I very nearly broke my own rule to keep this blog and site focused on my writing, due to recent events, but I restrained myself and refocused. Of course I have opinions, but a) that’s for another time, another place, and b) I’d rather do something about it than rant about it on a largely-ignored blog in a dark corner of the Internet. So onto more important things!
First off, I’ve been trying to grow my network. I have followed a couple handfuls of authors on Instagram, and some of them have even followed me back. If you’re one of them, welcome to my blog. It seems that very little about what I’ve been doing here is unique or even original, but it still helps me keep my head straight. Between Day Job™, family, and writing, there’s always something swirling around up there. I have to pour it out at times or quiet it with some of the finest beer Nashville has to offer.
Secondly, I’m writing again, or at least outlining. With the Piggle* feeling a little under the weather, there’s been an abundance of non-parenting time while she rests. I sat down with Scrivener and read back through notes, questions, timelines, and thoughts. I wouldn’t exactly call it an “outline,” per se, but I have the basic plot of Purpleverse #2 written through the end of Part One, approximately six chapters. This feels like a solid accomplishment.
A note about Scrivener: this is the first time I’ve used it from the start of any idea. With Her Violet Empire, and the rough drafts of the Susie books, they were all imported from MS Word (by historical way of LibreOffice; Open Source is life). For the “greenfield” story development, here are some things I’ve learned:
- If you’re just outlining or writing plot points or generalizations as I am, just use the Manuscript format. I have been noting each text file as “Character – Sketch,” so I know from whose perspective I’m writing. I figure I will ultimately duplicate this file and turn it into real text.
- I’m using labels this time around, and it’s helpful to see a quick representation of who’s who in the binder. Each label is mapped to the POV character and I can see if I’ve leaned too heavily on any one perspective.
- Also, labels enable you to use Scrivener’s corkboard timeline feature, which is pretty rad. Maybe it’s not the most useful feature, but it was cool to see it all line up. I haven’t seen a way to make things occur during the same time frame, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
- The ability to split, splice, and move text files around is a LIFE SAVER. I have rearranged my chapters a couple different times and it was very simple to execute. It would have been savage cutting and pasting in Word.
- One minor complaint: Scrivener has not gotten an update since November 4, 2021. Come on, guys, don’t neglect it. I’m still waiting on that one feature port I mentioned in What I’ve Learned, a while back. I won’t need it for a while yet, but I’d really like that to come over to Windows at some point.
Anyway, it has been a fun weekend. I have a 5-day weekend coming up, which I hope will allow me at least one full day of writing time. Then the girls are going out of town for a few days, and maybe I’ll get some more done then. There’s only so much XBox one can play after all, although LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is massive and compelling.
* Piggle is our nickname for our daughter, Cecilia. It derives from Piglet.