yWriter is a free novel-writing program developed by Simon Haynes, programmer and author of the Hal Spacejock books.

Because Simon wrote yWriter for his own use as an author, the program is continually improving and expanding as Simon considers feedback from other users and his own needs for the software. I’ll be discussing the most up-to-date version, yWriter Version 4.

So what can yWriter do for you?

yWriter allows writers to organize their work in an clearly laid-out system that can be easily exported into a final document. yWriter produces various summaries and reports, such as:

• a work schedule from outlining to completion
• a long or short synopsis based on chapter and scene descriptions
• an outline
• a storyboard that allows scenes to be rearranged graphically
• a scene list and scene cards
• lists of characters, locations, and items
• number of scenes and word count for each viewpoint character
• scene ratings to measure tension, humor, and any other qualities you would like to track throughout the story. The scene ratings can then be viewed as a chart.

Chapters and scenes can easily be rearranged, either in the main interface, pictured above, or in the storyboard. Also, characters, locations, and items can all be associated with scenes, and the author can make notes about the projected goals, conflicts, and outcomes. yWriter also has a places for general notes and descriptions for each scene. Notes can also be created as separate scenes and chapters, then marked “unused.” For example, if you have an idea for a scene that you’ve not yet written, you can create a placeholder scene with your notes that can be ignored when a draft is printed.

How I’m using yWriter

I really only started using the software after I finished most of my rough draft for my NaNo novel. yWriter has a rich text editor that allows users to adjust the font style and size, and apply boldface, italics, and underlining, but I didn’t write directly in the software. Instead, I used the minimalist word processor JDarkRoom to do the first draft. When I finished the rough draft, I copied and pasted my work into yWriter, allowing me to see the structure of my novel more clearly. yWriter creator Simon Haynes says this is how he uses the software as well.

yWriter allows me to see the structure of my story much more clearly than scrolling down one seemingly endless document and looking for missing pieces. Now that my rough ideas are organized into chapters, I can see more easily where I need to add scenes.

Some tips on using yWriter

One of the best features of yWriter is the program’s extensive backup system. Unless you delete the entire project folder, it’s difficult to lose all your work. Each scene is stored in a separate RTF document that can be edited outside the program without disrupting any of the settings. One caution though: If you export the entire project, work on that file, then attempt to import the document back into yWriter, you will erase your project settings, such as the viewpoint characters and notes for each scene. I wouldn’t recommend trying to import a file unless it’s with a brand new project.

But if you’re looking for a way to use yWriter when you’re away from your home computer, install the program on a flash drive. Simply run the installation program as usual, specifying your flash drive as the installation location. Then do the same thing with the Pendrive Runtimes program from the Spacejock downloads page. Put the Pendrive files in the same directory as the yWriter files and you’ll be able to use yWriter on any Windows computer with your flash drive.

Note to Linux users: Follow these directions to install yWriter in Wine.

For a thorough overview of all of the functions of yWriter Version 3, see House of Strauss. Also, you might find this discussion on the NaNoWriMo forums to be useful.

In Conclusion

I look forward to using yWriter to organize many other projects. One of the sticking points I’ve often had with previous projects is confronting the mess I was left with after the initial writing. yWriter provides a free, easy-to-use, and helpful way to organize my writing. One of the best aspects, in my opinion, is that the software is designed by an author who also uses it for his own work. All in all, yWriter is an excellent tool to organize a novel, whether as a creation tool or an organization tool.

Have you used yWriter or any other novel-writing software? What has your experience been?

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Posted: December 7th, 2007 under Productivity, Writing.
Comments: 1

Over the years, I’ve had sporadic periods of numbness and strain in my hands, wrists, and arms. But the discomfort always went away soon without any particular effort on my part. Last week, however, a sharper, more persistant pain began in my wrists. Sometimes my hands feel as though they’re cramping, and sometimes the pain shoots up into my elbows. I wonder a little if I’m overreacting, but I was caught off guard by how fast a little tiredness turned into pain. Anyway, it couldn’t come at a more inconvenient time, since I’m in the midst of National Novel Writing Month.

After researching ways to prevent this pain from becoming something more serious, I realized that I haven’t really been taking very good care of myself when it comes to computer-related tasks. I thought I was doing pretty well to have an ergonomic keyboard, but I was resting my wrists on the pad while typing. It’s called a wrist rest, who knew you weren’t actually supposed to use it? And I bought a new wrist rest for my mouse not too long ago, thinking that was going to be good for me. But my right hand definitely hurts more than my left as a result of the crazy angle I bent my wrist into while surfing the web.

