Comments on: TOP 30, Mind Maps, iPad’s Word Processor and PDF–again

By: Mark Welker

Mark Welker — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:03:53 +0000

Thanks Tom, I'm glad you liked the videos. Just a side hobby when I run out of things to write.

By: tomcolvin

tomcolvin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:10:14 +0000

Mark, just visited your home page. I find it especially appealing for some reason: simple, straight-forward, uncluttered — and somehow very human and emotional.

And the VIDEO clips! So evocative.

Good luck with your challenges for the year. Let me know when the novel is done.

And thanks for the note about MindMeister. I think you are right on. Mind mapping can be very helpful to some people — but for me, it's a time-waster. On the other hand, I've seen mind mapping used in group brainstorming sessions, where the technique really shined. An excellent tool for teachers.

By: Mark Welker

Mark Welker — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:43:04 +0000

Hi Tom, I tried using MindMeister for a while, which is completely online and free for up to 5 mindmaps. At first I thought it was the greatest writing tool known to man, but whilst the program is excellent for creating mindmaps, my writing process doesn't seem to benefit much from mindmapping.

In the end, I nut my story out by slogging away at the page. If I get stuck, plot points reveal themselves over days, not, unfortunately, in a couple of hours mapping my novel out. I found that updating my mind map was an afterthought, and mainly for procrastination purposes.

However, I think for non-fiction writers it would be perfect for keeping all their subjects/arguments logically together, or for those who do extensive plotting before they begin. Highly recommend MindMeister.

By: Authorian Legend

Authorian Legend — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:16:36 +0000

What software do you use? Right now I've been trying to use those story structuring software. The easiest so far has been Blake Snyder's Save The Cat.

By: tomcolvin

tomcolvin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:48:25 +0000

Authorian, while I'm not a fiction writer, I did look at some story structure programs a couple years ago. They were more like story outliners though. Would you be willing to a post, or even a short series, to share your experiences with story development software for our readership?

By: tomcolvin

tomcolvin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:40:04 +0000

Authorian, that's the way I think too. Learned to outline in high school, and really like the ease of building outlines with today's software tools.

By: Authorian Legend

Authorian Legend — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:05:44 +0000

Congratulations on making the list! I'm also not much into mind-mapping–I tried, and my brain ended up more cluttered. I'm more used to thinking in a linear fashion, making individual strands of thought then making connections later.