for my various locations, the Character Sketch template is useful for my cast of characters. And until their 'real' names start to emerge, I'm also using dummy names for my characters. For each location, I've nominally assigned a hostess. I know the Safari Supper system relies on couples and filling tables of six or eight. But for now, I'm assuming one...

by

Posted on 16 September 2015
In Novel writing, Scrivener, Training

So I need a plot, but first, it seems, I need characters. I've read up on the 'theory' of characterisation, and it would appear that there should be two main characters: my protagonist playing the leading role, confronted by conflict, courtesy of my antagonist. Usually, the protagonist is the goodie, and the antagonist is the baddie - but not always. I am reliably informed that the protagonist and the antagonist both need...

by

Posted on 9 September 2015
In Scrivener, Training

I'm not known for my patience - and I wanted to learn Scrivener fast. Googling 'Scrivener training'  led me to precisely what I needed: LearnScrivenerFast. If you check out the link, you'll learn all about Joe (Joseph Michael - that's him smiling in the image) and the wonderful materials he has developed. His course is not cheap, but then it's a quality product. I also discovered Udemy at #3 on the Google hit list....

by

Posted on 7 September 2015
In Scrivener, Training

Tutorial: Learning how to use a sophisticated piece of software like Scrivener takes time and energy and, if you are like me, both can be in short supply! It's not just knowing what every item on every menu does, it's also appreciating how this magnificent software, with all its buttons and bells, might help a writer - like you and me - to achieve what we need to do: write that novel. So, where...

by

Posted on 4 September 2015
In Scrivener

  Using Scrivener: Three plus points #1: Everything is in one place. (Read Here) #2: I feel like I am in control. (Read Here) #3: I have a choice. Because there are so many aspects to a novel, so many dimensions to visualize, so many jigsaw pieces to fit together, the whole task can seem insurmountable - during writing and, even more so later, when editing. With Scrivener, I feel the project, this beast (which...

by

Posted on 3 September 2015
In Scrivener

Using Scrivener: Three plus points #1: Everything is in one place. (Read Here)   #2: I feel like I am in control. Being in control is essential for those of us proud to 'suffer' from  OCD. I need to see my novel on lots of levels: from the top down, from the bottom up, from each character's point of view, and from the reader's perspective too. The binder panel sits to the left of my...

by