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The Quill Review was a bi-monthly publication filled with helpful articles, book reviews, author interviews and other timeless information for writers. A few samples are listed here, for more helpful information on writing check the Articles page. Tracking Down the Muse
Writer’s Block. If you need to quiet a room full of novelists, that’s all you have to say. To those who write, it’s worse than hearing you’re getting audited. . Don’t get caught under a writer’s block, try these tricks to recapture the muse and get back to your story:
Walk away. Even if it’s your designated writing time.Take your conscious mind off the story and let your unconscious mind get some work done. Run the vacuum, mow the grass, the more mundane the task the better. Then get back in the chair and write anything.
Switch it up. If you normally write fiction, write something non-fiction, or something for children instead of adults.
Join a writer’s group. Writing may be a solitary pursuit but everyone benefits from a little time with people who understand their work. If you can’t find a group in your area or time is an issue, look into an on-line group.
Read a book in your genre. Like returning to the scene of a crime, it was probably from reading that you developed your love of writing.
Switch your mode of putting words on paper. If you usually write on the computer, switch to pen and paper.
Take a look at your schedule and see what can be pared down or eliminated. Being overwhelmed with assignments can be a fast track to writer’s block. Writing Software for the Technologically Timid
Whether you have the luxury of writing full time or are trying to fit it in between your day job and family, time to create is still an elusive commodity. MS Word is a reliable word processor, in fact it’s what we use to create this newsletter, but when it came to a novel, the endless scrolling during edit, and the inability to store notes in an accessible way while viewing the manuscript was reason enough to look for something better. Something just for novel writers that would take care of that grudge work and make more creativity time. We tested several, using an existing young adult novel and armed with a minimum set of criteria: Windows and Mac compatible, reasonably priced, and easy to use. These are the three that most closely fit the criteria. They all have a free downloadable demo:
WriteItNow www.ravensheadservices.com
This is the best of the organizational software tested. It has a simple tab top format and tree view for fast navigation and organizing everything from your notes on events, locations, chapters and characters to a submission record and idea generators for characters, names and ideas. WriteItNow includes a thesaurus, display charts for events and relationships and a 100,000 word spelling checker. We were able to format our manuscript sample and export it, neatly formatted and submission ready, back to MS Word with the two keystrokes the creator promised. The full version (versus the demo) also contains character, background and personality add-ons. WriteItNow can be purchased from their website; it is $37 to unlock the download version or about $57 if you want it on CD.
We liked this software so much; we wanted to know more about this company and where it was going. Ravenshead Services originally wrote WriteItNow three years ago in response to the need for affordable writing software. Through feedback from writers, they’ve added to and improved the software to its present version. Upgrades in the future include enhancements to the scene editor, the addition of pictures with the character descriptions, an outliner and further additions to the idea generator and help menu. They are also planning on writing a screenwriting program.
Writers Blocks www.writersblocks.com
If you currently use index cards to sort your character, location or chapter notes, Writers Blocks will feel like home. This software uses editable blocks to sort all the notes and information you need for your manuscript. It has the option of split screen, manuscript only and block only view. There is a downloadable demo, but hurry; it’s only good for 10-days. The complete manual for using this software is included on the help menu, you’ll need it. Writers Blocks is Windows compatible only and sells for $149 on line.
Final Draft 7 www.finaldraft.com
Primarily designed for script writers, Final Draft 7 can also be used for novel manuscripts. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac. Loaded with templates of the most common TV formats, Final Draft is recognized by the Writer’s Guild of America for on-line registration. Documents convert from Final Draft to Word with cut and paste, it has split screen view and a format checking tool. Final Draft also has text to speech capability, which worked with our test novel and a sample script we typed in. The demo and operation manual is downloadable from their website, Final Draft 7 costs $229.
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