Thursday, December 10, 2009

Getting Out of the Way



Sitting here with my polar fleece gloves with the fingertips removed typing. It's 35 outside and feels like 45 inside though the temperature gauge, the lying (*&@$&! is saying 65! It's not.

Trying to get back into the wip. After several days of taking notes and analyzing it - I know I shouldn't have been analyzing when all I was supposed to be doing to reminding myself of what characters knew what, who told who what, and which paranornal being can do what. But we just can't help it, can we?

I asked Michael Malone what he did to keep track of the detail. He said written notes. CL Wilson said she keeps extensive notes. MY problem is I'll write it on this little piece of paper going down the road, record it into my recorder on the route, jot major notes onto my 'current writing spiral notebook' but it's all so disorganized.

So I'm trying to use Scrivener's keywords to track clues, threads, missing folks, crimes, appearances by characters. Now that I have it setup I can read through what I've written the morning after - writing that is - and easily apply the keywords AND refresh my memory. Hopefully, now I can move through to the end and allow the characters to do their thing cause I'M getting in their way!

2 comments:

LINDA FAULKNER said...

Hi, Marley!

I use Microsoft's OneNote to keep track of my WIP. It allows you to set up separate notebooks that contain sections and pages, just like a paper notebook. You can insert photos, graphs, charts, and stuff from websites and blogts (and the program automatically inserts hyperlinks to the locations where you got them) in addition to writing/typing notes. MUCH better than those slips of paper that always disappear or the sticky notes that become unsticky when you move them around too much.

Anonymous said...

Oooh, I'm going to look into that. I think I'd have to upgrade on my mac but I've got that on my new PC. I've been considering using the PC just for writing - may have to. The WriteItNow program is on it too. I'd have everything in one place.

Hey, thanks for stopping by.