Writing Tools

So one of the cool perks to finishing NaNoWriMo is access to free or discounted Stuff.

Today, I took advantage of one such offer and downloaded a program called Scrivener.  Clicking the link will give you a better idea of what this is than I can possibly explain, but basically it's a word processor and project management tool designed to help organize thoughts, ideas, characters, plot lines, scenes, images, etc. involved in creating a large writing project.

Like a novel.

I am actually starting to miss my novel.  I promised myself I wouldn't read it until January and I'm determined not to even take a small peek.  Strictly following NaNoWriMo rules worked well for me this year, and I don't intend to deviate from the rules now.  But I miss my characters. I miss problem-solving with them, I miss the insights and plot twists that would come to me in the car or the shower, and I miss spending some time every day in my own little made-up world.

Today I had lunch with a friend who is currently working very hard on a novel of her own, and hearing her talk about how good writing made her feel brought home for me how acutely I have been missing my own project.

So I came home and downloaded this software, which we both agreed was Pretty Darn Cool.

And it's got a two-hour tutorial, which should take me about a week to get through, since I really don't have a lot of extra time to be writing, or playing with writing tools, between now and Christmas.

Not that I'm complaining, because it's Good Busy.  Working out.  Eating out.  Regular part-time employment.  Childbirth doula opportunities.  Christmas prep.  And of course... parties.  On top of the normal schoolwork and housework, it's a lot, but it's all good.  And it's keeping me busy enough to resist the temptation to read and edit too soon. 

Honestly, even without all the fun stuff going on this month, I have a long enough list of other people's books I want to read before I go back and try to read my own - as evidenced from the column on the right of partially-read books stacked on my nighttable or downloaded to my Nook.  So even during what little down-time I'm getting, I shouldn't be tempted.  Much.

And by the time I finally do get back to working on it, I will have this cool program to help me.

Going to take some time to go through the tutorial, then I'm hitting the bath with a glass of wine and a book someone else wrote.

:-)