Fending Off The Grammar Police

Spelling.

As a kid, I was thrilled whenever my teachers uttered the words, Spelling Bee! 

I'm a good speller, except when I type on my phone and my fat sausage fingers hit the wrong letters. Typos happen. The Twitterverse can attest to that. Thank goodness we're now able to edit tweets.

Grammar. 

I'm not good at grammar. I dangle participles, end sentences with prepositions, misplace modifiers, and my sentences have a tendency to run on. 

But now, the Grammar Police can leave me alone. I've found Grammarly.

I'm so excited about this service! I downloaded the free account and played around with it for a few weeks before deciding that I HAD to upgrade to the Premium service.

Let me tell you what Grammarly can do for you: 

Whenever you're online, composing an e-mail, updating your Facebook status, writing a blog post, or typing up a tweet, Grammarly's free service will check your writing for punctuation errors and misspelling. If they detect an error, they will notify you and give you options for correction. 

If you're like me and write your manuscripts in a program like Open Office, you can copy and paste your work on to a document and Grammarly will check your work and save it for you.

If you use Microsoft Office, the Premium service will work directly with the program! (I'm too cheap to purchase Office, though.)

Grammarly's Premium Service also checks for plagiarism, sentence structure, style mistakes, and grammar enhancement. 

I'm looking forward to uploading the draft of my second novel, THE HALCYON DREAM, to Grammarly. I can't wait to see the suggestions for improvement. It's like having a personal critique partner.

Check out Grammarly's Blog, follow on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. I highly recommend you download the free service. I'm convinced you'll WANT the Premium Service. 

What is your favorite writing service?

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NaNoWriMo Craziness

Yes, yes. I know. Halloween is this Thursday. While everyone is handing out candy to cute little boys dressed as Minions and sweet little girls dressed as Disney Princesses, I'll be organizing my character lists and preparing myself to start writing at 12:01 am during NaNoWriMo.

What's NaNoWriMo you ask? It's short for 'National Novel Writing Month,' but it's definitely INTERnational. People from all over the world sit down and attempt to write 50,000 words by November 30th. The site has a wealth of information, and if you're feeling brave, there's still time to sign up and write your novel in one month. Come on! Why don't you join me?

My first year was 2009. I completed a really bad novel that didn't follow any rules. It's in my bottom drawer. In 2010, I didn't finish, but I was pretty close. In 2011, I signed up, but didn't write. In 2012, I stayed away from all things NaNoWriMo. No way was I getting sucked in.

I'm convinced it's that 'Accountability' thing. You know--where you voice your intentions in order to keep yourself accountable for your actions. I know NNWM is a personal thing, but I always feel like I let someone down (besides myself) if I don't finish.

I work better under pressure, but what if I can't do it? What if I don't finish? What if I can't write 1667 words a day for 30 days? This is the first month of the Holiday season! When will I shop? When will I clean my house for Thanksgiving? How will I cook all that stuff I'm serving on Thanksgiving day?

Well, I know the answer...if you want something bad enough, you MAKE time. I do most of my Christmas shopping online anyway. Besides, who will complain if my house is less than spotless? Do I really need to make 6 different vegetables when only 5 people are coming for dinner?

I took the plunge. I signed up for NaNoWriMo in November. Yes, that's this Friday. I know, I know, but I haven't done much writing this year. I have a main character who is constantly chattering in my ear, but I can't seem to find the time to sit down and write her story. NaNoWriMo is a great way to dive into the writing pool. We'll see...Maybe I'll do a really big belly flop. Maybe I can't write 1667 words a day for 30 days, but maybe I CAN.

If you'll be participating and want to add me as your buddy, my user name is denise0616. Look me up! If not, you can still keep track of my progress on the blue widget above my picture.

NaNoWriMo scares me! So does this guy...

Wish me luck! Oh and Happy Halloween!

Behind The Keyboard--Ideas

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.~Napoleon Hill  

Ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes they smack you in the head and other times they start as small as an inchworm, niggling at the back of your mind and getting bigger and bigger until there's no more room and it HAS to get out. Eww. You get the idea.

You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it. ~Neil Gaiman 

I usually get my ideas when I'm not looking for one. A pouty model in a magazine ad, an animated couple in the car next to mine while sitting in traffic, or an interesting customer who walks into our repair shop can prompt a character profile. A bit of dialogue or a phrase in a book or movie could become a story line. A photo may conjure a tale all by itself. Even sweeping can spark ideas.

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Well, I guess I would fail the first-rate-intelligence test. When an idea takes root, I can't concentrate on anything until I get that idea, dialogue, or first sentence in writing. I need to write it down or else it dissipates into the air faster than fog on a sunny day. I have a box full of slips of paper, and notebooks full of partial dialogue and character profiles. 

One can resist the invasion of an army but one cannot resist the invasion of ideas.Victor Hugo 

Once I start writing, don't bother me with work, food or conversation. I don't want to stop until my mind is emptied. Then, until I can see the next scene clearly in my mind, I wash dishes, do laundry, dust, vacuum, and file paperwork in a zombie-like trance with a far-away look in my eyes.

Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.~Jim Rohn 

And that is why I never let an idea get away. I save all of them. I never know when I might need one.

Where do you get your ideas? What do you do with them?

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Behind The Keyboard--Tools of the Trade

"Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." –George Herbert

While it’s true that writers do not require any special tools, there certainly are a large variety of them out there. Some writers find themselves more productive and comfortable using certain devices.

