Deborah Woehr

Can you believe the holidays are here again?! When looking for gifts for writers, I came across several blog posts that declared how hard we writers are to shop for. I emphatically disagree, and I’ll prove it.

1. Gift Certificates and Pre-paid Cards: Staples, Office Max, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iTunes, Starbucks

2. How to Write Books: I’ll list some of my favorites, but you can easily spend hundreds of dollars building this type of reference library. I’ll list some of the books I have. Maybe you have them already. If not, and you find a couple that intrigue you, jot that down on your list.

• On Writing, by Stephen King - A must have for every writer
• Elements of Style, by Strunk & White
• Webster’s Dictionary
• Roget’s Thesaurus
• Chicago Manual of Style
• Writing Dialogue, by Tom Chiarella
• Plot, Ansen Dibell
• Creating Character Emotions, by Ann Hood
• Building Believable Characters, by Marc McCutcheon
• Book Marketing from A to Z, by Francine Silverman
• Writing NonFiction, by Dan Poynter (check out parapublishing.com for more great books)
• Damn! Why Didn’t I Write That?, by Marc McCutcheon
• The Joy of Writing Sex, by Elizabeth Benedict
• Dynamic Characters, by Nancy Kress
• The Well-Fed Writer, by Peter Bowerman
• Back for Seconds, by Peter Bowerman
• The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, by Peter Bowerman
• Web Copy that Sells, Maria Veloso
• The Ultimate Sales Letter, by Dan Kennedy
• The Online Copywriter’s Handbook, by Robert Bly
• Advertising Secrets of the Written Word, by Joseph Sugarman
• Real Screenwriting, by Ron Suppa
• The Writer’s Guide to Writing Your Screenplay, by Cynthia Whitcomb
• Dramatica for Screenwriters, by Armando Saldana-Mora
• Consider the Source: A Critical Guide to 100 Prominent News and Information Sites on the Web
• Information Trapping: Real-Time Research on the Web, by Tara Calishain
• Writing Creative Nonfiction, by Philip Gerard
• How to Write Articles for Newspapers and Magazines, by Dawn Sova
• The Renegade Writer, by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell
• Ghostwriting for Fun and Profit, by Eva Shaw
• The First Five Pages, by Noah Lukeman

3. Alphasmart Neo: a portable typewriter that easily imports and exports your writing to and from your computer via a USB cord. If you commute to work by train or bus, this will be a godsend, especially if you think faster than you can write. I used mine while flying back and forth across the country last summer. This is a great gift for any writer because you can take it anywhere, whether on the road or the living room so you can keep an eye on the kids.

Another version is the Alphasmart Dana is laptop-PDA hybrid, which synchronizes with your computer (Mac or PC) and Microsoft products, such as Word. That’s a big plus because you don’t have to reformat your type once you import it onto your computer, like you do with the Neo. That said, I’ve found a handy text cleaner tool that formats my quotes into smart quotes before I open the file with Word or Nissus.

I looked at both the Neo and the Dana before I made my final decision. Sometimes I wished that I had bought the latter, especially when I was on the road and didn’t have access to the Internet unless I went to a Starbucks. The Wi-Fi capability of the Dana was the reason why I opted for the Neo, so I wouldn’t get distracted like I do on my computer. The Dana also has a much shorter battery life: 25 hours versus the Neo’s 700 hours.

Compare the two laptops at AlphaSmart Direct. Right now, you can get the Neo for $219 (regularly priced at approximately $350)

Or, you can order the Neo through the Writer’s Digest link at www.alphasmart.com/lp/wd

4. USB Flashdrive for backup storage. I got one of these last Christmas and love it because I can transfer files from one computer to another.

5. Fiction 101 and 201: Randy Ingermanson, developer of The Snowflake Method, has written some courses on writing that have garnered some glowing reviews. You can check them out at www.advancefictionwriting.com

6. Magazine Subscriptions: There are a handful of great magazines for writers. Some of the best include Writer’s Digest Magazine, The Writer, Poets & Writers Magazine, Script, etc.

7. Software for Writers: Common sense says that all you really need to write your novels is a word processor and a few good how-to books on whatever subject you’re writing about. Thanks to the Open Source market, you can chuck Microsoft Word, which wasn’t made for writing novels anyway. That said, here are some “writer’s indulgences” that are worth checking out.

