How to Write a Novel on a Cell Phone

Among the best tools for writing while on the go is my smart phone, and a handy blue tooth device.

I'm not one of those people who wants to carry my laptop everywhere, and even a netbook seemed too heavy when I was contemplating what things to put in a small pack I would be carrying everywhere during my six-week trip in Europe. At the same time, I had just gotten to page 50 in my novel, and I didn't want to take such a long break from writing. I also wanted to be able to update my travel blog from anywhere with a wifi connection. So I went on a hunt for the lightest, and cheapest options for writing on the go.

Luckily my whole family needed to upgrade phones at the same time. So we all got a deal on Android-based HTC phones with all those fun apps and capabilities. Naturally I was excited at the possibilities and went on a hunt for tools I could pair with the phone to help me out. First, the word processor. I wanted to be able to make documents that could be easily transferred to my computer, without paying any money. Microsoft's phone-sized software is actually pretty cheap, but I wound up figuring out something even better. I use a free app, instead, called Note Everything (there are others that do the same thing). In this app you can make a text, voice, or paint note. With an internet connection you can upload whatever text you type to your Google Documents, which is even better than Word because it is accessible from any computer (yay clouds!). For my blog, I got the wordpress app, which automated that process pretty easily.

Then I needed to find the hardware. There was no way I could type 500-1000 word blog posts or whole chapters using the tiny touch screen keyboard on my phone. But as it turns out, there is a great portable keyboard that connects via bluetooth to any android or iphone. The device cost me around $75 dollars and the drivers were free. I'm honestly surprised there aren't more of these types of devices offered. Even now, when you search for wireless keyboards, the only ones that come up immediately are only suitable for desktop computers. The Freedom Pro Universal Bluetooth Keyboard, is the only one that folds, connects wirelessly, and is compatible with phones. It's truly amazing. It may be a bit small or uncomfortable, but overall it works. It weighs less than a pound, and fits in small bags. I got it for my trip to Europe, but now I take it everywhere along with old fashioned pen and notepad for when inspiration strikes.

The perfect (and practically only phone-capable) portable keyboard!
Buy it on Amazon!
More companies should really be making these things....

Do Outlines Work for Writing Novels?

How Far ahead can you really plan when writing a novel?

I'd like to start with a quote I came across that made me think:

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
E. L. Doctorow

It brought up the question of outlining, knowing what happens next, letting the characters or story take on a life of their own, and everything in between that concerns the process of novel writing. I actually think this quote holds true, even if you meticulously outline, sketch characters, and pre-imagine your story before you actually start to write. Because at the end of the day, if you end up following an outline or plan to a T, you'll wind up going exactly where you expect, and the only real problem with that is that it's precisely what your audience expects as well, and they will be bored.

All the planning and the outlining, however, is still extremely useful. No matter if you deviate from it just a bit, or deviate from it a lot, or scrap it all together at some point. Of course, there are those who work best with no plan at all, but in general this can slow down the process of writing a full novel. It's also possible that this will decrease your motivation. I know this is the case for me. I use outlines to keep me on track, not only in terms of the story, but also in terms of productivity. It lets me know I'm getting somewhere and if I have a sense of progress I am more likely to keep going.

Of course, there is always the point where you better stop planning, and start writing. Otherwise, the absolutely most obvious thing will happen, that is, nothing at all.

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end."
Ursula K. LeGuin

Travel Challenge 2: Get Obsessed

Start learning about the places you want to go, even if you don't know when you'll get there.

This challenge should be fun. From the list of places you want to go at some point in life, pick one -preferably a decent sized city, or a country - and become obsessed with the place this week. Research this place to find out about it's history, culture, and monuments. Look for sample itineraries, reviews of restaurants and hotels, and fun events. From these you will figure out how long you'd need to spend in the place, and possibly what time of year you'd like to go (perhaps there is a festival in June, or something). You can also start looking at the prices: how much will it take to get there? How much are the hotel prices there? What would food cost for the duration of your stay? This will start showing you how much you need to save for your future trip. Besides getting excited and more knowledgable about a particular place in just a week, doing all this research will help you start formulating your plan for how to get there, and that's the perfect first step!

Here are some sites to help:
Lonely Planet
Frommers
Trip Advisor
About Travel

Make your Writing Goals and Accomplish Them

Set specific goals to increase motivation and achieve success now!

With writing, success takes more than just talent, it also takes a lot of work. The motivation to sit and write, especially a long project, can be hard to come by. However, if you set yourself incremental goals, specify how much you want to accomplish in each period of time you work, and keep at it, you will start seeing real results.

One way to plan your steps to writing success is to use page counts or word counts. If you know approximately how many pages/words your project needs to be, this is even easier because you can simply divide it up. This is the technique used in for NANOWRIMO, the organization that challenges contestants to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of november. Divided equally it's around 1,667 words per day, which is challenging, but doable. Even if you don't know your ultimate wordcount goal, however, it can still be useful to set a minimum balance or average daily or weekly word count goal. When you do this you will be able to measure your success, and you will feel like you've accomplished something each day, which can help you keep your motivation level high. That's a psychological fact, by the way.

Another way to do this is to break it up in terms of scenes. If this is your preference, it can be helpful to have a fairly detailed outline so you know how many scenes you need, and where you are in the story.

Personally, I find it helpful to alternate between these two methods of project break down. I'm more likely to base it on wordcount when I don't have much of an outline, or when I'm doing a shorter piece. I base it on scenes when I do have a good outline. I also may combine the two techniques for my longest projects. Trying to get a specific amount of scenes done at certain points in the process, while at other times I just strive to maintain a certain word count. It's up to you because as long as you do have specific goals covering short periods of time, you will accomplish a lot, little by little.

~C.J.

Prep for NanoWrimo Part 2: Character Introductions

NanoWrimo is only a month away. Prepare by getting to know your characters before you start writing.

This week may take a bit more time. You can do as much or as little as you want, or mix and match the following character exercises which will help you prepare to write a novel fast. You can focus on just one character, or you can delve into the mind of as many characters as you feel will be driving forces in the story. Don't waste your time if the character is unimportant.

1. Freewrite from the point of view of your protagonist and antagonist.

2. Get an image of your main characters by drawing or finding pictures online that fit what you think the characters look like. Then write a paragraph or two using the picture to describe the character's physical features.

3. Create a fake profile for your character as if they were signing up for myspace, facebook, or any even a dating site if it's relevant. What would your character want to portray to the world? What would they list as their interests, who would they be friends with? Also keep in mind the things your characters wouldn't put online, and why.

4. Interview your main character. For now stick to questions about back story, likes, desires etc.
Examples:
How is your relationship with your parents?
What were you like as a child?
Have you changed much since then?
What was the best/worst moment of your life?
Who are your closest friends if you have any?
What do you really want out of life?

This will help you find out a lot of information that you don't realize you already have in your head about your character. Later on, if you get stuck on a scene, you can repeat this exercise, asking your character how they feel or what options they have in a situation then answering them as honestly as youc an from the point of view of the character. This can be a big help for writer's block.