My worst habit was unfortunately one that I was most proud of. I wrote a while ago about how much more productive I am when I write on a laptop that’s not connected to the internet. But I was in the habit of sitting with the laptop in my lap, my wrists and elbows awkwardly bent. So now I’ve been doing all my writing, including my novel, on my main computer with its dreaded internet connection. JDarkRoom has been essential to maintaining my focus.

Not only have I been trying to be smarter in the ways I use my keyboard, but I’m paying more attention to how I use my hands for other tasks too. For instance, I’ve noticed that I often bend my hands at awkward angles when I’m driving, as well as when I’m holding books up to read. I’m continually reminding myself to straighten out my wrists.

It’s easier for me to remember to take breaks from the computer. Luciano reminded me of Workrave, a program for Windows or Linux that flashes reminders to take breaks at various intervals. It even shows stretching exercises to reduce strain. I remember getting irritated with the program the last time I tried to use it, but I wasn’t taking the concept of preventing injury as seriously as I am now. I used Workrave all day yesterday, and I think I’m getting the settings tweaked to where it’s useful rather than annoying.

In an effort to simply type less, I just ordered the voice recognition software Dragon NaturallySpeaking from Amazon.com. When it arrives, I will attempt to write my novel, and hopefully many other works of fiction and nonfiction, by dicatation.

I chose Dragon because it is consistently referred to as the best voice recognition software available. The Preferred edition will allow me to dictate into a separate recorder, then upload the file into the software, whereas the Standard version only takes dictation in real time directly through the microphone. Also, the Preferred edition works in Ubuntu, my preferred operating system. The reviews on Amazon are generally positive. Nevertheless, it took me a long time to decide to order the software.

I’m not afraid that the software won’t perform as expected. Rather, I’m afraid that I won’t perform as expected. I’m afraid I won’t actually be able to write fiction by talking it out. As part of my research, I did all the reading I could on other writers’ experiences with dictating fiction. This writer especially makes me nervous when he talks about his attempts to write fiction using Dragon speech recognition software:

“I haven’t actually read all of the text yet but my impression of the resulting story is that it is rather mundane. The kind of thinking I do while typing tends to be more introspective whereas the kind of thinking I do when I’m talking tends to be descriptive . . .”

(Update: Donavan says in the comments that his speech recognition software is now working well for him on his NaNoWriMo novel.)

I’m afraid that introspection while typing is too important a part of my writing process and that anything I produce while dictating won’t just be rough, it will be lifeless. School for Champions warns that, “It may not be that easy for a visual thinker to write by dictation, although it might be worth a try.” I am definitely a visual thinker. And David Ulin of the Village Voice writes:

“The trouble with dictation, I came to understand, had to do with the dichotomy between spoken and written speech, the way that, by its nature, talk is loose and formless, while writing cannot help but be more controlled. Even the most natural writer has two distinct voices, one for conversation and one for the page.”

Ulin’s article was written in 1999, and undoubtedly some of his difficulties with the software will not be a problem with the more advanced version I bought. But still, there’s the question of the quality of what I’ll be saying, not just the quality of what the software transcribes.

Other writers though, have had better luck. This writer talks about how she trained herself to write out loud. And she was using Version 3 of the software. From everything I’ve read, Version 9 is light years beyond the older editions. The Elegant Variation blog quotes Richard Powers on using voice recognition software to write:

“I’ve always wanted the freedom to be completely disembodied when I’m writing, to feel as if I’m in a pure compositional state. Typing is a highly unnatural activity, and your writing style ends up reflecting the cognitive shackles.”

I’m also encouraged by an interview, posted just today, with NaNoWriMo participant Janine Goodwin on using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. So maybe there’s hope after all. Maybe learning to dictate my writing will be an enlightening, enlarging experience.

Or at least it might be as long as I don’t get carried away. Writer Deanna Carlyle’s experience with Dragon is a hilarious story of how not to use the software. Definitely worth a read if you need a laugh.

So I’m trying to approach writing with Dragon as an adventure. If it works well for me, it could speed up my writing considerably, not to mention giving me some physical relief. I’ll write about how the software works for me once I’ve had a chance to use it a little.

