(I can't believe this is impeding my writing...
)
I'm going through one of my "Let's-check-out-every-writing-application-under-the-sun" phases whereby I fool myself into believing that I don't have writer's block and I'm just checking out new software.
This has been going on now for a couple of weeks and I'm about to give up
My specific question has to do with the dreaded "page layout" metaphor. How does one get over it? I started writing with typewriters (back in the day) and I'm stuck on the feeling of "cranking out pages" to feel that I've accomplished any real writing.
But the best apps I have been testing (at least for the Mac) tend to not use page layouts. I'm referring to Scrivener, StoryMill, Jers, etc. all have a "window wrap" mode. I write and write and write and before I know it, I have a lot of words (which is good) but I invariably copy the text into MSWord or something like that to see "the pages" which helps me orient myself.
I know two things:
One - I have to totally separate "writing", for which window-mode is fine, from "re-writing and editing" for which page layout is probably better, but it's really hard.
Two - I should just stick to Word or Nisus or some word processor that already has a page layout metaphor. But these apps don't easily allow me to move scenes around, which I *must* do in order to allow the story to make sense.
An app called "Storyist" came really close but it kept choking on large texts. My current WIP is at 50,000 words and that amount of text always results in a typing lag for me in Storyist and Nisus and even Mellel...but not in MSWord (go figure) I reeeeeeeally don't want to use MSWord exclusively because it's flaky in so many other ways (document corruption etc.)
I've read that Scrivener will *eventually* have a page layout option so maybe there's hope but for now, I feel stuck.
I also don't want to have to print out pages all the time, both for cost and environmental reasons.
Anyone else in my predicament? Or am I the only one?
Help.
Anyone?
Bueller?
Bueller?
Bueller?
)I'm going through one of my "Let's-check-out-every-writing-application-under-the-sun" phases whereby I fool myself into believing that I don't have writer's block and I'm just checking out new software.
This has been going on now for a couple of weeks and I'm about to give up
My specific question has to do with the dreaded "page layout" metaphor. How does one get over it? I started writing with typewriters (back in the day) and I'm stuck on the feeling of "cranking out pages" to feel that I've accomplished any real writing.
But the best apps I have been testing (at least for the Mac) tend to not use page layouts. I'm referring to Scrivener, StoryMill, Jers, etc. all have a "window wrap" mode. I write and write and write and before I know it, I have a lot of words (which is good) but I invariably copy the text into MSWord or something like that to see "the pages" which helps me orient myself.
I know two things:
One - I have to totally separate "writing", for which window-mode is fine, from "re-writing and editing" for which page layout is probably better, but it's really hard.
Two - I should just stick to Word or Nisus or some word processor that already has a page layout metaphor. But these apps don't easily allow me to move scenes around, which I *must* do in order to allow the story to make sense.
An app called "Storyist" came really close but it kept choking on large texts. My current WIP is at 50,000 words and that amount of text always results in a typing lag for me in Storyist and Nisus and even Mellel...but not in MSWord (go figure) I reeeeeeeally don't want to use MSWord exclusively because it's flaky in so many other ways (document corruption etc.)
I've read that Scrivener will *eventually* have a page layout option so maybe there's hope but for now, I feel stuck.
I also don't want to have to print out pages all the time, both for cost and environmental reasons.
Anyone else in my predicament? Or am I the only one?
Help.
Anyone?
Bueller?
Bueller?
Bueller?
