WRITING SOFTWARE....

At the beginning of September I decided to give one of the, many and varied, writing software programs a trial. I signed up and thought, yep in 30 days I will have an idea if I want to purchase it, or whether it is not for me. I had heard rave reviews and even though I ummed and ahhhed and debated, I decided to have a go. What could I lose?


I had, after my 'success' with finishing the Shillong edit in August, decided that I would give another manuscript a go in September. And that the software program would aid in this rejiggery.

However....

Five days in and I knew it wasn't for me. Not at the moment at least.

Mainly because I am not a planner. I tend to have an idea, I may nut it out a bit here and there (mostly in my brain, not on paper) and then I go for it. Now this could be a reason why so little actually gets done...but this, as I have discovered and now had reinforced, is how I write.

I began well....that was after watching the tutorial.
Just one, there are so many out there that I really could have spent a whole week merely watching them to find out what else I could do. But a little knowledge was enough to get me going.
I downloaded my manuscript, set out the chapters...even moved one around to another place that first day.

Then....distractions.


I found out I could put in a photo here of my setting...and before I knew it there I was searching the internet for 'my landscape'.

Then, as I diligently began to edit and rewrite - there was an option to place an image of the character I was working on. Time spent finding an image, even though nothing came close to as I saw her.
Then of course that character needed a background and entire character file.

More time spent.

 I then found the option to have 'snippets', or cue cards, of what happened in each chapter.

You guessed it...more time spent.

So by day five I realised I had spent more time playing ....fooling around ....doing anything else but the actual writing.

Definitely not the software's problem- but mine.

I am easily distracted - led astray. Show me something shiny and I'm off.


I learnt some facts however. That using a writing software is not for me, not yet at any rate. Don't get me wrong, it obviously works for so many people...maybe I'm not ready yet. Not prepared to be organised.

I have learnt-

That I am not a planner- I tend to write best 'seat of my pants' style.

That I am readily distracted and really need to focus.

So did I finish the challenge I gave myself this month? Not a chance....

Yes I have worked on it, but I think I have only got about 22 000 words in....not the goal I was aiming for.

Hopefully something useful will be achieved next month..but I am away on holiday for a few weeks, hoping to really do nothing but relax...so the chances aren't looking good.

Vicki 


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