Our first writers’ blog carnival is open for submissions. The theme for this month is “writing tools”.

Tools of the writing trade

This theme is inspired by a discussion we had at last night’s writers’ night about what tools we use to plan our writing. Sadly, we ran out of time to get into the topic, but I thought it made for a great jumping off point for our new carnival that I invented this morning. (Blog carnivals are old; this one is brand new.)

For more on this carnival, see our carnival page.

Some questions to ponder in your reply posts.

Are you a Pantser or a Planner?

Do you plan your writing, or do you just write and see where it goes? Perhaps you are some hybrid of the two? What’s your planning vs inspiration style?

I’m a bit of both. It depends on the story.

What do you write with?

Many modern writers type directly, while others like the feel of pen and paper for their first drafts and type up later. What’s your approach to first drafts and initial writing?

Me? I like to use LibreOffice and type directly.

If you plan or track your story, what do you use?

I have heard a lot of talk about things like Scrivener, World Anvil, Fantasia Archive, Campfire, and Obsidian. Of those, I have only used Obsidian, which is a bit like a personal notes and wiki mashup that is surprisingly easy to use (and free).

My main tool for planning is my Word Processor, some folders, hyperlinks, and a master document. It works for me.

What writing, planning, or tracking tools do you use?

Can you recommend any tools (free or paid) other writers might like?

Would you care to share how you use your tools and/or how this helps your writing?

Where and when do you like to write?

For me, writing time is at my desk, in my living room, when it is quiet and there are no upcoming appointments to interrupt me. The middle of the night and/or early morning are best.

That’s me, though. When and where do you like to write?

Gathering and storing ideas

I’m probably not the only one who writes down their dreams, right? Dreams can be a great source of fresh ideas. I keep them on my computer. That said, lately, I have taken to publishing my dreams on one of my blogs.

Another fine source of ideas is things overheard on the bus. Trust me, you hear some wild stuff.

I know of one writer who loved to take photographs of interesting things. Those photos went on the wall as ideas for new stories.

Where do you gather your ideas, and where do you keep them?

I look forward to reading your posts

I’m excited to see what you all write. Remember to link to this post and ping us with your entry. This post will close for new pings after the month is over.

Yesterday at our writers’ night, a bit of an emergency developed. I want to thank everyone whose response no doubt made a big difference in the outcome. I won’t embarrass anyone by naming names, but I would like to sing your praises.

Two of our writers went above and beyond in caring for one of our writers’ group attendees yesterday evening. I was deeply impressed with their willingness to give up their time to look after another writer. I don’t feel like I should say too much about what happened for the sake of everyone’s privacy, but I cannot let the moment go unremarked altogether.

The kindness and thoughtfulness displayed yesterday will live with me for a long time to come. You are an example of the kind of world I want to live in. Thank you.

This conceptual gold star goes specifically to two of our writers’ group (you know who you are) but also to everyone who showed kindness and support through the events of the evening. I should also mention the staff at The Wheatsheaf, who are also deserving of praise. I hope Wheatsheaf management knows what wonderful staff they have – give them a raise if you can.

I am delighted that we have such big-hearted and level-headed members and supportive hosts. A big thank you to every person involved. The outlook is positive, and you are all stars.

Editing. A thing very much unlike writing as much as it is the same thing.

I have found editing my work a paradox of both being like writing and very much unlike writing.

As a result, it has taken me a long time to feel like I have started to understand the process. I’m not sure I have entirely grasped the finer points but I have a few ideas now. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share what I have learned.

Beware when words start to form gangs

There are some words that come up far more often than others. This is normal and healthy. For me, these words are “was” and “has”. Yours might be different.

I invested a lot of effort into removing all instances of one only to find it had converted to an instance of the other. Worse, my writing was degraded as a result of my efforts.

This is because my frequent words are not, in and of themselves, bad or wrong. They are perfectly good words that do an important, if mostly invisible, job.

Sometimes “was” and “had” are simply the best choice for the sentence’s needs. Unless they start forming gangs.

I have taken to using the search function in my word processor (from Libre Office) and hitting “highlight all”. If I see one or two lone examples, they are probably well-behaved and can be left to get on with it. If, however, I see a whole gang of them congregating in an otherwise innocent paragraph, then I probably need to investigate. Gangs of the same word generally mean I need to cull their numbers there.

Clone separation

My characters tend to operate in groups. This is fine and good, and how I tell stories. However, I have found something that I need to focus on in my editing and revision process. When characters tend to always come as a team, come of them can swap lines without changing anything. This is a problem because it means the characters are essentially clones.

I was largely unaware of this shortcoming until the wonderful writers at our group pointed it out. It took a few instances of them gently showing me my shortcoming before I got the message. Since then, I have enjoyed the editing process because I have something I can do to refine my story.

What I have been leaning towards doing is identifying unique words, phrases, and other characteristic ticks for each character. This can include a difference of opinion if that helps but in most cases, what I need is for each clone-like character to find what makes them somewhat different. I have found that it does not take much but the results are amazing.

I gave one character unruly hair that he keeps touching. I gave another triplet of clones some religious differences. I added one unique word to a character, and he completely transformed. These little touches have been a bit of a game changer for me.

When you complete clone separation, each character feels unique, alive, and differentiated. More than that, the scene feels more real, the story flows better, and is more engaging.

Separate your clones.

Pacing changes

My stories tend to either meander slowly or rattle along at breakneck speed. This is by design as it suits the story being told. However, I have been teaching myself to slow down from time to time. To stop and smell the flowers, so to speak. This gives readers a chance to catch their breath. After all, I don’t want them too tired to keep reading.

I’m not going to suggest I have mastered this yet. However, the feedback of my fellow writers has, at least, let me notice the need to try and mix it up a little.

What are your editing tips?

I’m still very much learning how to edit my manuscript. I still have a lot to learn.

What are your tips for editing? Are there things you have learned to do? Is editing as easy as breathing for you? Are you like me and still finding your way?

I’d love to hear from you.

Chaotic Creators Magazine is running a writing competition. Entry is £10 but there are free slots open for low-income participants. The prize is £50 and a free copy of the magazine where your story is published.

They especially encouraging entries from underrepresented voices and emerging writers.

The short story competition winner will receive a £50 cash prize (subject to increase if we receive more entries than anticipated), have their story featured in the next issue of Chaotic Creators Magazine, and receive a free printed copy. Second and third-place winners will also be featured in the next issue and will receive a free digital copy.

For more information, see the competition page.

I stumbled upon The Word Man talking about semicolons and had to share it.