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Last Episode's Assignment

Last episode we talked about creating characters. I needed a good ghost for the current installation of PsyCop I'm working on and I came up with the perfect spirit with just two clicks at Seventh Sanctum. I can't say enough good things about this site! (Since the recording of the podcast, I've generated some amazing and usable plots at Seventh Sanctum as well.)

Idea Catchers

Are you ready when ideas strike? Are you a paper kind of writer, or do you do everything electronically? I talk about ways to keep notes on paper, on your computer, and online.

Useful Links:
Zhorn Software
PC sticky notes with alarms

Stickies for Windows
PC sticky notes in different colors

NetVibes.com
Custom home page with email, RSS reader, to-do lists and notes

Google Notebook
Online notebook with very cool ability to tag and sort your nuggets of info. Not Safari-compatible, works with Firefox.

The Power of And

If the conflict in your story can be resolved with a yes/no answer, chances are it could be a more compelling read with the addition of a good "and." For example:
Is Morgan going to Europe: Yes (boring)
No (boring)
Yes, and Morgan plans to go there with twenty dollars in his/her pocket and earn his/her way around giving blowjobs

See? Much more interesting, all because of the "and."

Your Assignment

Take a very simple plot, eg. Will character A get together with character B, and work out five "and"s. Log these five ideas in an idea-catcher system that's new to you.

I'm trying it with Google Notebook, since that's new to me. So far, I'm pretty darn impressed.

Listener Questions

I have listener questions this week! Cynthie asks whether I submit articles to content gathering sites, and whether I wrote privately for myself/my friends when I first got started.