Now why don't I just settle for what I can do?
New Year, new tricks.
I have given in and invested in Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 12. With so many assignments to do this year as well as my editing commitments and long promised webinars for Writers on the Move, I am hoping that talking to my computer will be far quicker than typing. It also gives me the chance just to ramble on as I would normally.
This is the first morning of using the program so I will write an updated review after I've been using it for a month.
I am still amazed when it does what I tell it and how accurate it is after such a short time.
GOALS AND MOTIVATION
No goals but loads of motivation. The year as always starts with frenetic activity – Editpalooza lll at Savvy Authors has produced another wonderful team of authors editing their romance and urban fantasy novels throughout January. Another set of exciting propects.
Tip from one of my team members:
If you're writing a romance novel in any shape or form, have a look at signing up for the free webinar offered by Crimson Romance on January 23 at 3 PM Eastern. This is a relatively new publishing house open for romance submissions and publishing four titles a week.
If you're short on the motivation, click on Joan Y. Edwards' Never Give Up logo that's heading the right hand column. Joan is indefatigable and it's infectious.
Back soon to add in the missing links and perhaps even do some planning. But for the moment I'm tired of talking and I have a horrid feeling that I perhaps need to type to function.
Dr John Yeoman's blog at Writers' Village is always good value when it comes to initiating literary controversy.
The article that caught my eye this week was "Were Dan Brown's Novels Written by a Computer Program?"
Interesting take on what may be the way forward or too far-fetched to be true? What do you think?
The rate I'm writing, it may be the only way I ever get anything published at all. :-)
Audacity
On holiday this week but I have edits and course preparation to tie up before enjoying myself. The idea is to learn a few new skills along the way and so back to the drawing board.
This is bubbl.us, a free brainstorming tool which lets you export your design as a jpg to your computer. Here's my mini effort for the new learning I'm undertaking.
I'll need to bold the print but at the minute this suits me as only the first level child bubbles are clear and that's as far as I've thought.
My first project will be recording with Audacity and for that I'm following the challenge and links on the edublogs teacher challenges. Sadly some of the links--notably the readings from YA novels--no longer work, I would guess because of copyright issues.
So join me this month in creating a podcast--of your blog posts for listeners, of your book excerpts for readers, of your daily writing diary to communicate with your friends and blog subscribers.
Kindle
Wish I could write a book in three days, six days, ten days or whatever the marketers would have me believe.
Sadly one idea leads to another, the book increases in content. I find myself absorbed by the issues of further research, cover design, formatting, marketing...
But I do have a folder on my desktop proudly labelled mybook :-)
Some day, one day. And it better be soon.
MuseOnlineWritersConference 2012 begins on October 8. Cut off date for registrations is September 25. Sign up--so many pitch sessions and learning opportunities not to be missed. I'm off right now to hunt down last year's username and password to be sure of registering in time.
Being a Writer - Learn the Craft of Writing
Thiis is the title of Karen Cioffi 's article providing another justification if another were needed for taking time over one's writing in order to perfect the craft.
Posting it here because it makes some interesting points and comparisons.
And also because it's about time I caught up with my sadly neglected blog. I'm good at slow, just not so good at the steady. :-(
Not so good at sitting down either at the moment after crash landing off the new horse. The worst of it was he was standing still at the time!
Yet another anecdote for my proposed Kindle book of horse tales...
Writers On The Move: Being a Writer - Learn the Craft of Writing: Being a Writer - Learn the Craft of Writing In the June 2010 issue of The Writer, author Jane Yolen discussed the need to learn the cra...
