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QUICK NOTICE: Ways to Organize Your Thoughts

Once again Bits du Jour has me rushing out a notice to readers about some discounted software.  Today I’m mentioning two programs that promise to revolutionize the way to keep and organize your thoughts, ideas and information:  XMind Pro 3 and 3D Topicscape Pro.  Both promise to take Mind Mapping to a new level.  Both are quite expensive, so the major discounts offered by Bits du Jour are most helpful.  To confuse matters, both also offer “lite” versions for free.

I must admit to some frustration.  I don’t have time enough to evaluate these programs in any detail before announcing them to you.  XMind Pro 3 is available on discount today only — reduced to $49.00 from its usual $129.00.  3D Topicscape Pro is available at discount price on Thursday [though you can download it today for evaluation] — discounted to $49.99 from its normal price of $89.99.

I’m intrigued by both of them.  I’ve been aware of MindMapping since Tony Buzan first introduced the concept a couple decades ago.  I’ve played with it, but never found it suitable for the way my own mind works.  I’m more comfortable with the traditional hierarchical tree outlining approach.  Both of these programs promise to move back and forth between trees and mindmaps, along with additional organization methodologies, offering different ways of looking at your material.

Personally, as a writer, I don’t find the writing itself that difficult, at least once I get my butt in the chair.  On the other hand, I constantly struggle with organizing the mass of ideas and data I accumulate.  Maybe these programs might help.  Or perhaps another one will suit me better.  The Brain, for example.  Or MaxThink.  Oh, the wealth of choices overpowers me.  Someday, I’ll devote myself to evaluating all of them and posting an overview article about the tools available to organize one’s thoughts.  [SECRET:  such an article will be perfect for one of the new blogs I'm working on.  Stay tuned.]

Do any of you have experience or insights into ways to organize your ideas and information?  Please share it — leave us a comment.

By the way, I’ve collected a bunch of related posts from around the web for those who want to explore the subject further.

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Call for Contributors: What’s In It For You?

You may have already noticed my announcement and poll in the sidebar indicating that I’m considering opening up this blog for other contributors.  You may wonder why?  And you may wonder what you yourself might gain from joining in.

This blog has just entered its third year.  It started out as a personal learning experience.  I was eager to learn all that I could about how to harness the computer and the internet to become more productive as a writer.  To my astonishment and delight, it has grown, with little promotional effort, into a recognized valuable resource for other writers, with an average of 500 unique visitors a day and about 5000 unique visitors every month.

The blog, for me, has served three purposes.

First, it demanded feeding.  I simply could not sleep without posting at least two items a week.  That’s strong motivation — I kept me at work seeking out new information.  And along the way, I’ve put together an awesome network of resources that now feeds me with even more information than I have time to assimulate and share.

Second, it has pushed me into corners of learning that I barely imagined at the beginning.  A blogging neophyte at the outset, I’m now comfortable getting into the mechanics of WordPress and computer code to fine tune what you see here.  I’ve been led to take account of the digital revolution and all that it means, from writing draft articles and sharing them online with others for comment to the power of “social media” that helped a presidential candidate win a national election [with huge implications for writers with books to market].  I’ve examined in detail writing software too numerous to count, and I now have a very full understanding of the tools available to promote a writer’s productivity.  In short, I’ve learned a lot — and without the insistence of the blog’s empty post screen, I’m sure I would not know what I know today.

Third, the blog provided a vehicle to share what I’ve been learning with others.  And that itself has led to building a brand new worldwide network of friends and associates.

If you contribute to this blog, I think you will enjoy the same benefits that I have.

In addition, you will gain immediate exposure to lots of readers, the 5000 who currently visit here during the month, each visiting on average three times a month.  And because I maintain the blog’s infrastructure and pay all the bills for its hosting [and occasional troubleshooting], you are relieved of much of the drudgery behind the scenes.

That gives you an overview of what you can gain from contributing to the blog.  But why am I willing to share the spotlight?  There are several reasons.

I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but frankly I feel that I’ve now accomplished my original objectives.  I do now have a broad and deep understanding of what computers and the internet offer the writer.  I’ve got a pretty full picture of the business side of writing.

That doesn’t mean that I’m done with blogging.  Far from it.  My network of resources keeps feeding me with new material, much of which I feel obliged to share.

But it does mean that my head is in a different place right now.  I see new ways of sharing what I’ve learned — and what I am still learning.  In fact, I’m already working on two new, inter-related blogs which I may unveil within the first quarter of this year.  We’ll end up with a trio of blogs, each with its own unique focus, each complementing the others.

Yet I think Becoming A Writer Seriously deserves a longer life.  With some fresh blood behind it.

