#yeah maybe writing scripts is easier than writing prose | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

goodluckclove · 3 months ago

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good evening monsieur clove i have realized in the past two weeks that i drag my feet when it comes to writing because words are not my preferred medium for communicating stories, much like how a prolific painter might not enjoy doing a full, detailed charcoal sketch. this said, should i or should i not turn my current fanfic ideas into comics/storyboards rather than written prose ?

Oh yeah! Absolutely!

I think different ideas are best for different mediums. That's something that I only recently had to learn wasn't common knowledge amongst artists here. There seems to be a weird preconception on certain writing communities that something has to be a novel, that you have to specifically turn this idea into a novel.

And that's - I mean, it's a noble thought to want to make any effort at all to make art. But if it isn't working and you're stuck in perpetual writer's block - perhaps even to the point where you start to assume that a fundamental part of being a writer is not writing - maybe it's time to expand your idea of Things You Can Write.

Maybe your idea isn't a novel. Maybe it's a play, or a movie, or a comic, or a short story, or a collection of short stories. Maybe it's something else entirely. Maybe it's a fucking ARG. Contrary to what other people seem to think, a novel isn't the only barrier to entry to be considered a Real Artist.

Short stories don't take less effort because they're shorter. If you think they do, maybe you're just naturally good at short stories (Which is very lucky because they're way easier to publish and sell so like why not lean into that?). And scripts for theater, film, and comic are each separate structures that have a ton of room for artistic flair and structural skill. Have you ever read the script of your favorite movie? It's really interesting how much it expands on the experience!

So yeah, different ideas require different homes. If you think your idea would work as a collection of storyboards or like a formatted script you can share with other artists, fucking do it.

I commonly adjust medium and structure for an idea if it isn't flowing the way I want it to. This mainly looks like going between prose and stageplay, because those are my two main realms. But if you only work in prose for now, you can also try switching POV or setting. Change the perspective of what you've already planned. Stephen King had a fun reoccurring bit in his writing where he would briefly hand over the perspective to what was essentially a walk-on player who would observe something spooky and then never be seen again. It can be fun for the reader and refreshing for the writer to play with different angles, you know?

Whatever you got to do, man. No Gods No Masters and shit. I would just truly love if we got rid of the weird ongoing generalization in communities like this that it's the norm for all writers to hate writing. Like, I'm probably the absolute wrong person to counter that thought, but that. Doesn't seem right? Or good or healthy?

#writeblr #writing community #writing resources #aspiring writers #writers supporting writers

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toomuchracket · 2 years ago

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love the concepts of reader being a writer and being in a relationship with matty. like imagine being writing a chapter in the kitchen and matty is like ‘go to bed is very late, you need to rest baby’ or sth like that. he supports you on everything!!!!

no i think it's the perfect relationship dynamic because they both understand that writing kind of has to happen whenever inspiration strikes - for matty, because his stuff is shorter form (lyrics being poetry rather than prose like his girl) and probably a bit easier to keep a handle on, i think he's the one who does kind of enforce time limits on writing sessions and things when they get a bit too excessive, so the love of his life doesn't get burnt out and exhausted. but he always feels a bit guilty for telling you that you need to go to bed after writing your book for fourteen straight hours, because matty's a total perfectionist and will spend as long as he needs to in the studio to get a song to sound right, and he doesn't want to come across as hypocritical (which you do call him when it's 3am in the studio and he's still rifling through vocoder effects or whatever for a song). but matty loves your writing (thinks it's better than his) and hearing your ideas, which you guys love to bounce off each other before developing some, and he always gets really teary when you dedicate your work to him or tell him he's inspired it. i also think he gets you in to collab on something with him, at some point - maybe a script for a music video, or a song you gave him an idea for, or (and this is my favourite) a series of essays relating and responding to songs on the new album like the artworks the band got done for noacf. but yeah, matty loves you and your writing, so much so that he isn't allowed to proof-read it anymore because he just hands you the draft back and says "perfect i love you no notes" and as cute as he is you're like "can you stop being a simp for two seconds and be helpful please?" lol <3

#mads muses #mads answers asks #into the birthday partyverse #fluff asks

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fappellmoan · 2 years ago

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for the fic asks - F G H S T !!

ahhhhh thank you!!! i'm gonna put the answers under the cut since this is kinda long lol

also guys i love talking abt myself so like feel free to send more <3

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Paranoid that other actors in these crimes will come busting down the doors at any moment, Nancy leans over the girl and taps on her face. “Please, please don’t do this.” Tears fall in a stream from her eyes onto Robin’s face. “Robin, get up! This isn’t funny.”

Blood pools against the her neck, burying her complexion in red. Nancy tries to feel for a pulse, but all she feels is the blood on her fingers. A scream works its way from the back of her throat to her teeth. “Wake up! Wake up! Fuck.”

i dont know if this, like, super counts as dialogue, but i really loved this part of two of a crime. and the following line after nancy flips out ( Nancy stumbles back into the warehouse, leaving the door open, and collapses in the room with Robin. She tries to stop the bleeding. Holds her hands against the girl’s neck. It’s not too deep, you’ll be okay , she tries to tell her, but she can’t get the words out. We’ll be okay. We made it, kid . ). nancy is so fucking smart and capable and incredible in action and that is beautiful to see! however. thinking about how she'd lost barb and quickly grown close to robin (which i called in this fic! js. i just knew they'd bond really quickly even if they did start as annoyances), watching her lose so much blood and shit i thought would of course get an insane reaction. like. she'd maybe really snap and break down. hence the ending. i think it's probably the most angsty thing i've ever written, and even if it's not all that bad, i'm really proud of it.

Mike blanches. “I don’t think I said that.”

“Oh, you definitely did.”

“Oh,” he nods, mind spinning, “well, you know…”

Will stands to be at Mike’s level, leans forward on his knees. Mike stops breathing. “I do,” he says, “but tell me again.”

Mike swallows down a breath of courage and suggests, “I think I might like you.” His eyes flit to Will’s lips, then back to his eyes. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll allow it,” Will says, a bright smile causing lines near his eyes. Mike smacks at his arm, nervous laughter coming out with a quiet, ‘Shut up.’

as an alternative i just. i love confident will! i wanted this to be as true to the characters as i could fathom while also being. perhaps mildly corny due to the holiday feel. i was really happy with this and tying the 'crazy together' moment back into it.

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

it sorta depends! i mostly write from start to finish, unless i have a specific moment/piece of dialogue that i know for sure i want later on. then it's a little easier to build around that and i sometimes find myself writing a far better build-up than there would've been otherwise, probably. i really admire writers that have plot points and stuff super planned out in advance, but i tend to just have a vague idea of what i want and feel it out as i go.

