Wesley_HornbeckThis is a guest post from Chad Schimke (Author on the Web 2 Novels) – He likes to be creative & to spread the words around!
As a fiction writer, I need to be able to capture that brainstorm – let’s call it a creative spark–wherever it hits me. Because once it’s gone, I may never get back to it again. Some of my best ideas have occurred as I’m exercising, showering or driving. Or, other times when I’m watching a movie or just about to fall asleep.
You get the idea. Not necessarily when I’m sitting at my desktop PC or laptop. I’ve heard these flashes of inspiration called many things: fireflies, brainstorms, daydreams, visions, etc. What to do about that? Don’t let that creative idea escape you. Here are some ideas. Did you know you have a powerful tool for creative writing in your pocket? Even better … one that connects instantly to the cloud?
Just take your Android enabled Galaxy phone with SkyDrive installed. I use OneNote, MS Word 2013, voice dictation and the digital camera. Your smartphone is already in your pocket, so whip it out. Jot down some notes with plot ideas, methods for characterization, means to show examples as opposed to telling. Snap some pics, click on the camera icon once you’re in OneNote. Maybe you want to weave scenic details into your story. Try some dictation, talk into the voice recorder on your device, let the ideas flow for a while and stop whenever you’re ready.
I’m always surprised when I’m chatting with a want-to-be-writer who has never even thought of using voice dictation then typing it up later on. Press and hold on the recording in the list then select ‘share’ to SkyDrive. Now we’re getting somewhere. Back at your desktop/ laptop, log onto your SkyDrive dashboard. All of your OneNote files, pictures and voice recordings are in the same place, instantaneously.
An important benefit of working on SkyDrive is that all of the features of MS Word 2013 are on the cloud. The Word file opens in a browser. You can select the ‘share’ button to collaborate with anyone working with you, such as an editor. I go to ‘file’ then ‘save as’ and work from the document that is automatically updated.
I can open the file on my desktop PC then later work on it from my laptop. I have no need to email the file to myself or toggle back and forth between computers using a flash drive. All of the features I mentioned above (notes, pics, dictation) are seamlessly stored in the same folder on SkyDrive.
You can never lose a disk, crash a drive or forget to bring an important document with you. I’m an advanced user of Word and 2013 is the best version yet. It’s feature rich but elegant in design simplicity. Don’t have time to write? I bet you do–if you find yourself waiting in line at the store, when you’re on the treadmill or driving on your long work commute. No excuses, take that smartphone out of your pocket, enable these tools and get started today! Write more–and, more often, you’ll be surprised how quickly stolen minutes add up–so you can start calling yourself a ‘writer’.
mollyfamwat