You see, it’s become an established resource, one that ranks way up in the Google-Sphere.  In the first four days of January, for example, the blog was visited by 76 new visitors seeking information about the free software KeyNote.  Google, along with some links on other websites, brought them here.  Fifty-five during those four days studied our page listing software for writers [it's the tab along the top].  Thirty-seven looked at our list of recommended books for writers.  Twenty-one came looking for our detailed review about the alternative word processor PageFour.

Furthermore, I take great pride in the blog’s Table of Contents.  Everywhere else on the internet, you just find an alphabetized list of disorganized categories.  Our Contents, on the other hand, brings unusual organization and clarity to the information gathered here.  The Table of Contents is admittedly hidden away at the moment on the far right-hand sidebar.  I’m currently considering a radical redesign of this blog to put the contents list front and center.

Here’s a secret:  I spent a lot of time devising that Table of Contents to serve as my very own filing cabinet for all the information I’ve gathered online.  My discoveries are not locked away in a jumble of bookmarks or in stacks of printouts buried in my desk drawer.  They are all right there in the Contents, a click or two away.

The Contents are reinforced by the WordPress Snazzy Archives.  Don’t know what that is?  Just click on the Archives tab at the top.   Even without knowing what you are looking for, the archives gives you a quick and easy-to-review listing of everything ever posted.

That’s a long-winded explanation of where this blog stands today — and of some hopes for the future.  If you are interested in becoming a contributor, indicate your interest on the poll in the sidebar.  Or write a comment on this post.  Or even send me an email [my address is under the About tab].

And even if you are not interested in contributing, share your thoughts about future directions for this blog.  It’s time for another growth spurt.

I’ll make a judgment within the month about what to do.  Changing the blog’s settings and design into one open to contributors will take some study and work.  I don’t want to undertake that unless there are sufficient potential contributors to keep this place humming.  So I’ll be watching for your feedback.

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Lead-Free Books: Government Regulation Gone Beserk

I truly hope that what I have just read is untrue:  any item available for sale to children must be certified as lead-free.  That includes books!  And it’s retroactive to any book published in the past.  Read the article at The Bookshop Blog.

These insane new regulations are the result of the recent legislation The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA H.R. 4040) of 2008 — or CPSIA, for short.  Just google CPSIA, and you will discover a lot on online chatter about this new law, which goes into effect apparently next month.

My pressing question:  what does that mean for us writers with self-published books that we market online?  Can you imagine if we must submit our books for certification?  And do we have to submit them for each “press run”?  With print-on-demand, one may be required to certify each book as it comes off the press.

I’m not an attorney, and I have little experience with government regulation.  However, I do recall from my teen age years that my father was livid as he saw small furniture plants in North Carolina driven out of business by new OSHA regulations regarding safety and health requirements.  The companies he knew never reopened.

I worry most about author Eugene Peterson, who wrote Eat This Book: A Conversation on the Art of Spiritual Reading.  Certainly no children will be allowed near that book — unless government certified, of course.  Also at risk is Tyler Florence, who wrote Eat This Book: Cooking with Global Fresh Flavors.  Has Tyler checked with some government agency to see if lead is among his book’s flavors?

MY SOLUTION:  go digital!  As far as I know, words on computer screens and e-book readers do not contain lead.  On second thought, maybe the electronic boxes do.  Maybe, even, this is a conspiracy to restrict children from coming near computers and electronic gear, based on their lead content — just think of all those solder points!

ANOTHER SOLUTION:  Write only x-rated material and label it as such.  This notifies the world — and big government — that this material is NOT for children and is therefore beyond the reach of this law.  Of course, the X rating will probably draw more children to your writing than if it were unrated.

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TODAY ONLY: 51% off The Journal software

Bits du Jour is once again offering a one-day discount on the remarkably useful software The Journal — available today only for $19.95, discounted from the usual $39.95 price.

Here are some comments from Bits du Jour regulars who have been using the software for months:

I’ve had and used this program daily for more than a year now, and I wouldn’t be without it. First program I install on any new computer I get. Beyond a simple journal, it is a program for writing, plain and simple. Plus you can compose your blog entries in The Journal and post them directly to your blog from it. An excellent writing application that I highly recommend!  — from Jim McGowan.

More than just a journal program, I’d call it a whole life file cabinet and organizer. Besides being a program to keep a daily diary or journal, I have it organized to keep quotes, stories, genealogy information, photography ideas, and a collection of favorite poems. Very, very versatile.  — from M. Saunders.

If you are at all intrigued, I suggest to visit the software’s homepage, which provides a lot of very useful and clear information.  I can see that this program might be very useful to a lot of writers.  Particularly intriguing is the ability to keep “loose-leaf,” undated pages in a hierarchical tree of nested pages — ideal for your writing projects, more or less replacing your word processor until you need more formatting power.