H: How would you describe your style?

god i really don't know. i'd love to hear how it's perceived lol. i am very... i tend to be comedic i think? i'm not afraid to be sarcastic/play with irony in my narration, to the point that i sometimes worry it won't come across well. i am also very dialogue-driven, which is something i want to work on. i literally like act out what the characters say sometimes to see if it feels realistic, and because of that i also probably overuse dialogue tags and little movements in between (almost like a script instead of 'prose' or whatever). i'm sort of fast-paced as well i think? idk i've very aware of pacing. like i'm rather quippy with my transitions and stuff because it just makes sense to me. i worry it's lazy sometimes but hey it works

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

waugh i don't know!! idk if i fall into tropes very often??? i've definitely like slipped in 'sharing a bed' quite a bit throughout the years, but i think that's as close as i get. honestly maybe i need to be more tropey.

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

hmm i think it goes without saying when people really change a character's personality to fall into a clean-cut dynamic (esp when it involves....... making one character way more submissive yk.) i cant think of any classic tropes that i specifically hate

#ask games #mutual tag #fic asks #srry this is so long. lol

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astrophobia-space-blog · 7 years ago

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Status Update: On hiatus (and a preview of some audio drama script!)

Hey folks! I haven’t been updating this Tumblr for a few months. I really appreciate all of your support, and you deserve to know what’s going on. So, here’s the official announcement:

Astrophobia — the audio drama, and the comic — are officially on-hold. :(

The long and the short of it is: I (Brandon) have some substantial chronic health problems. And they kept getting in the way of production so many times that I eventually had to bite the bullet and put the project on indefinite hold. I really hate doing that! All my writing projects are my babies. But of all the ideas I’ve come up with, Astrophobia is one of my all-time favorites. And I’ve been really excited to share the world that we’re developing with everybody.

Is this the end of our traumatized band of space adventurers? Nope! Megan (voice actor) and John (musician/producer) are still committed to the project. And they’ve let me know that I can take all the time that I need to get my health better. Meanwhile, Joe (the comic artist) has had to move on to other projects. But I’m hoping that, when the stars align, we’ll be able to make the comic version happen!

In the meantime, I’m dabbling in prose fiction. (For several reasons, including that it’s easier to produce around my health flares, and because if I have to take some time off from it, my absence isn’t impacting someone else in the chain of production.) And one of my goals with it is to produce some Astrophobia short stories and sell them to magazines and such! So there may be Astrophobia content sooner rather than later.

Again, thank you for your patience and support. I’m going to get back to this project as soon as humanly possible. For now, I thought I’d leave you with an audio drama monologue I wrote for Commander December Primrose that I’m partial to. (I’m really looking forward to hearing Megan record a version of this at some point!)

Orpheus, personal log. Hashtag "mission." ...And hashtag "anxiety."

[PAUSE: COLLECTING HER THOUGHTS] ...So, the longer we're out here, the less comfortable with our mission I'm getting. It's not... I don't mean the official mission. I mean our real mission. The one none of us actually talk about. Because, let's face it...

...Our mission is to die.

I, uh. A couple minutes ago, I made the mistake of looking up the history of deaths related to space exploration. I kind of skimmed it. I got through about the first fifty years — but by then I was too anxious to keep going.

I mean, they didn't teach us this stuff in Worlds History class! We learned about "Apollo 11" and the first moon landing, sure. But we didn't learn about "Apollo One." And that they were using a pure-oxygen breathing mix in the cabin of their vessel. There's a reason nobody uses pure oxygen in space! Because it catches fire. ...Like it did during an Apollo One launch rehearsal. And killed the whole crew.

Oh, speaking of Worlds History class: They taught us about Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union. And how he was the first person to reach space. But they didn't teach us about how he crashed a jet in a training exercise a few years later. And died. And they also left out that he was the backup pilot for the "Soyuz 1" mission. Where the parachute failed, and the descent module crashed. Killing the actual pilot.

Let's see... [PARAPHRASING FROM TEXT SHE'S READING] That first fifty years, there were two different American, uh, "space shuttles" that blew up... One during the launch, and the other during reentry... And there's... uh... well... Then there was Laika.

The first animal to orbit Earth was a dog. From the Soviet Union. She was a stray. They picked her up off the street. Ran some tests. Named her Laika. And then they shot her into space. But...

...They hadn't figured out how to de-orbit a spacecraft yet. They shot her into space. And they knew she wasn't coming home.

The Orpheus? Everyone on this ship? [PAUSE] Every single one of us is a "Laika." [PAUSE] I think that's starting to get to a lot of us.

I can see it on peoples' faces, each time we launch a warp buoy. A "message in a bottle." Our condition, current location... and where we're warping to next.

We do that so... when we disappear? When we stop sending updates back... I mean, there's no way for Earth to know how it happened! But this way, they'll know where we died. We, all of us on the ship. We know that. And it's right there, on everyone's faces.

I always look around when we do buoy-deployment. It's, like... everyone's jaws are clenched. And they're looking straight ahead. But they're not really looking at anything. [PAUSE] Or maybe they're looking at their own mortality? [PAUSE. DRYLY:] Wow, listen to that. I should quit my job and become a space poet.

I mean... the whole Orpheus Program? Our mission is to visit other star systems. One by one. And see if any of them hold threats to us. But, if we find a threat? Well. Unlikely that we'll live long enough to tell anybody.

So we clench our jaws. And send the buoys. And don't talk about the fact that, if we actually accomplish our mission, it's going to kill us all.

My point is... We — I mean, people. Us, as a species. Humans. We killed a stray dog, to help us all out. We killed her for our own knowledge. And... now...

...Now it's my turn. And Boone's, and Amadi's, and Wukong's.

It's a suicide mission. And we all signed up for it.

[PAUSE] There was one other early space program death that caught my eye. An American. I don't remember the name. He was flying a training jet. And a, uh, goose smashed into his canopy! His windshield shattered. Shards of it got sucked into his engines. Engines flamed out. He ejected. But he was too close to the ground for proper parachute deployment. And... yeah.

So maybe we aren't a bunch of Laikas. Maybe we'll go out like that American, instead. Victims of random chance. Colliding with "space geese."

So. I guess there's that to look forward to...

Brandon Seifert Austin, Texas April 21, 2018

#audio drama text #preview #devlog #Development log #status update

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zorilleerrant · 3 years ago

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2020

March

it’s just a poem that’s not exactly rigorous a poem about being nonbinary

How To Make Yourself Understood a poem about how hard communication is. there is no actual advice in this poem and it will in fact probably make it harder rather than easier to communicate.

