Looks like rearranging Part 2 is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought. I did some massive cutting today, but it seems that along with sewing up the remaining chunks, I have some important bits lying on the floor too that I have to wade through and stuff in the cracks. Problem is, it’s like doing an autopsy on a whale — I’m not above it so much as in it, which is making it difficult to see the bigger picture and the detail all at the same time. I’ve sketched out a scene list to help — and it has helped — but it is the little puzzle pieces that need to be placed into order so carefully that are giving me the most trouble. I’m going to have to give it a hard read for continuity once it’s done, just to make sure there aren’t any gaps or bumps.
Who ever said writing a novel was easy?
A note on the nuts and bolts side of today’s work: did some of it at my son’s hockey practice. Luckily, the rink he was at has WiFi and a nice, comfortable, warm area to work in with tables that overlook the ice so I can watch and work at the same time. I was using an iPad with a Logitech bluetooth keyboard and Quickoffice as the word processor. I’ve recently put together this ensemble, and it is actually pretty good for writing on the road.
What it’s not so good at though is editing. I had a lot of cutting and pasting to do today, moving blocks of text around to different scenes, and moving other blocks to the end as leftover. That meant pushing on the screen over a word, selecting “Select”, and dragging the highlight corners over vast swaths of content, cutting it, and pasting it in its new destination. Honestly, I think it may be one of those things you could get used too, but it would never be as quick and efficient as using a mouse. Love the iPad and the keyboard, though not so much love for the touchscreen in this case. Guess that’s the difference between consuming and creating content on a tablet…
No real word count to report today since I’m still in the middle of rearranging. It will go down though by the time I’m done with this section. That’s a good thing, because I need some more room for Part 4…
Overall, very happy with the work I did, even if I still have more to do than I figured!
Until tomorrow,
~Graham
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I warned you about this iPad nonsense, but no… just because Canada intelligently avoided the 2008 financial crisis, assembled a reasonable healthcare system, and doesn’t suffer from the US House of Representatives, you Canadians think you know everything (though typically you’re too polite to mention it).
I’m doing the tablet thing, and once you drag along a keyboard, you end up with more pieces than a netbook or Ultrabook, and about one-fourth the writing and editing power. The things are just irritating.
You’re a writer, damnit. Get an Ultrabook. They’re growing cheaper every day.
TC/Writer Underground’s most recent blog post: Ebook Sales Growth Slows; Is There A Plateau Ahead?
Ha — I know. Still trying to hold onto the dream. An ultrabook would be nice, but any laptop like that is messy for everyday “on the run” writing. It means I have to disconnect from my aging-eyes-friendly monitor, the Internet (my office needs to be hardwired due to its location in our house), the printer, the keyboard, the mouse, the USB hub, and a couple of other cords (iPhone charger, USB cord for the digital recorder, etc.) Am looking for a reasonably-priced docking station that actually works so I can click in and out effortlessly. It is a never-ending battle, this technology thing.
On the flip side, writing on the iPad looks moderately cool, even if it isn’t the easiest thing to use.
~Graham