{"id":711,"date":"2015-05-02T11:01:51","date_gmt":"2015-05-02T10:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phenweb.wordpress.com\/?p=711"},"modified":"2026-01-07T16:45:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T16:45:59","slug":"the-writers-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/the-writers-craft\/","title":{"rendered":"The Writer’s Craft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Writer’s Craft was first posted in May 2015<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought I would take a break from actual writing to show you some of the tools I use to put the story together. As an example I am using Intervention the second part of The Observer Series. Whether what I display makes it into the final cut we will have to see. I am over 50,000 words into the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main tool I use is Scrivener<\/a>, the chapter manuscript is in the centre of the screen with the list of proposed chapter headings, characters and places\/scenes on the left. All my writing is done here and the formatting for eBooks and Paperbacks using Scrivener’s Compile feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Writer's<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the continuing absence of an iPad version for Scrivener, I use Index Card<\/a> when I am away from my desktop Mac. It does link with Scrivener but it s not the same. (Editors note: Scrivener now has full iPad version)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Index<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The next tool I use is to keep my timeline straight. This is Aeon Timeline<\/a> which integrates with Scrivener. This one shows a couple of Arcs (chapters or scenes) with events and then cross linked to characters, scenes etc. I do not need this for all my stories but when it gets complicated i.e. with travel, synchronous events, etc.  it keeps things organised<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aeon\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next comes the ever present Excel. Nothing very clever here, apart from all the ratios and calculations to convert Earth measurements and time into my alien settings. Of course I do not need this for every story but I find it essential in my SciFi. I like to think that my stories could work if you ignore the faster than light etc elements. Before I used Scrivener and Aeon, I also used it for character lists and timelines i.e. calculating how old people are and what day of the week it was\/will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Excel\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finally, there is, of course, research needed to aid the writer’s craft. In the screen shot below, from a Physics site, (http:\/\/www.physicsclassroom.com\/class\/circles\/Lesson-3\/The-Value-of-g<\/a>), I was checking up on how G is calculated, then using the formula in Excel to calculate for my other planets. Research varies considerably from Google Maps<\/a> for other stories to University research papers that I read when writing To The Survivors<\/a> about how viruses spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Research\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I know that many writers use other tools from simple text editors to complex design systems for covers. I use PaintShop Pro<\/a> for that. One of my last Windows only tools. Keep trying to learn others but have not found a layered system one (that can import my old ones), as easy to use – I just wish there was a Mac version – come on Corel anyone would think Macs were new!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have also used\u00a0 a CAD program for laying out physical buildings and mind-mapping software – that was in An Agent’s Rise<\/a> and I actually created the mind map I had the characters do.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Writer’s Craft was first posted in May 2015 I thought I would take a break from actual writing to show you some of the tools I use to put the story together. As an example I am using Intervention the second part of The Observer Series. Whether what I display makes it into the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[16,37,211,221,250,258,300,363,532,548,585,639,640,645,747,764,823,827],"class_list":["post-711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing-blogs","tag-aeon-timeline","tag-an-agents-rise","tag-e-book","tag-editing","tag-excel","tag-fiction","tag-google-maps","tag-index-card-ios","tag-paintshop-pro","tag-philip-g-henley","tag-publishing","tag-sci-fi","tag-science-fiction","tag-scrivener","tag-the-observer-series-part-two-intervention","tag-to-the-survivors","tag-writers-resources","tag-writing-tools"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phenweb.co.uk\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}