Words a little Elsewhere University story about the power of words

May

Rick and Morty Fanfic: Animorty Cricksing: New Pants script format fanfic that’s about the family playing animal crossing. it was written for a prompt for a bingo but I abandoned that bingo

learn your history poem about the sanitizing of history

the end of the world yk a little song parody based on a post pretty much most people agreed sounded like one of a handful of songs

Faerie Circle an Elsewhere University story about changelings and their support group

Fandom: Two Jasons imagine if True Blood Jason and Good Place Jason met

June

Big Bad Wolf rewrite of Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf’s perspective. about the way in which marginalized identity is circumscribed within society (in this case, the easiest readings are transphobia and cultural appropriation but it’s not overly specific). one of my favorite pieces I’ve written to date

but isn’t it their right? a poem about rights and wrongs. given the timing I think this is about antimaskers or possibly antivaxxers but I can’t remember. tw for like most kinds of human rights abuses

the trolley not-my-problem a poem about racists and how they just always talk Like That. humorous. also it’s a villanelle it’s my favorite kind of poem

July

Artemis Fowl Movie Review I hated this movie! Here’s why. (Satire. But I really did hate the movie tho,)

August

HP Fanfic: Summary Judgement Sirius-centric fic where he realizes that maybe the criminal justice system that traps people in a cement block with soul sucking demons eating all their happiness until they go insane is not the best idea. Azkaban times. tw for police violence, state violence, human rights abuses, and graphic murder

Fanfic isn’t this is an essay pretty much. but it’s about how crap fanfic exists but that’s the entire point of literature

September

How to Write a Fantasy Protagonist satire. yeah this is only about women-centered fantasy series because I can’t stand reading the ones about men. I mean I could make a joke post about that too but it would be much more annoying and less funny. this is mostly a rant about my problems with the genre tho

November

you know I love you, right? poem. big tw for parental abuse and victim blaming

Coda to a Sixteen Book Epic Fantasy Series I Will Never Write what it says on the tin. just an epilogue thingy that I think would be an amusing ending to a super long and fairly dark and angsty series. ambiguously gay

the happily ever after prose poem about how people claim to support artistic freedom and then go and try to curtail artistic freedom. vent. like yeah it’s about spn but it’s also about every other major franchise. fans are. Like That sometimes

portrait of the artist prose poem about social expectations in the huge push of purity culture and yes I was going crazy trapped inside why

December

devil’s advocate a poem about playing devil’s advocate and why it’s a goddamn job

fandom: jedi a joke about The Mandalorian I dunno

bottlenecking prose poem about why I’m so tired of people talking about ‘diverse fiction’ and they don’t really mean diverse they just mean gay or whatever

christmas movie concept it’s christmas and there is a horrible goose

fandom: sequel to Happiest Season just an outline of how I would like the sequel to be

WHC AU: Surprise Kid prompt. about my WHC universe characters encountering a surprise kid from the future. will probably write more about this story at some point

#blogkeeping

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impactrueno · 4 years ago

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hey saw your ask about reading recs - it might not be for you, but i sometimes find reading play scripts a lot easier than reading fiction books. i have adhd so sometimes its tricky for me to focus on big blocks of descriptive text and because plays are formatted to be more spaced out on the page and are mostly dialogue and action i sometimes find it easier to consume because it 'gets to the point' quicker yknow? so maybe if you find it tricky to make it through books that could work?

it could work! i have adhd too and honestly i thought about doing this at one point but the thing is...id like to read prose. i think itd help me get better at writing. its something i always wished i was better at but always struggled with so yeah! tryin to achieve that

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whereverthemusetakesme · 5 years ago

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I really want to make some original story content, but it just seems like so much work...

Does that make me sound lazy? I don’t even know.

I’ve just... always liked the idea of making my own stories and stuff. Ever since I was really young, I’ve had a head full of unwritten fanfic for whatever I was interested in at the time - way before I knew what fanfic even was! - and I guess it was in my last year of primary school that kind of splintered off into wanting to make my own fiction property. That led to an on-again-off-again story that, other than drawing a lot of spontaneous characters for it and occasionally using them in English creative-writing assignments, didn’t amount to much outside my head as fanworks kind of eclipsed them all, until I seriously started to consider writing something of my own while I was at uni.

Even so, though...

I dunno. I have ideas, but... it’s taken me upwards of seven years, on and off, to hammer my main one of those into something I’m actually working on with the intent to ultimately post it anywhere. Even then, I’ve still got a lot of scripting and a lot of drawing work ahead of me, and while on the one hand that’s exciting?

It’s just taking me so long that, I dunno. I suppose any big project takes time, but I’m as slow at it as I am at rping... which is something I know you’ve all experienced from me xD;

I suppose it comes down to me being too much of a perfectionist, in truth? I greatly dislike the idea of putting out anything that isn’t absolutely my best work, so if I don’t feel like I’m in a mood to put out my best work I just... avoid doing any of it. Not exactly my greatest habit.

I mean, for example... the story I mentioned before? Would you believe that I tried to start writing it as a prose story no less than six times? Only to take so long at it that I would eventually reach the point where, a handful of chapters in, I’d scrap the whole thing, just because it was no longer up to my slowly-but-steadily-improving standards, and start it from the beginning again?

I know... I know the common advice that first drafts are always garbage so that doesn’t even matter. Like I said... overly perfectionistic.

It’s like... I’ve put so much work into this story already, and I haven’t even got past the third page of actually drawing it (and the script is still half-finished too but SHHH, I’m working on that simultaneously, to give me the added motivation to actually finish it this time!). I can’t even imagine how much more effort it’s going to take to turn it into a fully finalised, fully polished thing in the end.

And then on the side I have SEVERAL OTHER STORIES I want to work on in various formats, including a far-too-ambitious ANIMATED SERIES that I would be working on all myself and I just...

Where am I even GOING with this all?

I just want to make up stories and share them. I don’t have any other ‘grand design’ with this, I just want to make things up for other people (and myself) to enjoy. I suppose any such project takes time, but it seems other creators can just churn works out in a matter of weeks or months, while I’m over here in my little corner like...

“Hey, you remember that one project I started in literally 2012? Yeah, still on that thing...“

Granted, the story has become a whole different beast than it was back then. And I remember hearing that even Disney, of all companies, had some of their movies that took them literal years to hammer out the concept for, so maybe I shouldn’t be too put off. But if this, my first attempt at a big project, has taken me so long to get anywhere...

I don’t know, I’m rambling. I suppose this is why most published comics and movies and whatever have whole teams of people working on them, rather than just one guy trying to manage everything himself. Or maybe I just need to pull myself together, stop wasting time by procrastinating, and just get on with the thing whether I ‘feel like it’ or not. I dunno.

What I do know is that seeing so many finished products around sure makes the process look a whole lot easier than it actually is when you’re right in the middle of it xD;;

#ooc #Mun rambles #and I mean... REALLY rambles #venting #kinda?#Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't put all my rp commitments and stuff on hold #and just fully focus my creative energy on these projects instead of dividing it like this?#But I dunno if that would *help* or just make me feel even more pressured so...#I dunno I'm bad at this xD;;;

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l-x-ie · 7 years ago

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1-40 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

1) Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

mmm I’d say romance I guess, I like having an undertone in my fics even if it isn’t the main thing.

2) Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Soulmates :3

3) Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

idk man, like… idk

4) How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

oh ho, oh HO, OH HO! Boooiiiiii 14 at least wait… 15 mmmmmMMMMMMM, which one, which one, I guess I’m most excited about the soulmate au :>

5) Share one of your strengths.

I’m very good at foreshadowing and little hints left in my fics if they need it.

6) Share one of your weaknesses.

Describing feelings, they seem very 2-D to me for some reason

7) Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“Despite what he imagined he’d do if Keith ever came crawling back to his life, he never actually expected it. Which is why, when he answered the door he expected Hunk or Pidge, maybe even Shiro, Allura, or Coran. Never did he ever think that it would be Keith Kogane staring at him through too long bangs.

His heart stuttered to a stop and he’s ninety percent sure when he opened the door Keith punched him in the solar plexus because he didn’t have air. And his chest hurt. Just from seeing him in his damn doorway six months of work just flew out the damn window.

He did what he always fantasized.

He slammed the door in his goddamned face.”

Granted I do really like the first beginning of this fic but like, I think this sums it up well. Also, SCIENCE!! I’m proud of the research man.

8) Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

”“—eith! –eith! –o! –an’t do thi–!” A hand touched his shoulder and he screamed, hoarse and raw. Instantly the hand left but two cupped his face, bringing it up to see a familiar one. “What did you do! You’re the Meister! It’s my job to protect you! It’s my job to protect you!”

Black.”

….I just like the line

9) Which fic has been the hardest to write?

…..the fic that shall not be named petal soft but it’s untagged, only on tumblr so no one can freaking find it again!!

Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Toss up between Meister of One and Tom Cruisin’

10) Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?

I’d say both. it’s a fun hobby that i do and relaxes me most of the time but it is passion because I love it.

11) Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Just the whole of season 3 fam

12) What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

fudge I don’t know, all of them have points that are valid??? The only tag I really have is writing reference and I think they have valid points.

13) What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

fudgenuggets I don’t know

14) If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Considering one of them is based on a film…. but other than that one I think Meister of One would be super cool to film because of the way I set up the transitions.

15) If you only could write one pairing for the rest of your life, which pairing would it be?

Klance.

That’s seriously a no brainer, that’s all I ever really write hehehe

16) Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Start to finish but if I come up with something good I write it down for later

17) Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?

Yeeeetttt

18) Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?

…..he had a man in the basement???

Uh, not really

19) Describe your perfect writing conditions.

Physically alone, mid-afternoon, sunny but shaded, inside at a table with snacks and water nearby with NOTHING TO DO BUT WRITE.

20) How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Once or twice through before I say fuck it.

21) Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style. (Person sending the ask is free to make suggestions).

*inhales* I think my old writing style for voltron is pretty close to the same but then I’d have to go get my old fics and I don’t really wanna look at that trash.

*looks* uuuggghhhhhh, yeah, I’m not touching that with a ten foot pole.

22) If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?

All of them

23) Have you ever deleted one of your published fics?

Yes, It was very petty. I deleted my friend’s bedtime story because another friend said I wouldn’t.

24) What do you look for in a beta?

Someone who looks for the quality of content I suppose and tells it to you in a respectful but truthful manner but still affirms your faith in yourself as a writer.

25) Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?

I guess? I like doing it but I’m not “officially” and if I was see above.

26) How do you feel about collaborations?

Fuuuuuunnn

27) Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

Uuggghhh witty_name, Zizzani, Mytay, I guess they all have excellent writing quality, the characters are in character for their particular situations, they’re amusing and balanced with the seriousness, and what parts are meant to be funny are, excellent plots, they’re just really good.

28) If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there notwritten by yourself, which would you choose?

Not gonna lie I would do more of a companion fic to Lonely Will Wait by ciuucalata (when she’s done ofc)

29) Do you accept prompts?

yeet! It’s easier writing for people, most of my fics are because they’re for my friends.

30) Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

I love being canon compliant but sometimes I feel that you need to take some liberties because they would be in a completely different situation and environment.

31) How do you feel about smut?

Read it, enjoyed some, there are really good fics out there with smut or just smut, have not written any though.

32) How do you feel about crack?

………I don’t wanna talk about it…33) What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?

Eeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, no to non-con but if it turns out to be consensual in the end of a dub-con because it was consensual in the first place but needed to be dub-con for the somewhat plot then yeet.

34) Would you ever kill off a canon character?

…I… do not know ….maybe?

35) Which is your favorite site to post fic?

Ao3

36) Talk about your current wips.

Currently written written and published, Altea High, Klance Sky High AU, currently on Ch. 7 a third through Ch. 8 (which is gonna be a big ch. btw) slowburn, briefly has Nyma and Lance but endgame is klance, uh, keith has firepowers, Lance has ice powers, there’s Shay and Plaxum and they become friends with someone and helps with their development.

Others are not published so I won’t speak of those, shhhh

37) Talk about a review that made your day.

How do I choose just one??

”Hi! I love what you’ve written so far it’s amazing and I love your writing style!!! Keep up the good work!!! Do you know how many chapters you have planned by any chance? No matter what I will enjoy every one so great job!” From AceStuckInSpace

”This was fantastic! I enjoyed the flashback bits that showed how their meister/weapon relationship progressed. I now have an urge to rewatch Soul Eater, aha. Loved this a lot =)” from xLindziex

“Well.Im.FCK off. …. Bye…. Nice writing btw” from @bleusarcelle huehuehue

And, like, a WHOLE bunch of others.

38) Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

I haven’t gotten any rude reviews actually.

39) Write an alternative ending to Paper Cranes and Paper Friends (or just the summary of one).

Footsteps approach his seat, he starts to get up, to get out of the way, but a tanned hand lies on his forearm.

”Uhm, excuse me, but, I noticed that you were just sitting here.” A young man with a warm smile and blue, crystalline ocean blue, eyes and rich brown skin fidgeting next to him. He licked his lips and offered another smile. “Do you, uh, have a pen? Maybe?”

“Uhm, sure,” Keith rummaged through his bag and handed him a simple ballpoint.

The man looked at the pen in his hand blankly for a second. Blinked. “Great! Uh, do you have any paper?”

Keith looked through his bag again and shook his head. “Sorry, no paper.”

The man with the blue eyes looked pointedly at the paper cranes scattered about Keith’s person. He flushed and handed him a larger crane. “If this would work?”

He merely took the crane with a smile, effortlessly unwrapping it and scribbling something before folding it again and handing Keith both the crane and the pen. “If you feel like talking more about origami, Keith.”

With that he smiled and waved before jogging from sight.

Keith looked at the newly folded crane in his hand, the black numbers wrapped around in rounded script, and smiled.

