Write or Die 2 + Editing Tools

No kidding. Dr. Wicked created Write or Die 2:

http://writeordie.com/

I found the original version distracting, yet I like the concept, so I'm looking forward to playing with the new one.

I'm trying a new 500 words of new fiction per day challenge & did a 1K flash today. This program gives your word count and has consequences and rewards for writing behavior.

I just found the clever April Fool's thread today. So if anyone shared my disappointment that the threat of dire consequences thread went away so soon, give Write or Die a try and post your results.

Tested it in stimulus mode. Set it for 500 words in 37 minutes -- made it with minutes to spare. Happy with that given that I had no idea what I was going to write. I like that it turns color to warn when the production rate slows.

Wrote a full scene that sets up a recent story that needed more development -- creepy thing from the victim's perspective.

Sai -- Glad to hear it. Sounds like you're off and running.

Daily fiction writing helped me a lot, and Write or Die added fun to the first few days. Great tool for getting in gear.

I still use it sometimes to kick myself out of over thinking. Making myself get first drafts out quickly means I produce a lot more of them. Pretty addictive.

e.istre91 said:

I found out about Write or Die 2 very recently. For me it was like flicking a switch. It's made drafting a much more fluid process. I initially thought it would make my writing worse, but it seems to have improved it. It's crazy.

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That's great. Glad you found your flow!

It can be challenging, yet I find the faster I write, the more productive I am, and despite my worries that work fast won't be as good as my old painstaking approach, I've done my best NF and fiction from fast drafts. Once it's out, I can tune it. It's the old "Throw up, then clean up" method:

"Just do it. Throw it up. Throw it up, and then clean up." -- Ray Bradbury
http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_bestselling.html

Rob --

Thanks for adding your experience with it. Yeah, it's great for shutting up the editor and getting the words out.

When I'm editing, I run the text through Edit Minion.

Alex,

It's like a demon's minion, only it's automated for editing text:
http://editminion.com/

In the words of Dr. Wicked: "EditMinion is a robotic copy editor to help you refine your writing by finding common mistakes."

I used to use http://polishmywriting.com/, yet I find EditMinion covers different kinds of problems more common to fiction. For example, repeated words can be distracting in short stories yet might be necessary in copywriting. It has customizable mss analysis features. And best of all, the colors trick my brain into seeing the words in a fresh way -- a great way to reduce errors.

The playful look of EditMinion helps me lighten up, so it's more fun to use than any of the other editing tools I've tried.

You're welcome.

I spend so much time writing and editing copy, I have to make it fun. The Strunk minion makes me smile because I cut my teeth on "The Elements of Style."

Here's the free eBook for anyone who doesn't have a copy:

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37134

You're welcome, Peter. Thanks for adding The Writer's Diet. I gave it a try months ago. When my former laptop failed, I lost all my bookmarks. One of the main things I look at in the revision process is how to tighten up the prose.

The good thing about trying a few editing and mss analysis tools is they all have differences.

I'm in editing and polishing mode, working to take each story to its best state before the next bout of submissions, so it's a good time to break out all the tools.

There's another mss analysis one I'll have to find again.

ETA: I ran the story I edited this morning through The Writer's Diet and it scored "lean." The first article I put through it back when didn't score as well. The self-editing boot camp is working.

Tamlyn said:

I was curious and threw some stuff into Edit Minion... some of the things that came up under 'said' replacements... really?! People really use that sort of thing instead of said? oO Or am I misreading that tag? (for instance shuddered was one marked)

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Tamlyn -- As a former creative writing instructor, I'm sorry to say the answer is yes they do. You aren't misreading it. Quavered, declaimed, pronounced augustly, shrieked, mumbled, roared -- it's pretty common for writers to go through a phase of thinking it's more creative to use alternatives to "said."

I haven't come across shuddered as a tag, but wouldn't be surprised to see: "It's spooky in here," she shuddered haltingly.

It's handy to uncheck boxes for things you don't want the minion to analyze, because it does highlight possible dialogue tag words in any context. I usually check all the boxes because I find the colors make the text unfamiliar enough that it's easier to get a fresh take on it.

Oh, "he rasped" is another one. One of my faves for unintentional humor is "hissed," often used to tag a line of dialogue with no "ssss or shhhhh" sounds.

"Get out of here," he hissed. Even published writers make this blooper.

You're welcome. Glad they're being useful for you.

I run all my work through at least one tool and I always find things to improve. The edits might be minor, yet it's competitive out there -- I don't want little stuff distracting an editor.