I began my writing career with only paper and pencil. I would take my handwritten manuscript to work and type it up during my lunch break. Revisions and edits were made at home with a red pencil and then brought back to work the following day for a retype. If you think this process sounds hectic and unproductive, you would be right.

Five years later, the process is only a little less hectic. I now own a laptop at home, and my tools have increased. I still write on paper with a pencil. I type it into an Open Office document but save it as an .rtf on Dropbox in order to work on it at the shop in Microsoft Word. Edits and revisions are still done in red, but I prefer the Pilot Rollerball.

I have a room fool of tools. Are they necessary? Not really, but they make life a little easier and that translates into higher productivity.

Let’s take a look at some of the tools available to writers.

Paper—is available in different sizes, weights and colors. I use 8-1/2 x 11 sheets of used paper. (I have tons of it from my day job, and I only write on one side anyway.)

Notebooks—come in a huge assortment: moleskins, journals, spiral or black marbled composition books. I have at least four of each kind, in every size.

Pencils—are available in mechanical, colored, or conventional wood in hard or soft. I prefer using mechanical pencils, but sometimes I use #2 conventionals. I line up a half dozen of them by my right hand. Running them through a sharpener when all six points are worn is like active meditation and gives me time to imagine a scene.

Pens—there are so many different pens in every color imaginable! Just a few examples are ballpoint, rollerball, gel, markers, fountain pens, or even a quill and ink. (Yes, I own a variety of each, but some are just decorative.) IF I use a pen, which is rare, I prefer a fine point in black.

Technology—is a must since almost all submissions and queries are done via e-mail. Social media is a necessary evil as well as maintaining a website or blog. And who doesn’t love the convenience of quick online research. Always, always, always make sure you back up your work on either a thumb drive or an online backup site. I use Norton. Your cache of technology may consist of a laptop or desktop, tablet, smartphone, and/or voice recorder. While I don’t have a smartphone (Yes, I’m still resistant.) I have all the rest. I find the voice recorder comes in handy when I’m driving. My muse sits in the back seat, poking me in the ribs while she spews ideas at me.

Craft and Reference books and e-books—may include a Thesaurus, Dictionary, Market guides, and Rules of Grammar. There are hundreds of  ‘How-to’ books on creative writing, writing a novel, poetry, characters, heck, you name it! One of the newest additions to my writing toolbox is the Emotion Thesaurus.

Computer Software and Programs—Besides Microsoft Word and Open Office, there are tons of writer’s programs available, such as Storybook and Scrivener to name a few. Some are free and some charge, but the one that piqued my interest was the Dragon Speech Recognition software. We’re still in the getting-to-know-you stage of the relationship, but I’ll keep you updated.

Writing sites—There are too many to name, and you can really spend way too much time in cyberville, but some of the best ones are Rhymezone, Nathan Bransford's blog and Kristi Holl's Writer's First Aid. There are sites that offer forums, discussions, critique partners, and any other form of writing support you may need. But Beware! If you spend too much time on these sites, you won’t get much writing done.

Prompts—For those times when your muse is on vacation, you can find websites that offer word and picture prompts, and there are even books that will give you ideas. I own The Pocket Muse but I’ll be honest, I haven’t had the need for it lately.

What is the one tool you NEED to stay productive?

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The 'Write' Environment

Whether it's at the kitchen table, alone in your vehicle, at a desk, or while sitting on a park bench, having a designated space to write can make all the difference in your productivity.

If you're anything like me, it may take up to thirty minutes for your muse to stop flitting around and focus when you're ready to write.

(Source)

Setting up my work every time I want to write is time-consuming, and when only able to steal away tidbits of writing time, every moment is precious. There's nothing worse than having to put all your notes, scenes, and chapters in one big pile every time you need to set the table for dinner. Sorting out that pile again is a huge time-waster and enough to chase your muse into the living room to watch reruns of

Teletubbies

If you must work on the kitchen or dining room table, in your vehicle, or on a park bench, you may want to invest in something like the Wonderfile.

I find that leaving my work-in-progress on my desk and opened to the last scene I worked on is like a constant reminder to get back to work. Before doing anything, I like to read over the last few pages of what I wrote to jump start myself.  BUT that doesn't always work--sometimes while I'm reading, my muse skips away to eat a giant bowl of Heavenly Hash ice cream. 

(Source)

There are times, like when I'm doing dishes or while on hold with a parts supplier, that a designated writing spot isn't necessary for my muse to poke me in the ribs and an idea or scene pops into my brain. While I may write those ideas down, I need somewhere to organize all those pop-ups. We all need a place to put those little slips of paper and notebooks without worrying about splattering gravy on that awesome battle scene that took a week to get 'just right.'

We need a place where all of our tools are easily accessible. No one wants a perfectly constructed sentence, a jewel of dialogue, or a climactic revelation to float away into thin air while you rescue your favorite pen from your child's backpack or plead with your husband to log off that fishing website.

By sitting down at your dining room table, your spare room, or even your converted closet,

(Source)

Isn't this the cutest little nook?

your mind, and your muse, will be trained to know it's time to get to work.

We need a spot to turn on our favorite creative music, or if you prefer, a place to enjoy total silence where we are free from distractions--a place that tells your family, "Do not disturb me, please. I'm working."

Setting up your own space shows others, and yourself, that your work is serious and your work space is off-limits to curious hands and eyes. It's also a good place to handcuff that free-spirited muse. 

(Source)

Do you have a designated space for creating?

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