…….I think I’m missing one…

3 notes · View notes

changterhune · 6 years ago

Text

Musing on the Muse

As I announced the recent release of my latest novel Tribal Malfunctions a friend said they admired my prolific output. I was humbled and gratified. Also puzzled to a degree.

But they were right, for sure. As of this writing I’m about to finish issue 3 of my comic Bunnyhead which I write, draw and color myself. I’m figuring out which songs are going on two albums due out in the beginning of next year (2019). I’m working on issue #4 of Bunnyhead and have also written the script for a new comic about a gangster. Oh and I started writing prose for the first time in a long while last night and it looks like that will become a full blown novel.

Yeah that’s kinda prolific.

Also kind of insane.

I guess you could say I’ve learned to tame and use my muse instead of it being the other way around. I’ve long held the belief instilled in me by Mary Robinette Kowal that your muse isn’t in control of you like some flighty spirit; your muse is in fact a muscle that needs to be exercised and developed to work best for you and not you for it.

And I’ve done that to a degree. If the rest of my body looked like my writing muscle I’d look as ripped as Matthew McGonaughey in Magic Mike. I’m working on that but anyway I’ve got a solid writing muscle and know how to use it. In fact I daresay I’ve gotten it so well-tuned and adjusted that I don’t need to work it as regularly as I used to in order to make it work. I’m not saying I’m Tolstoy up in this piece but I’m pretty good at banging out the words as needed on time and within the limits prescribed.

While currently not professionaly published I have self-published five novels to date - in addition to the comics - and written at least two dozen short stories (They’re all making the rounds and my Pulitzer and Hugo acceptance speeches are constantly being finetuned and updated). By my own estimation that’s put me at over half a million words. And since I’ve been doing this writing thing hardcore for the last ten years…

Well I’m not going to call myself a master per se but let’s just say I know how to put a sentence together.

But back to the prolific thing.

As I said I’ve gotten to the point where I can write as needed. The muse does strike though more often than not I must sit and work storylines and plotholes out like knots in wood or lumps in gravy. I keep notes on story ideas and works in progress so they’re readily available when needed. I don’t need the muse to srike but when it does I go to work with quite a bit more charge and fervor than usual.

When the muse does strike hard it’s weird. For instance this new story I’m working on came to me as the germ of an idea from a single line. From that line I saw an image, a scene I could write about. I let it run around in my head for a bit before I felt I could write in a few sentences after it. Once I started that first line the next couple sentences came with a little coaxing. Then the first paragraph was done. The next paragraph came a little easier. And the one after that a little moreso. Before long I had a page and was digging where I was headed. 3,500 words later I had the beginning of a new novel. Hot damn!

But it’s not always like that. In fact sometimes it’s a drag.

The best way I can describe it is… Well there’s this movie from 1971 called Cold Turkey with Dick Van Dyke about a small town in Iowa that quits smoking. And there’s this one scene where DVD is at the breakfast table chewing carrot sticks to fight off the urge to smoke. He’s listening to the radio and this show is on and - well here’s the link to it. Just watch and listen.

So that’s me and my muse: Dick Van Dyke banging his redhead wife to keep from smoking! I never said I was classy (By the way that’s Bob & Ray playing the radio annoncer and guest!). But it really illistrates my image of how it works when a story or idea grips me. It’s with an almost grim determination that I have to do my duty to my craft, get up off my ass and go write or draw or what have you. I love it, I love the feeling of being inspired enough to create while at the same time it can be a little daunting. There are times when I’d rather be doing something else or need to get something else done but the story or comic is beckoning. And I know that despite training, working, developing and flexing my muse I really can’t do anything else but give in, let it take me upstairs and do with me what it needs to do to get things done.

Maybe I should take up smoking?

Nah. The muse is stronger without it.

Now if you’l excuse me I have to go make up a few thousand words about an imaginary thing.

#muse #creativity #writing #music #art #artist #illustration #writer #writingcomics #graphic novels #cathode ray tube #chang terhune #bunnyhead #bunnyhead comic

0 notes

realtor10036 · 6 years ago

Text

Content Workflow Using Github And Markdown

Table of Contents

Intro: The problem The Four Rules Of Content Workflow Setting Up Your Tools Getting Ready To Write Writing Committing (Saving) Your Work Publishing Repurposing Resources

TL;DR We publish digital content. We write and create for the internet and screens. But our content workflow dates back to the days of desktop publishing. This post suggests a better way that uses Github and Markdown. It gets away from word processors and folders, helping you create content that’s ready for reuse. It uses readily available tools that won’t bloat your work or lock you into proprietary formats. Read on for a step-by-step walkthru. With a few stops for ranting and raving.

A couple years ago I measured how I spend time when writing. I wanted to see where/if I could tweak my content workflow. The result was so depressing I wore the same pair of cycling socks for a week:

It takes me about 90 minutes to write a 750-word blog post. In that time, I spend:

45 minutes writing

15 minutes editing

30 minutes doing… what exactly?

Wait. What? That can’t be right. I spend a third of my time on a writing project not writing.

What. The. Actual. Fucklebucket.*

So I checked my notes.

33% of writing time is sucked out of me by time-wasting stupidity:

Flailing around, trying to clean up a formatting problem in a blog post

Troubleshooting software problems

Digging up the second version of my intro, which I think I liked better than the fifth and sixth, but I honestly can’t remember because I usually just delete and type over stuff

Trying to figure out how the hell I create a smart quote

Reformatting a whole Word doc because the editor wants it in Google Docs format

Recapturing images because they’re all embedded in the document, and they look like poo

All these examples fall into two groups: Formatting and version management. Both are our jobs. Even if we have our own editorial and design team

HAHAHAHA DID I JUST SAY THAT BECAUSE YEAH SURE I HAVE 3 PEOPLE AT MY BECK AND CALL JUST TO MAKE SURE MY STUFF LOOKS GOOD HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA cough sniff

we’re responsible for the first pass. Formatting and version management is part of our job.

And we suck at them.

We worry about flinging the next blog post over the wall, instead of creating versatile content that we can publish anywhere and reuse anytime.

We’ve Got Problems

We think about decoration first, structure second.

We worry about flinging the next blog post over the wall, instead of creating versatile content that we can publish anywhere and reuse anytime.

We save five minutes now and cost ourselves hours later.

We spend our time on writing, editing, and publishing. But we ignore the stuff that moves content between those steps: Workflow. So our workflow is riddled with potholes and broken glass. We still have to move from writing to editing to publishing. But instead of helping, the workflow slows us down.

An Outdated Workflow For Outdated Tools

We’re working on the internet, but we use tools created for desktop publishing in the 1980s. Yes, even you fresh-faced youngsters with healthy backs and no ear hair are using the software equivalent of antiques.

I’m talking about Word Processors. Word processors weren’t designed for writing. They were designed for typing and decorating. Word, Google Docs, and their devil-spawn relatives were designed to bring bold type and Comic Sans to the masses. They are not designed to help writers create, manage, and publish structured content.

