As it's National Poetry Day, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on Byron. The celebrity cult of Lord Byron began while he was still alive, boomed when he died, and still continues today. He remains an object of fascination, scandal, and appeal. I've been interested in him since I first read about him in a "Famous People" encyclopaedia. It was a children's book, so it did not explore the more infamous aspects of his life. But it was enough to inspire me to delve further into research on the man and the myth - including the puzzle of the mirror . Ultimately, Byron went on to become a major inspiration for my first published book Day's Dying Glory , right down to its title. His early poems (generally my favourite ones) feature heavily in the book, and I enjoyed weaving in lines and references which Byron-fans would spot where others might not even notice them. Poets and poetry have inspired hundreds of writers. It is fascinating that language can be so power...
Day 7 -Thursday 7th November 2019 – Software
Now the world has moved into the technological age we’ve largely abandoned the pen for the keyboard. I do still have one story which I love writing by hand, but by and large my writing is now done on a computer – usually my laptop.
It’s taken me a long time to settle into any form of writing
software, but these days I tend to gravitate towards Scrivener for my
writing. I (mostly) like the layout, and
I find its sensible approach understandable enough so that even I know
what’s going on! The use of the binder
and corkboard approach is really easy to use and keep tabs on. But I’ve got to be honest, I have no idea how
most of it works! Ultimately, my books
make their way into Word, are shaped and formatted, and then converted to .pdf
files. In this way, I feel like I’m
using the best aspect of all the software I have!
Here are a few considerations about choosing the best software
for you:
- What do you want it to do? If you’re after a word processor document, you really can’t beat Word, but it’s much more difficult to cross-reference research than in writing software like Scrivener. For a professional level, .pdf files are the most reliable, but when you’re converting them, remember to embed your fonts, or some of your characters can be distorted or lost.
- Software doesn’t feel loyalty. Don’t feel restricted to only one programme, you
can get the best of all
worldssoftware! - There’s no right and wrong. If you decide you’re happier writing your story on a different programme, on a typewriter, or by hand, that’s fine! Just find a willing volunteer who will copy it up for you at a later date. BUT always keep copies of your writing. You may not like it now, but I guarantee you will be disappointed if you lose it!
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