Grammar and Style checkers

I decided to try Grammar and style checking software and spent a few days with research on the net and downloading some sample programs.

They all seemed to work but some like StyleWriter while very good are quite intrusive. I think using this program should be kept for the very end of the writing process. With one exception as new writer on my first novel attempt. I used the demo version after five chapters and its improved my writing by showing me all my mistakes and by fixing those mistakes improved my writing.

I thought I was so bad at writing after using this program because I scored so highly on "Bog Words" all the connecting words (like, and, so, used, I as,) etc. Then I ran several excerpts from some of my favourite authors though the software. Revelation I found good grammar but bad bog words and the first snippet from a multi award winning author had his character walking the "Parameters of the castle". This was id, as Mathematical Equitation. (Would have meant Perimeter of course). However when you put that in it chided me for vagueness and suggest I should say what was walked.

Oddly enough My conclusions were they get in the way and might remove the writers voice and personal style, The Diskworld novels were savaged by this program. So I have come down to choosing between RightWriter. Simple and on track, does what it claims and makes you think about what your writing and shows the potential mistakes, a good learning and review tool. But first choice for me Grammar Expert Plus, it picks up my punctuation problems, word usage but is not trying to standardise my writing style.

Oh and does anybody know how to get rid of WhiteSmokes viral component (Darn Programme)? Very well hyped and lots of informercial style adverts out there that appear to be reviews (Check how many reviews you can find for it in Google then see how many you can for the completion)? The asking price is seems high to me. I just purchased the basic General writing component version of WhiteSmoke at about $38 and 20mins later a salesman from the US is on my phone in Australia trying to up-sell me. Then he told me I had purchased a years subscription. Which was not what I thought I had. Hum I will update upon this this WhiteSmoke down the track.

On Procrastination

Failed to keep writing again, So wrapped up in  Real Life left me no time to keep up the writing (note I procrastinate here), I have to reset my goals now I am  working again rather than I have reset my goals.
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Starting a new job  can do that to particularly when you haven't worked for 5 months it kind of disrupts the flow particularly when its casual with no set routine.

Anyway spent most of yesterday revising and got my current story back on track, had been using 3 different packages to cross edit. BIG MISTAKE. So now settled on Scrivener (Windows version just hit 2.0) for writing and revision and am hoping that works better. Saving open office for final revisions and polishing.

Coming together

I have still been busy making over my first 4 chapters and have come to realise there's as much work in editing my own story if not more than the original writing of the story.

The first chapter is about right now for second draft but it's turned into 2 because I realised I had parts untold and I deleted about 300 words and added 1,500. I fuse when it's final edit I will take lots more away as the story tightens ( hopefully).

I reposted the first chapter after getting all mixed up between which of the 3 copy's  were the current and having to combine 2 different edits

Coming together

I have still been busy making over my first 4 chapters and have come to realize there's as much work in editing my own story if not more than the original writing of the story.

The first is about right now for second draft but it's turned into 2 because I realized I had parts untold and I deleted about 300 words and added 1,500. I fuse when it's final edit I will take lots more away as the story tightens ( hopefully).

I will repair the fisrt chapter tomorrow all going well if it still look right in the morning.

Making ground

Well I worked out how to mostly avoid the cunudrum of he said /she said, mostly due to post on site by Kenneth Bear on about.com

I had found stuff on sentence deconstruction and thought this was algebra for writing.
I found those article had al I was looking for.. It made me wonder though how some learned academics think, very linear I suspect.

Any ways made some good progress today on this partial rewrite and very happy with how it is going. The story is getting much better thatn I have posted to date and heaps more relevant detail is growing there have also added more character depth in profiles.

That's it for tonight

PageFour

Hm, I was tidying and generally editing the first few chapters on my current story when I noticed I had used "I said", quite few times. I wondered what else I had doubled up on word don't seem to have a built in option for this problem.

So I procrastinated and instead of getting on with my writing I did a search for programs that were set up for this. PageFour stands very high in my options now. Made for writers it's simple and targeted at a minimum working environment. I am using scrivener to write in and love it's layout and how your able to glance and refresh on your characters and add possible new places, scenes for future attention.

PageFour just might displace it for writing if I am sure where I am going or during revision its a good find and I thought it worth sharing.

Oh this was written on my iPad I just could not resist at $398 from Big W. Sadly they were unsuprisingly sold out and I settled for $449 in Myers it's still a great price, added apples WP "Pages" great buy.

House Keeping

I spent a couple of days tidying my erotic novel I'm working on the first 4 chapters were so messy and the story changed a bit in those few chapters as I wrote gaining 400+ words along the way. It took a slightly different direction also.Well not so much different as an alternate route.

I read your supposed to just write and edit after but it was too messy. Now i can go forward the ideas i have are firming up and on track to get some serious word count down in the next week or so and that's good its been the getting started and breaking out of the circle that been hardest.

I can't post that story here however due to don't want the blog to be adult but I have added a link here and for now its back to writing. Erotic story Note Adult content