On my last post, I received a comment from Sandra, the writer behind the Daily Writing Prompt blog, and she invited me to take part in a little tagging game ! The rules are easy : you must list 7 cool or weird things about you. But since we are in the writing blogosphere, I will list 7 writing tools that I use regularly :)

In no particular order :

1. Cut & Paste Word Count : I don't write with Word so here's my favorite wordcounter. Paste, click and here it is.
2. Wordreference : You should be aware that I am not a native English speaker, so I often do some quick lookups on this site. The best thing about Wordreference is its forum, where you can ask for difficult expressions and idioms and get a very precise answer.
3. ClipX : I found this freeware utility on Coding Horror, a blog that I read often since my day job is computer programming. ClipX transforms your clipboard so you can store multiple snippets of text/images. No more "copy/paste" angst (when you copy something and you finally realize you've erased another important snippet !)... I have it installed on every computer that I touch.
   
4. Everchanging Book Of Names (EBON) : It's my favorite name generator because it's entirely customizable. You just create a text file with a list of names (the more, the better), and EBON comes up with smiliar-themed names ! Of course you have libraries of predefined cultures like D&D, Tolkien and such.
5. SciTE : I regularly praise this text editor on my blog for its versatility and customizability. So my only advice will be : use it.
6. Workrave : If you spend your time writing, consider getting Workrave to help you relax your eyes, wrists and hands. It did a very good job for me : I avoided the first RSI symptoms and I learnt the good habit of micro-breaks.
   
7. Behind the Name : It's cool to generate fantasy names, but sometimes you need to have names that sound realistic. Behind the Name has a very complete database and it's totally ad-free.
   

Hope that this little list has been useful to you. To finish this post, I'll tag the 7 following bloggers that I like. Of course, they are all passionate writers. The rest of the story continues on these blogs !

1. Cornerscribe
2. Logan's Write Block
3. Fortrel
4. Born Liar
5. Burning Building
6. Snapshots of life in pictures and words
7. A Dragon Writes

Until next time,

When you don't have time to write, you make time to write. This means you will try to write in weird places and situations. Since I am one of these people, let me share with you some writing setups I tested.

Writing in the train, longhand
The worst writing setup ever for me ! Being in the train means a ton of people around you : there's absolutely no room to write, even when you are seated. I write in a microscopic notebook, and bringing A4 printouts of my scenes to edit is a big no-no (unless I ask permission to use other people's laps as tables). And of course, you have to change trains inbetween, breaking your concentration mid-sentence. And did I mention the noise ?

Pros : writing longhand is relaxing
Cons : almost everything - the worst being when you come back home and you're unable to read what you've written in your train notebook !

Writing in the toilet, with a laptop
Hey, no kidding, even Chris Baty advised it in No Plot, No Problem. It's the perfect place to isolate yourself and write. And you don't look antisocial when you go there. Most of the time, the quietness makes you feel more inspired, thus productive (provided you don't have a wi-fi connection which makes you waste time). Just make sure you don't stay too long because it will look suspicious.

Pros : absolute quietness and concentration.
Cons : time limit

I wish all my readers a happy and fulfilling 2008 ! I hope that all your writing dreams will come true - yes, even editing this NaNoWriMo :)

I've been away for a while on this blog, but I come back with many good ideas to improve this place in the near future : stories chunks to read, new articles, and good resolutions about the posting frequency !

For the moment, I only have the almost-famous random bullet point list to offer !

• My NaNoWriMo 2008 has finally a title : Random Innocent People. The novel is currently in its editing stage !
• I've given Lulu.com a try to print and order... a calendar. A paperback version of my NaNoWriMo would fancy me, but considering the editing status of my '06 and '07 NaNo, it's rather a irrealistic thought.
  
• Very urban and dark short/flash fictions on this website. The author is also a painter, and a musician ! Check this out !