• Dramatica Pro - for the masochistic writers who relish delving into themes, character, plot, etc. This is the powerhouse of story development software. You can easily spend a solid week (or more) answering all 250 questions. For beginners, I suggest trying out the lighter version, which is called Writer’s Dream Kit. It’s not nearly as intense.
• Power Structure - This is a neat program that allows you to see your story at a glance. Create characters, scenes, and chapters with this baby. Comes with templates for screenwriting, fiction and theater.
• Movie Magic Screenwriter - the industry software for screenwriters. I can’t give a review on it yet. Look for that in 2008, when I write my first screenplay. What attracted me to this software was the ability to write novels as well as screenplays. This is an all-in-one program, which can either be useful or cumbersome. I’ll let you know.
• Circus Ponies Notebook - I use this program to store all of my research, outlines, pictures, To-Do lists, etc. Notebook is for anyone who needs to organize their information. Highly recommended. Free trial available at Circus Ponies
• Curio - I found this program somewhat unwieldy, but other writers really enjoyed this program. It’s basically a visual brainstormer that lets you store images, create mind maps, index cards, etc. Free trial available at Zengobi. For Macs only.

This list is nowhere near complete, as this post is getting rather long. To get more ideas, enter “software for writers” or “writing software” in your search engine and see what comes up. Or, visit two of my favorite writer’s software links:

MasterFreelancer
The Writers Store

8. Slippers, robes, and pajamas. I don’t know about you, but Sundays are my days to do nothing but sit in front of my computer and write, whether it’s my latest WIP or a bunch of blog posts. If I don’t have to, I won’t bother getting dressed that day.

9. Gym memberships. Let’s face it, writing is a sedentary occupation. Unless you make a concerted effort to exercise every day, you’re likely to gain weight over time.

10. Word Games. I can’t think of a better way to build your “mental muscles” than playing word games. Bookworm is one of my favorite online word games. Scattergories is another favorite.

There you have it. If you didn’t have any ideas for your writer friend or relative before, you should now. If you’re a writer and would like to add to this list, feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.

First off, I was very impressed with the customer service. Worried that I wasn’t going to get this in time before I left, I called their office. The lady was very friendly and helpful, which is a rare thing with customer service departments.

The Neo arrived yesterday afternoon. Measuring 1.8″x12.4″x9.8″, it’s smaller than the standard keyboard, yet not too small. Several years ago, I had looked into buying a keyboard for my PDA, but they were way too small and (possibly) too expensive. My PDA has been stored away since then. This won’t happen to the Neo. I’m enjoying it very much.

I’ve written several articles for my blogs, which I successfully exported to my Mac, edited and preposted. Today, I imported the chapter that I’m working on and faced the first downside to this machine, which I’ll discuss below.

Things I Like About the Neo

1. It’s simple to use. Think of it as an electric typewriter without the bulk or the cord.

2. It’s light, yet sturdy. If you order through the link I gave you, you’ll get it with a carrying case, which has plenty of room for notepads, pens, and a small book.

3. Since I don’t have the Internet to distract me, I’m finding myself more focused on what I’m writing.

4. It comes with an instruction manual that is actually useful! I haven’t tried everything yet, like printing directly from the Neo or using the infrared capability that allows you to “beam” your article directly to your computer or printer. When I’m ready, I know I’ll be able to read the directions without wanting to put the manual through my shredder.

5. Thanks to the “File System”, I can organize my work in different sections inside the Neo. The top of the keyboard is lined with buttons for file sections. I’ve decided to use the File 1 section for articles. File 2 through 7 may contain my novel chapters. File 8 will be for notes and research.

6. Memory and battery life. The Neo is built with 2MB of memory. After checking the size of two of my chapters, I realize that I’ll have plenty of memory to go around. You can use the Neo for up to 700 hours before you change the battery. It comes with 3 AAs, which was a great convenience.

7. You don’t have to worry about saving your work every time you have to walk away. The Neo saves your work as you type.

8. The Neo has a built-in spell-checker and thesaurus.

9. The software CD that comes with the Neo does not have a serial number. That means that I can install it on my Mac as well as any of my family’s PCs. It installed just fine on Tiger, but I haven’t tried it with Vista.

Things I Don’t Like

1. The lack for formatting. While that’s not a big issue with article writing, it can be tedious trying to format a chapter in progress. Since the Neo will export your file in text format, you will have to format your text in your word processor. The upside to that is I can go through and polish what I’ve written and possibly catch some typos in the process.

