My name is Christie. I am not new to writing, but to writing which will hopefully be a completed novel. I am writing from my own personal experience. I have written some short stories before, but never tackled something of this magnitude. I am unsure of so many things that are mainly technical. Do you use a program? Staright on wordpad (which I have been using)? I am hoping for information what I think are simple things like approximate characters (text) per page, starting a new chapter half the way down the page, double spacing, how do I track characters used, I am to be honest, at a lost. And apparently writing run on sentences I think..lol I have been researching as much as I can and ran into this site. Seems quite helpful. Am about to do a revision as we speak on my opening based on someone's comment. I am off work for months due to surgery and have all of the time in the world. I thought what a great time I would have catching up on books I have wanted to read, but was recently prompted by friends and family to write about what has happened to me the last couple of years (it has been an odd trip!). I am aiming at ten pages a day and to complete the rough draft in less than two months. The words are just flowing. So far I think i have written more than that a day, but I have no way to track that. Does anyone use software? Any points in the right direction would be SO appreciated! Hello again! -Christie Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hello Christie, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I use a wide variety of software. But for writing, I use Microsoft Word. Nothing else. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Hello Christie, since it would appear that Cogito has answered your questions, I'll just say 'welcome, have fun!' -Suzanne
welcome christie! ms word is best, but you can start out with wordpad if that's all you have... you don't need any other software, unless you want to tackle screenwriting, or stage plays... there's no rule for characters per page, but there are oublishing industry standards for format... if you want a good format guide, tips on the basics, or help with anything, just drop me an email any time... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