I’m also talking about storage. Files saved in folders—online or off—are a metaphor for paper and filing cabinets. They’re about as useful as the corded phone I now use as a doorstop. They were created so that one person (maybe two) could work on one piece of content at a time.

Sure, there are tools out there that claim to update all of this, streamline workflow, etc. They all become bloated, expensive versions of the word processors and dated storage metaphors they try to replace. Fancier potholes. Prettier broken glass.

So poof. A third of my time gone because I’m spending my time in Dropbox and plinking away in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

We need a better way to do this.

Find A Better Way

This is what I’ve worked out: A workflow that creates structured, reusable content. It lets me manage versions across devices and multiple writers. And it works well for 750-word blog posts as well as chapter books.

Most important, it lets me spend more time writing.

There’s a nice benefit to all this, too: Your writing looks better on the web. Let’s face it: Most of us write for the web. We’re publishing blog posts day in, day out. Use this workflow and your writing is web-ready (I hate that phrase, but it works here). It looks better, loads faster, and gets view source-ing HTML geeks like me nodding with approval.

Feel free to try all or some of it.

Also feel free to hunt me down on LinkedIn or Twitter: @portentint and https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianlurie/

The Four Rules Of Content Workflow

First, a successful workflow has to follow these four rules:

Structure > Format And Design

Structure matters more than format or design: The fact that you have say, a level one heading is more important than exactly how that level one heading looks, because it may look different on various platforms.

You can pour well-structured content into lots of different formats, from Microsoft Word to HTML. You can easily change the design of well-structured content using CSS or any other templates, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

You can also easily repurpose well-structured content, adapting it from prose to presentation to script.

So a good content workflow has to support structure first, format and design second.

Proprietary Tools Are Traps

Tools—word processors, for example—trap us with proprietary formats. They also trap us on specific devices.

Yes, I can open a Google Doc or Word file on my phone. Yes, I could edit it. But I won’t, because it’s awful.

I need a cross-platform process that’s as tool-independent as possible.

Repurposing Is Inevitable

Smart content creators re-use their work.

E-books become blog series

Blog posts become slide decks

Transcripts become blog posts

Word documents become Google Docs become HTML

I’m going to repurpose content. My workflow has to support that.

Good Writers Are Orderly Hoarders

I always seem to delete an old file moments before I need it. Or I forget why I made an edit. Or I edit in circles, ending up back where I started.

We need to keep everything for every project:

All revisions and drafts

All image files

All other supporting files

The full change history for all of the above

And we need to keep it in an organized format.

Setting Up Your Tools

You only have to do this work once. If you’ve never used these tools, there’s a learning curve that feels pretty short if you’ve been using desktop software.

Still, it takes a little patience to install new stuff. Take the extra time now, and you’ll save hours later.

Install Markdown Tools

First, you’re going to work in Markdown. I’ve already written about why, so I won’t waste too many words on it here. Markdown is a super-simple markup language that’s perfect for writers. Everything you’re reading right now started as Markdown.

There’s also a great tutorial here and a syntax cheatsheet here.

You can write Markdown using a plain text editor, then preview and export it to other formats, like HTML.

But there are a few Markdown-focused editors that make it easier. They still use plain text—no proprietary formatting—but they flatten the learning curve. My favorite is Typora.

Typora

Typora runs on OS X, Windows and Linux. Type in Markdown and Typora gives you an instant preview. So if I type:

# Typora

It instantly turns that into a level one heading “Typora.”

Download it here: typora.io.

Note: When you install Typora, go to Preferences or Settings (depending on the operating system). Find the Markdown tab/settings. Make sure you uncheck “Smart Quotes:”

Turn off smart quotes in Typora

Typora is filled with all sorts of other niftiness, like key combos to add links and set headings. Be sure to explore it.

Other Options

I also really like:

Dillinger.io

iaWriter

Ulysses

And my longtime favorite, atom.io. Atom is a pure text editor, so it’s not as friendly, but it’s fast as heck and easy to customize. If you want to get nerdier, that’s your best choice.

You can use a standalone preview and export tool like Marked 2, or automate advanced templating and batching with Pandoc (very steep learning curve, very powerful). But for 99% of your work, Typora’s export features will work just fine.

Set Up Version Control With Github

Rule of Content Workflow Number Four: We need to be orderly hoarders. To do that, use Github.

Developers built it to support developers. But what do developers do? They type stuff into files. They save the files. They manage versions of those files while lots of other developers edit and contribute.

So this tool they built is perfect for writers, too. And while it looks scary, it isn’t that hard to learn.

Install Git on your computer. You can get the Windows installer here and the OS X installer here. If you’re on Linux, I’ll assume you know what you’re doing.

Go to github.com

Set up an account

Download the Github desktop client

You’re all set.

Git will let you track changes with far more detail than Microsoft Word, and pass your work around for simultaneous revisions or contributions by lots of other people.

It’s also close to bulletproof, which you’ll really appreciate if you’ve ever used the revision tracking in Word, Google Docs and other tools.

One Last Gadget

Go get TextExpander. Yes, it costs a little money. It’s worth it.

After you install it, subscribe to this snippet group:

HTML Entities

It’s where I keep the shortcuts I use to create smart quotes and such. They’re handy if you’re in a hurry or can’t remember the HTML entity for a smart right quote (like me).

What You’ve Got

You’re ready to follow all four rules of content workflow:

Markdown and Typora help you create structure

You’re not using any proprietary formats

The resulting content will be easily repurposed from one format to another

Thanks to Github, you’ll be an orderly hoarder

Hopefully, this whole process didn’t take more than fifteen minutes. If it did, I apologize. Please throw empty beverage cans at me the next time you see me. Empty ones. It’s not like I stole your car or something.

Getting Ready To Write

I’ve got lots of steps here, but this takes about five minutes, start to finish:

Step 1: Create Your Work Folder And File

Your work needs a home. Create one in advance. I’m writing this to prep for Learn Inbound. I’m going to have images and some supporting files.

Now, create your markdown file.

Create a folder where your work will live. I’m writing this to prep for Learn Inbound. I’m going to have images and some supporting files. I create folders accordingly

Open Typora

Click File >> New

Save the file in your work folder. You can name it whatever you want. I’m not feeling all that creative, so I’ll name it “post.”

You’ll end up with this:

For bonus points, in Typora, click View >> Outline and you’ll see a nice heading-based outline of your work as you write. It’s a structural view of your content. And structure is what we’re all about, right?

Outline View In Typora

Step 2: Create Your Github Repository

Git is pretty intimidating until you break it down into steps:

Open Github Desktop

Click File >> Add Local Repository

Choose your work folder

If Github Desktop asks, click create a repository here

Create a new repository in Github Desktop

Click Create Repository or Add Repository as relevant

Github does its thing. If you look in your folder and can see hidden files, you may see some stuff like this. They belong there. Let them go on with their lives:

Ignore these

You’ll also see the repository appear on the left, much like this:

Git repository, added to Github Desktop

It won’t have the lock until you push the repository to Github.com.