2. No LCD backlighting. I see this as a negative and a positive. You have to have adequate lighting in order to see the screen. The positive side of this involves eyestrain. I have a stygmatism where my eyes are constantly adjusting from the light of the computer screen and any other light source at the same time. The result is that I get headaches often, especially when I work long hours.

3. The size of the LCD screen. I don’t remember the last time I used a screen this small. You can adjust the font display size, but the default works fine. It’s going to take some getting used to. I won’t be using this for heavy editing.

Is the AlphaSmart Neo worth the investment? I would say definitely. It’s cheaper than a basic laptop. It won’t heat up on you, like a laptop. And, you can type with the Neo sitting in your lap.

Never mind kids, the Internet is my greatest distraction. I’m always fighting with myself to keep from checking my email, surfing for software or books, blogging, reading other blogs, etc. I spend too much time on the Internet. It’s a wonder that I get any writing done.

This morning, I passed an ad in the Writer’s Digest for the Neo by AlphaSmart without a second thought. Then, as my husband and I were talking about our impending vacation, I began to think about the hours I’m going to be trapped on airplanes without a cigarette. I estimate 12 - 15 hours total. Then I began to think about the two-week downtime this vacation is going to cause and how it’s going to set me back on my editing. I’ve passed the halfway point, by the way.

I returned to the magazine and opened the front cover. Then I went online and began researching the Neo as well as its competitors. There aren’t too many machines like this on the market. I read the glowing reviews from other writers, who stated how their productivity had improved and how easy the Neo was to use.

Since laptops have proven unwieldy and their batteries don’t last a day, much less 700 hours, this would be perfect. I can write on the plane, in the car, by the pool after I get home, etc. I’m looking forward to reviewing this machine. In the meantime, I’ll paste the link below.

http://www.alphasmart.com/lp/wd

Mariner Software is coming out with a new writing software called Avenir, which not only helps you outline your novel, but helps you track submissions. The above screenshot shows the Snowflake Method template, which Lee Pletzers had introduced to me about a year ago. I wish I’d had that formula when I started writing Prosperity. It will be very helpful when starting new novel projects.

I’m not sure when they’ll be releasing it. I’ve been using their MacJournal for well over a year now with good results. That’s how I heard about Avenir.

My research site is now live. However, I’ll be playing around with the features until I learn how to use a wiki. If you’d like to find out exactly what this site is going to be about, click on the link below and read the Introduction.

Murder and Mayhem: A Research Site for Writers and True Crime Buffs

Melly had a great discussion going on with her post Do You Believe in Evil? OR The Importance of Evil to Plot. During this discussion, she asked me to post the research I’d conducted ten years ago about serial killers. I told her I would.

However, when I moved last summer, I threw out a lot of papers that I didn’t think I would need anymore. Apparently, I threw out my notes on serial killers. Who knew?

So, I’ll be starting from scratch, which may be just as well because my research was conducted in 1997 and is probably outdated. I’m thinking about how I’d like to set this up: blog, wiki, CMS. I’d like this site to be a very user-friendly research spot for writers (or people who are interested in the topic). Feel free to respond with your opinion about this.

In the meantime, I’ll post some links to some of the books I’ve read (and plan to read) on the subject of serial killers.

Have Read

Whoever Fights Monsters: This is a great starting point for the layperson who wants to know how serial killers are profiled by law enforcement. You’ll also get a glimpse of the mentality of these killers and how they perceive the world.

Zodiac: This book is a fast-paced, well-researched account of the Zodiac killer, who terrorized San Francisco in the mid to late sixtees.

Thomas Harris’s “Silence of the Lambs” and Dean Koontz’s “Intensity” were brilliant. There are other books that I’ve read, but I need to jog my memory.

Want to Read

The New Predator: Women Who Kill: This book sounds just like Whoever Fights Monsters, but comes at us from a woman’s perspective. I think I’ll stick this in my Amazon cart to buy later.

The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations: This textbook covers too many topics to post here, but it looks fascinating. There are no Amazon reviews, but you can get it for half the original price. I just may look into this.

I just found this great website for generating printable yearly calendars that go back to the year 1900 on up to 2039. This comes especially handy with God’s Last Twilight, which is written in diary form during 1918.