When I first realized this pain wasn’t just going to go away overnight, I panicked a little at the idea that I might not be able to write anymore. But I’m encouraged by the number of options I have to adopt better computer habits. I’m certainly not ready to give up on writing. After all, I still have 17 days left before NaNoWriMo is over. One way or another, I’m going to keep writing.

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Posted: November 14th, 2007 under Productivity, Writing.
Comments: 2

This post is an entry in the Lists Group Writing Project at Litemind.

Yesterday I wrote about the pain I’ve been feeling in my wrists from too much keyboard and mouse use. The list below is the result of my efforts to research what I should have been doing to prevent this kind of pain.

1. Your keyboard should be low enough that your elbow isn’t bent more than 90 degrees. Examples of correct and incorrect typing positions.
2. Make sure your upper arms are positioned close to your body rather than relying on armrests for support.
3. Keep your wrists straight when typing. Don’t bend them either up or down, or side to side at an angle. An example of correct wrist position.
4. An ergonomic keyboard, including split and curved designs, may reduce stress on the tendons in your wrists.
5. Type correctly, using two hands to do combination keystrokes (e.g. Shift+A) rather than contorting your hand.
6. Try tilting your keyboard down at the top instead of using the keyboard’s feet.
7. Wrist rests should only be used during pauses, not while typing or mousing. Examples of right and wrong positions when using the mouse.
8. Avoid gripping the mouse too hard or striking the keys with too much force.
9. A trackball mouse will require less wrist movement than a standard mouse.
10. Avoid extending your arm to reach for the mouse.
11. Keep your hands warm.
12. Take frequent breaks from typing and mousing and change activities often.
13. Stretch the muscles of your wrists and forearms frequently. Some exercises to help prevent strain.
14. Practice good posture. Poor posture puts stress on the nerves of your hands and arms as well as your neck and back.
15. Don’t use a laptop as your primary computer unless you use an alternate keyboard and mouse.

This is not intended to be medical advice. As with any health concern, please see your doctor.

The tips above were compiled from the following sources:
WebMD
Mayo Clinic
Cornell University Ergonomics Web
Harvard RSI Action
CDC Computer Workstation Ergonomics

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Posted: November 13th, 2007 under Productivity.
Comments: 26

I’ve written over 13,000 words on my novel for National Novel Writing Month using JDarkRoom, and it’s definitely been a key factor in my ability to focus. JDarkRoom is a minimalist word processing application available for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. It’s customizable, yet simple.

Options include the ability to change the default green text, as well as the background, cursor, and selection colors. I find light blue text on a black background to be especially soothing to my eyes. The font and font size can be adjusted as well. Basically, JDarkRoom is a full-screen word processor without the distractions of a toolbar or other tempting applications close at hand.

You really only need to memorize three simple keyboard commands to work comfortably in JDarkRoom. Ctrl+S saves, Esc exits, and F1 opens a new document. Or, if you just want to memorize one command, F5 will take you to the help screen, which tells you all the other possible commands. For NaNoWriMo writers, or anyone else obsessively checking their word count, Ctrl+L shows the line, word, and character count of your document.

Once you have the colors changed to your liking, the program couldn’t be simpler to use, especially if you’re working on a single larger project like a novel. On starting, JDarkRoom will bring up the last file you worked on. Then all you have to do is write, occasionally saving your work or checking your word count. Saving your documents as .txt files will give you the best results.

One of the benefits of using JDarkRoom to work on my novel is that when I open the program, I immediately associate the appearance of the document with this particular novel. This lets me dive right into the story with less rereading. I may use a different text color for each future novel to make the association even more compelling.

While the full-screen aspect of JDarkRoom is ideal for focusing on the task at hand, I also like to keep a notes files open on my desktop for ideas and random bits of text. I can easily switch between JDarkRoom and my notes using Alt+Tab (Apple+Tab on Mac). But I would caution you against doing this too often. It’s far too easy to switch to a browser to “research” something and not get back to JDarkRoom for hours. I find it best to jot a reminder to research an issue in parentheses right in the text, then get back to work.

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Posted: November 8th, 2007 under Productivity, Writing.
Comments: none

In a world that’s always on, it can seem as though it doesn’t matter when you work, as long as the job gets done. Ironically, I discovered my best time to work by procrastinating on essays in college.

When I was too sleepy to write at 2 a.m. the night before the assignment was due, I had little choice but to get up at 6 a.m. and finish the essay before class at 8 a.m. To my surprise, I found that I was more focused and at least as coherent in the morning as I was late at night. For a long time, I assumed it was the adrenaline rush from working so close to the zero hour that sharpened my mind.

