Ray Rhamey gave tips for using Word's bookmark and comment tools to make writing time more productive. He also illustrated using search to make a narrative stronger. The tips are available in a free download, Writerly Ways to Work with Word. (Ray's handout) Ray also showed us the Publishers Marketplace Web site. Publishers Marketplace. Stan demonstrated several varieties of writing software available on the market today. The handout with many writing related links has been placed on our Resources Page of this SWA site for you use.

About links to my handout--it would be hard for some to drill down and find it, so here's the URL that takes you to the page--I suggest you add this. By the way, in the paragraph on the meeting summary that says "For links to Ray's handout, click here." the "click here" isn't linked to anything. I suggest adding a little on what my part was about, i.e.

There are many varieties of WRITING SOFTWARE. These fall into the categories of story planning and development, story elements/organizers, craft development, outlining/brainstorming, and word processing/formatting. Many programs overlap in these categories. I’ve included links on the Web below to help you find the one(s) right for you. A good place to start is the Writer’s Store in L.A that carries most of the major brands plus short descriptions of most. http://www.writersstore.com/ . Here are some of the titles and prices.

Writer’s Dreamkit ($150); Fiction Master ($180); Power Structure ($170); Dramatica Pro 4 ($200); Writers Blocks ($109); Comedy Writer ($80); Story Base ($85); Word Menu ($34); Write Pro ($150); First Aid for Writers ($200); Inspiration 7 ($100); Story View 2 ($180); Power Writer ($130); Prose Pro ($30); Story Weaver ($30); A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes and Cliches ($60) Trudy’s Blockbuster ($250).

Our Resources page also has several links to several sites that provide reviews of the software.

The demos shown were:

Writers Blocks, an automated index card and outlining system that also contains a full word processing program.
Story Builder, a questioning program that helps develop characters, plot, and settings.
Dramatica Pro, a complex theory of story to help build characters and think through your story.
Fiction Master, an instructional program where you fill in the blanks with details of your story.
A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes and Cliches, a word search for cliches and rhyming words.

For links to Ray's handout, click here.

Photos: Ray points to the Word screen and Stan discusses software.