Now that you did all that, here’s a tip: You can also create a repository by dragging a folder into Github Desktop. But if you do, I deny all responsibility. I’ve had very odd results with drag and drop. Which is reasonable from a tool built by folks who probably haven’t used a mouse in 20 years. I say that with the utmost respect and awe.

Step 3: Put Your Repository On Github.com

So far, you’ve got a Github repository on your local computer. That’s not all that helpful. Now you need to “push” all of this up to Github. That way, your files are backed up, you can retrieve them anywhere, and you can have other folks work on your writing.

In Github Desktop, click the Publish Repository button. Here’s what it looks like on OS X:

Publish repository from Github Desktop

Check Keep this code private

Unless you’ve set up a Github organization or have an enterprise account (you’ll know if you do), don’t change any other settings

Click Publish Repository

If you’re not logged into Github, you’ll get a login prompt.

Github desktop pushes files up to the cloud and creates a repository on your Github account

Done. If you want to geek out, log into github.com. You’ll see that your new repository is all comfy and cozy:

Your content project, on Github

Large Projects

Github kicks buttocks if you’re creating something large and complicated. If you’re working on a big project, you’ll want to do a couple other things:

Add a readme.md. it’s a special file that Github will show as part of your project’s “home page.” It’s an excellent place to make notes for the rest of the team

Invite others to the repository. Sharing is caring (the kind of thing I write on a Sunday when I’ve rewritten this post five times)

Learn how branches work. I wrote a very short bit about that below. Someday I’ll write a separate post

What You’ve Got

You should now have:

A home for your work, both on your desktop and on Github.com

Your first files

Between that and a few bathroom breaks, you’ve spent about ten minutes.

Now you can write!

Writing

You know what to do. Write stuff. Add images and whatever else you need. A few time- and sanity savers:

Structure

Remember Rule Number One: Structure is more important than format.

Use the handy outline on the left side of Typora for an at-a-glance structural view of your content:

Outline view shows me where I'm at in the content structure

If you’re working on a large, multi-file project, you can change the outline to a file tree. Then you can see all text and Markdown files. I’m an outline fan myself.

Syntax

This isn’t a guide to Markdown. You can find that here.

But follow these guidelines:

Headings

Headings are the core of good structure. Web browsers, search engines, word processors, presentation software and most other content tools convert headings into content blocks and outline elements. You must use them.

When you create a heading, use this syntax:

# Heading 1

## Heading 2

### Heading 3

And so on. That creates real, structural headlines.

In HTML, that markup becomes proper markup for each..

https://ift.tt/2x7TFds

#Content Workflow Using Github And Markdown

0 notes

inetmrktng75247 · 6 years ago

Text

Content Workflow Using Github And Markdown

Table of Contents

Intro: The problem The Four Rules Of Content Workflow Setting Up Your Tools Getting Ready To Write Writing Committing (Saving) Your Work Publishing Repurposing Resources

A couple years ago I measured how I spend time when writing. I wanted to see where/if I could tweak my content workflow. The result was so depressing I wore the same pair of cycling socks for a week:

It takes me about 90 minutes to write a 750-word blog post. In that time, I spend:

45 minutes writing

15 minutes editing

30 minutes doing… what exactly?

Wait. What? That can’t be right. I spend a third of my time on a writing project not writing.

What. The. Actual. Fucklebucket.*

So I checked my notes.

33% of writing time is sucked out of me by time-wasting stupidity:

Flailing around, trying to clean up a formatting problem in a blog post

Troubleshooting software problems

Digging up the second version of my intro, which I think I liked better than the fifth and sixth, but I honestly can’t remember because I usually just delete and type over stuff

Trying to figure out how the hell I create a smart quote

Reformatting a whole Word doc because the editor wants it in Google Docs format

Recapturing images because they’re all embedded in the document, and they look like poo

All these examples fall into two groups: Formatting and version management. Both are our jobs. Even if we have our own editorial and design team

HAHAHAHA DID I JUST SAY THAT BECAUSE YEAH SURE I HAVE 3 PEOPLE AT MY BECK AND CALL JUST TO MAKE SURE MY STUFF LOOKS GOOD HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA cough sniff

we’re responsible for the first pass. Formatting and version management is part of our job.

And we suck at them.

We worry about flinging the next blog post over the wall, instead of creating versatile content that we can publish anywhere and reuse anytime.

We’ve Got Problems

We think about decoration first, structure second.

We worry about flinging the next blog post over the wall, instead of creating versatile content that we can publish anywhere and reuse anytime.

We save five minutes now and cost ourselves hours later.

An Outdated Workflow For Outdated Tools

So poof. A third of my time gone because I’m spending my time in Dropbox and plinking away in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

We need a better way to do this.

Find A Better Way

Most important, it lets me spend more time writing.

Feel free to try all or some of it.

Also feel free to hunt me down on LinkedIn or Twitter: @portentint and https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianlurie/

The Four Rules Of Content Workflow

First, a successful workflow has to follow these four rules:

Structure > Format And Design

You can also easily repurpose well-structured content, adapting it from prose to presentation to script.

So a good content workflow has to support structure first, format and design second.

Proprietary Tools Are Traps

Tools—word processors, for example—trap us with proprietary formats. They also trap us on specific devices.

Yes, I can open a Google Doc or Word file on my phone. Yes, I could edit it. But I won’t, because it’s awful.

I need a cross-platform process that’s as tool-independent as possible.

Repurposing Is Inevitable

Smart content creators re-use their work.

E-books become blog series

Blog posts become slide decks

Transcripts become blog posts

Word documents become Google Docs become HTML

I’m going to repurpose content. My workflow has to support that.

Good Writers Are Orderly Hoarders

I always seem to delete an old file moments before I need it. Or I forget why I made an edit. Or I edit in circles, ending up back where I started.

We need to keep everything for every project:

All revisions and drafts

All image files

All other supporting files

The full change history for all of the above

And we need to keep it in an organized format.

Setting Up Your Tools

You only have to do this work once. If you’ve never used these tools, there’s a learning curve that feels pretty short if you’ve been using desktop software.

Still, it takes a little patience to install new stuff. Take the extra time now, and you’ll save hours later.

Install Markdown Tools

There’s also a great tutorial here and a syntax cheatsheet here.

You can write Markdown using a plain text editor, then preview and export it to other formats, like HTML.

But there are a few Markdown-focused editors that make it easier. They still use plain text—no proprietary formatting—but they flatten the learning curve. My favorite is Typora.

Typora

Typora runs on OS X, Windows and Linux. Type in Markdown and Typora gives you an instant preview. So if I type:

# Typora

It instantly turns that into a level one heading “Typora.”

