C. M. Skiera's Blog

yWriter5 is a free word processor that allows you to build your novel in scenes, which can then be arranged (and re-arranged) into chapters. I began using yWriter5 last year, during the re-write of my second novel, Mirrors & Mist. I turned to yWriter because my story had multiple POV characters and flashbacks to different time periods. Though I understood the story I wanted to tell, the order in which to present it was unclear. I was cutting and pasting in Word, using multiple files, cross-referencing with Excel, reading and re-reading, and feeling adrift. I'd heard of both Scrivener and yWriter5 , and they sounded similar in what they offered. Since yWriter5 was a free download (with options to donate), I tried it first. Because I haven't yet tried Scriviner, I can't do a comparison, but I can tell you that yWriter5 is an excellent tool at an unbeatable price. It definitely helped me organize my novel and I plan on using it for my next book. What is yWriter5? yW...

For this post, I'll assume you're familiar with Pinterest . If not, no worries, I don't judge, check it out here and then come back. This is not a tutorial, rather an idea-dump from a one-man brainstorming (and idea-borrowing) session. Pinterest has been called a lot of things, from a virtual bulletin board to an image-based social media platform to a glorious waste of time. I also consider it a free organization tool for indie authors, and I'll tell you why. By allowing you to 'pin' online images to one of your 'boards,' Pinterest can be thought of as a collection of bookmarks identified by recognizable images. You can create as many boards (topics) as you like, designate them as public or 'secret' (for your eyes only), and fill them with whatever type of pins (linked images) you choose. I'll use my Pinterest site as an example, but the possibilities are endless. Save imagery for writing inspiration - settings , character appear...