After a while, I began to consider the possibility that I was really a morning person. I had always thought of myself as a night person, and I would still say I do my best work when it’s dark. But now the hours before the sun comes up are my most productive time. I really am more focused and coherant first thing in the morning.

Whether you’re a morning person or not, there are a lot of benefits to getting up and working before dawn.

1. Early morning quiet. Once I’ve bribed the cats with food, it’s quiet enough I can really focus on my writing, homework, anything where distractions would usually slow me down. This quiet time lets me focus on something important before all the usual “urgent” but not “important” tasks take over my day.
2. It’s dark before dawn. When I wake in the dark, I gradually become more and more aware of myself and my surroundings, rather than waking and rushing out the door. The shadows outside and the dim light inside put me into a meditative mood that lets my creativity flow.
3. The moments between sleep and waking are often a well of creativity. Sometimes I can even take advantage of the narrative flow from my dreams and just keep dreaming on paper. Often the storyline isn’t worthwhile, but some of my favorite characters have come from my dreams.
4. It’s nice to start the day having accomplished something. Even if the rest of the day is a hectic, unorganized, unproductive mess, at least I had the opportunity to focus on what’s important to me first thing in the morning.
5. Waking early makes me more enthusiastic about the rest of the day. When I start the day with that energizing feeling of accomplishment, it makes the rest of the day a little more bearable, even if it does turn out to be a hectic, unorganized, unproductive mess.
6. It’s justification for a nap later. An afternoon nap is another opportunity to reenergize, and waking early is the perfect excuse.
7. It’s a good reason to quit early. It can be tempting to work on and on into the wee hours of the morning, but if I’m planning on getting up in the wee hours of the morning, I’m much more likely to quit early. I prefer starting fresh in the morning instead of working later and later as my interest and enthusiasm flag.
8. Getting up early makes “sleeping in” till 6 a.m. seem like a treat. I love weekend days, because I let myself “sleep in” and yet I still get up early enough to get in most of a day’s work before lunch. Then I have all afternoon to play, if I want.
9. Waking early establishes a pattern. When I need to be somewhere earlier than usual, like a staff meeting before work, it’s no hardship. I’ve already been up for hours, so I’m not rushing in to work all bleary-eyed like my coworkers.
10. Writing first thing in the morning clears the cobwebs and sets the mood for the day. If I have the opportunity to freewrite, I can “talk” to myself about what’s bothering me, what needs special attention, what needs to get done. Starting the day with clarity helps me focus all day long.

I should warn you not to overdo it, though. Since starting my preparations for National Novel Writing Month, I’ve been so eager to write that I’ve been getting up at 4:30 a.m. for the past week or so—weekends included—and haven’t been going to bed until 10 or 11 p.m. It’s starting to catch up to me. So I’ve come up with some tips for waking early without burning out.

1. If you’re new to the morning habit, change your waking time gradually. When I first decided to get up earlier, I had to use two alarm clocks, staggered 15 minutes apart. I started just getting up half an hour earlier than I had been and gradually worked backwards from there. I still give myself a sticker for getting up by 6 a.m., though I’m usually up much earlier now.
2. Plan your morning activities. If I don’t have any idea why I’m getting up early, it’s easier to hit snooze a few dozen times than come up with a valid reason before I’ve really woken up. Plan a specific and enjoyable activity you can do first thing in the morning that will motivate you to get out of bed.
3. Take advantage of whatever time you have. Especially when you first start getting up earlier, you may only have an extra 15 minutes more than what you had before. But if you can’t write the next 2,000 words on your novel, do a freewriting exercise instead. Even starting the first paragraph of my writing will make me think about it all day long. It’s as though I’m writing all day in the back of my head, and when I come home and sit down at the computer, the words just pour out.
4. Most importantly, get enough sleep. When my bedtime gets later, I start waking up later, and soon my productive morning time is gone. Calculate how much sleep you need and go to bed in plenty of time to be well-rested.

My productivity has soared since I started consistently waking earlier. My early hours, before anyone else is awake, have been essential to writing this blog. I’m also relying heavily on the hours I have before going to work to write my novel. Even if you think you’re a night person, as I once did, give waking early a try. You may find you accomplish more than ever before.

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Posted: November 7th, 2007 under Productivity.
Comments: 2