Novel in 30 helps writers become novelists

I took a short break from working on My Writing Spot and created an iPad app that will challenge and motivate you to write a novel.

Novel in 30 is an iPad app for novelists. Writers can set a deadline and target word count, and Novel in 30 will help them stay on track, offering encouragement and motivation along the way. Novel in 30 helps writers become novelists.

For more details about Novel in 30, please visit http://www.novelin30.com

To purchase the app, click this link.

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Big changes coming to My Writing Nook Dec 6

The madness that is NaNoWriMo has drawn to a close, and I'd like to offer my congratulations to all those that participated. If you managed to hit the 50K word count goal, then extra kudos to you.

Unfortunately, I was not a winner this year. I chugged away happily for about a week, netting about 10K words. Then I had to turn my attention elsewhere. If writing code counted towards the 50K word goal, I might have had a shot at winning. For me, November was mostly about building many new enhancements into the various versions of My Writing Nook.

The fruits of my efforts will see the light of day this coming Monday, December 6. In addition to several new features, there's also one other very significant change that will be announced. So stay tuned, gentle reader.

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NaNoWriMo madness is nearly upon us!

In less than 36 hours, the madness that is NaNoWriMo will be in full swing.

Are you ready? I'm not. I wish I had about another week or so to finish plotting and researching. This year, I've decided to tackle a Historical Fiction novel, so I've had to do more research than in past years. It should be a fun change of pace though.

I'm bummed that the 1st is a Monday, because that means that I will not be able to attend the local kickoff party at midnight. I've got one of those oppressive day jobs that prevents me from writing into the wee hours of the night. It really gets in the way of my noveling, let me tell ya.

I'll also be working on some major updates to My Writing Nook during November, with plans to release them in December. There will be much joy for iPad users, and iPhone users will get some love as well. There might even be something in it for Mac users, hmmm? More information to come in the next few weeks.

So basically, November is going to be total madness. How will I fit it all in? Well, I think I've got that figured out. I'll just forego sleep. That'll work, right?

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How JK Rowling plotted her novels

For those of you busy planning, plotting, and preparing for NaNoWriMo, I thought I'd share this interesting glimpse at how JK Rowling did her plotting for the 5th Harry Potter book.

After getting 50K words into my last NaNovel and then having absolutely no idea how to end the thing, I can really appreciate the attention to detail that she put into her outline. Ya gotta love her "retro" spreadsheet - cutting and pasting must have been a pain, though.

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iPhone app update - less conflict, no zombies, more stealth

I'm pleased to announce that version 1.8.3 of the iPhone/iPod app hit the App Store this evening. It's chock-full of enhancement goodness, just in time for NaNoWriMo. My Writing Nook continues to be the best novel writing app for the iPhone/iPod touch.

Dark & Stormy night mode just might turn you into a plot ninja

Turn on dark & stormy night mode for the ultimate in stealth writing. This feature has been brought over from the iPad version of the app, and switches the interface to display white text on a black background. The ultimate in distraction-free writing, or just spooky? You be the judge.

There were a few rougher edges that existed in the previous versions of the app, and with the 1.8.3 release, those edges have been polished and made smooth.

Kills zombie documents dead!

The first enhancement is delete synchronization. If you wanted to delete a document in previous versions of the app, you would need to delete it on both the device and the web app. This was awkward, and led to many questions about documents "coming back from the dead."

With delete synchronization, you need only delete a document in one place. There are no more zombies in My Writing Nook. If you want zombies in your app, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Conflict resolved

When you make changes to a document in the app and on the web without synching, you create a document conflict. This means that since both versions of a document are changed, the app doesn't know which one to keep.

Previous versions of the app would simply do nothing, since I believed that this was better than possibly choosing the wrong version to keep. But while this protected your data, it was admittedly a bit clumsy.

With the 1.8.3 release, My Writing Nook will now detect a document conflict and will inform you of the fact by adding an alert icon to the appropriate row in the document list. Tapping on this alert icon will bring you to the conflict resolution screen, which will allow you to view both versions of the conflicted document and decide which one to keep. You no longer need to go to the web app to resolve doc conflicts - you can do everything from your iPhone/iPod touch.

Retinawesome

While this update is all about smoothing out the rougher edges, it's also about sharpening. I've gone through and updated all the graphics for the retina display on the iPhone 4 and latest-generation iPod touches. Now the icons and graphics are really sharp. Handle with care, lest you hurt yourself. You've been warned.

With this update, My Writing Nook becomes even easier to use. They said that it couldn't be done, but when have we ever listened to them?

iPad users - don't fret! A similar update for the iPad version of the app should be hitting the App Store in the next few days.

Enjoy the update, and if you have a moment or two to spare, please leave a review in the App Store.

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This is what the App Store feels like these days

Perhaps I am being a tad facetious, but this is what the App Store feels like these days. I think it's high time Apple added a new "Adult" category and forced all the 17+ rated apps into it.

But hey - as you can see, the My Writing Nook iPhone app managed to break into the top 100 paid apps in the Lifestyle category. I'm enjoying a nice boost from all the happy NaNoWriMo participants.

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Show your colors, fellow writers. NaNoWriMo is almost here!

National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short) is nearly upon us! Are you ready? I will be partaking in the madness for the 5th straight year, and this year, my novel writing tool of choice is My Writing Nook. I plan to write from several different computers this year - my work PC at lunchtime, my netbook at the local coffeehouse, and my iPhone whenever I'm out and about and have a spare few minutes. It's all about maximizing the word count!

NaNoWriMo is great for a few reasons. My favorite aspect of the event is that it is social. Writing is usually a solitary activity, but NaNoWriMo encourages camaraderie and socializing. Novel writers are encouraged to attend "write-ins," where you can band together with your fellow novelists and share in the ups and downs of the writing process. The write-ins are by far my favorite part of NaNo.

NaNo is also liberating. The only way that you can achieve the monumental task of 50K words in a month is by turning off that demon known as your inner editor. NaNo is all about getting words on the paper, no matter how well-written those words happen to be. By turning off the inner editor, your mind is free to spew forth whatever ideas it might have in the moment. Sure, a lot of those ideas will be crap, but there might be quite a few gems in there as well. NaNo is about allowing yourself the freedom to experiment, and hopefully when it's all over, you'll be left invigorated by the process. Then you can set about to unearthing and polishing those gems.

There's still time to sign up for the fun. Head over to http://www.nanowrimo.org to see what it's all about. If you are already signed up, I encourage you to attend at least a few write-ins during the month. They will surely provide a boost of enthusiasm and inspiration, especially during the doldrums of week two.

Show your colors, fellow writers! Say it loud and say it proud - I AM A WRITER!

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