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Zoho Adds Online Invoicing Application

Freelancers rejoice!  Zoho has added a new facility to its remarkable array of online applications.  Now you can handle all of your free-lance invoicing via Zoho Invoicing.

I have not tried it out, to be honest, since I do not myself invoice anybody.  However, I’ve collected some links below that provide you with much more detail.  From what I’ve read, it’s capable — and it’s free.

Can anyone add more insight into this facility?  If so, leave us a comment — just click the comment link.

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Underscore Your Resolution with a Book or Two

Most New Year’s resolutions usually go no further than a scrawled list on paper, soon crumpled up and tossed away.  That’s true for me anyway.  Well, Amazon has come up with an approach that may provide substance to your resolutions.

Amazon has identifed 10 of the most popular perrenial  resolutions.  And, of course, for each resolution, Amazon points you to some of the major books that will help you accomplish your goal.  Not surprisingly, several of these resolutions might apply to individual writers.  Take a look at Amazon’s 10 New Year’s Resolutions.

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Audible’s 31 Days To A Better You

Audible has come up with an ingenious offering that writers may enjoy.  On each day of January, Audible will offer an excerpt from one of its audio books on some aspect of self-improvement.  Today, for example, one can listen to Brian Tracy read an excerpt from his book Flight Plan about goal setting and one’s point of view on life.  It’s a brief listen, and it’s thought-provoking.  Learn more at the site’s 31 Days To A Better You.  You can sign up for a daily reminder about that day’s free reading.

Audible benefits by showing off 31 of its titles.  Of course, listeners are offered the option to buy the entire audiobook online.  Be assured, however, that purchase is not required.  Your daily readings are indeed free.

The writer who follows this daily regimen during January will encounter encouragement to take steps to imporove your life.  Furthermore, the writer is exposed easily to a range of samples from audiobooks, an experience that might open one’s eyes to yet another avenue to pursue with getting your own writing out to the world.

I personally have been a long-time member of Audible.  The service is especially useful to anyone with vision problems.  But many commuters also download books to listen to on their Ipods on the way to work.  Every day, I get my audio subscription to the New York Times, which presents not only front page news, but also book and movie reviews, along with other feature stories that I generally find very interesting.

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Is It Time For A Logo?

Amongst all of your New Year’s Resolutions, do you include one to professionalize the “look” of your writing business?  New business cards, perhaps?  New stationery?  If so, you may wish to visit HP’s Free Logo Maker website.

This site makes it easy to put together your own customized logo, drawing on a large number of graphic icons and a text editor.  Within minutes, you can come up with your own design and ‘reserve” it for future use.  The site allows you to gather feedback from friends about your design.  Once you have settled on a design and you wish to deploy it, you then pay a download fee of $49.00 to get the logo.  It’s not a bad system.

The HP website has a short video that explains just what to do and how easy it is.

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Website Redux: WSJ Points You Toward Personal Website

You’ve made your New Year’s Resolution, haven’t you:  this year you will set up your own writer’s website.  There’s no longer an excuse not to do so.

Following up my post of earlier this month about free websites, I’ve come across a detailed article from the Wall Street Journal about how to create a successful website for free.  This article points to several facilities that I have never mentioned on this blog before, pointing out that there is a proliferation of such sites over the past year.  If you as a writer don’t yet have a website, this is a must-read article.

I’m particularly impressed with SynthaSite, which is new to me.  One feature I’ve never seen before:  if you buy a domain name through SynthaSite [cost approximately $10], it will host it for you for free!  Gosh!  I’m paying $180 for the hosting of one of my own personal sites with its own unique web address.

The major disadvantage of these free sites is the limited access to design templates.  But even that gets better and better, with more offerings and with more options to customize the look within a template.

If you have already set up your own writer’s website, tell us about it so that we can come visit.  One of the best ways to learn about websites and blogging is to visit other sites for inspiration and ideas.  Just leave a comment by linking on the link below.

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Books for Writers: Which Are YOUR Favorites?

How about doing your fellow writers a favor?  Share with us the titles, and perhaps even a word or two, about your favorite books for writers.  Just click on the COMMENT link at the bottom of this post — it will only take a moment to share your thoughts.

Of course, with this question, I’m presuming that writers do in fact read books about the art, craft and business of writing.  But I could be wrong.  Maybe everyone finds that information now online.

Or perhaps you simply have not yet found the book that really answers the questions you have about writing.  If so, how about describing your “dream book” for you as a writer?  Maybe one of our readers will sit down and write it for you.

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