Download it here: typora.io.

Note: When you install Typora, go to Preferences or Settings (depending on the operating system). Find the Markdown tab/settings. Make sure you uncheck “Smart Quotes:”

Turn off smart quotes in Typora

Typora is filled with all sorts of other niftiness, like key combos to add links and set headings. Be sure to explore it.

Other Options

I also really like:

Dillinger.io

iaWriter

Ulysses

And my longtime favorite, atom.io. Atom is a pure text editor, so it’s not as friendly, but it’s fast as heck and easy to customize. If you want to get nerdier, that’s your best choice.

Set Up Version Control With Github

Rule of Content Workflow Number Four: We need to be orderly hoarders. To do that, use Github.

So this tool they built is perfect for writers, too. And while it looks scary, it isn’t that hard to learn.

Install Git on your computer. You can get the Windows installer here and the OS X installer here. If you’re on Linux, I’ll assume you know what you’re doing.

Go to github.com

Set up an account

Download the Github desktop client

You’re all set.

Git will let you track changes with far more detail than Microsoft Word, and pass your work around for simultaneous revisions or contributions by lots of other people.

It’s also close to bulletproof, which you’ll really appreciate if you’ve ever used the revision tracking in Word, Google Docs and other tools.

One Last Gadget

Go get TextExpander. Yes, it costs a little money. It’s worth it.

After you install it, subscribe to this snippet group:

HTML Entities

It’s where I keep the shortcuts I use to create smart quotes and such. They’re handy if you’re in a hurry or can’t remember the HTML entity for a smart right quote (like me).

What You’ve Got

You’re ready to follow all four rules of content workflow:

Markdown and Typora help you create structure

You’re not using any proprietary formats

The resulting content will be easily repurposed from one format to another

Thanks to Github, you’ll be an orderly hoarder

Getting Ready To Write

I’ve got lots of steps here, but this takes about five minutes, start to finish:

Step 1: Create Your Work Folder And File

Your work needs a home. Create one in advance. I’m writing this to prep for Learn Inbound. I’m going to have images and some supporting files.

Now, create your markdown file.

Create a folder where your work will live. I’m writing this to prep for Learn Inbound. I’m going to have images and some supporting files. I create folders accordingly

Open Typora

Click File >> New

Save the file in your work folder. You can name it whatever you want. I’m not feeling all that creative, so I’ll name it “post.”

You’ll end up with this:

Outline View In Typora

Step 2: Create Your Github Repository

Git is pretty intimidating until you break it down into steps:

Open Github Desktop

Click File >> Add Local Repository

Choose your work folder

If Github Desktop asks, click create a repository here

Create a new repository in Github Desktop

Click Create Repository or Add Repository as relevant

Github does its thing. If you look in your folder and can see hidden files, you may see some stuff like this. They belong there. Let them go on with their lives:

Ignore these

You’ll also see the repository appear on the left, much like this:

Git repository, added to Github Desktop

It won’t have the lock until you push the repository to Github.com.

Step 3: Put Your Repository On Github.com

In Github Desktop, click the Publish Repository button. Here’s what it looks like on OS X:

Publish repository from Github Desktop

Check Keep this code private

Unless you’ve set up a Github organization or have an enterprise account (you’ll know if you do), don’t change any other settings

Click Publish Repository

If you’re not logged into Github, you’ll get a login prompt.

Github desktop pushes files up to the cloud and creates a repository on your Github account

Done. If you want to geek out, log into github.com. You’ll see that your new repository is all comfy and cozy:

Your content project, on Github

Large Projects

Github kicks buttocks if you’re creating something large and complicated. If you’re working on a big project, you’ll want to do a couple other things:

Add a readme.md. it’s a special file that Github will show as part of your project’s “home page.” It’s an excellent place to make notes for the rest of the team

Invite others to the repository. Sharing is caring (the kind of thing I write on a Sunday when I’ve rewritten this post five times)

Learn how branches work. I wrote a very short bit about that below. Someday I’ll write a separate post

What You’ve Got

You should now have:

A home for your work, both on your desktop and on Github.com

Your first files

Between that and a few bathroom breaks, you’ve spent about ten minutes.

Now you can write!

Writing

You know what to do. Write stuff. Add images and whatever else you need. A few time- and sanity savers:

Structure

Remember Rule Number One: Structure is more important than format.

Use the handy outline on the left side of Typora for an at-a-glance structural view of your content:

Outline view shows me where I'm at in the content structure

If you’re working on a large, multi-file project, you can change the outline to a file tree. Then you can see all text and Markdown files. I’m an outline fan myself.

Syntax

This isn’t a guide to Markdown. You can find that here.

But follow these guidelines:

Headings

When you create a heading, use this syntax:

# Heading 1

## Heading 2

### Heading 3

And so on. That creates real, structural headlines.

In HTML, that markup becomes proper markup for each..

https://ift.tt/2x7TFds

#Content Workflow Using Github And Markdown

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constructionsworkr3053 · 6 years ago

Text

Content Workflow Using Github And Markdown

Table of Contents

Intro: The problem The Four Rules Of Content Workflow Setting Up Your Tools Getting Ready To Write Writing Committing (Saving) Your Work Publishing Repurposing Resources

A couple years ago I measured how I spend time when writing. I wanted to see where/if I could tweak my content workflow. The result was so depressing I wore the same pair of cycling socks for a week:

It takes me about 90 minutes to write a 750-word blog post. In that time, I spend:

45 minutes writing

15 minutes editing

30 minutes doing… what exactly?

Wait. What? That can’t be right. I spend a third of my time on a writing project not writing.

What. The. Actual. Fucklebucket.*

So I checked my notes.

33% of writing time is sucked out of me by time-wasting stupidity:

Flailing around, trying to clean up a formatting problem in a blog post

Troubleshooting software problems

Digging up the second version of my intro, which I think I liked better than the fifth and sixth, but I honestly can’t remember because I usually just delete and type over stuff

Trying to figure out how the hell I create a smart quote

Reformatting a whole Word doc because the editor wants it in Google Docs format

Recapturing images because they’re all embedded in the document, and they look like poo

All these examples fall into two groups: Formatting and version management. Both are our jobs. Even if we have our own editorial and design team

HAHAHAHA DID I JUST SAY THAT BECAUSE YEAH SURE I HAVE 3 PEOPLE AT MY BECK AND CALL JUST TO MAKE SURE MY STUFF LOOKS GOOD HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA cough sniff

we’re responsible for the first pass. Formatting and version management is part of our job.

And we suck at them.

We worry about flinging the next blog post over the wall, instead of creating versatile content that we can publish anywhere and reuse anytime.

We’ve Got Problems

We think about decoration first, structure second.

We worry about flinging the next blog post over the wall, instead of creating versatile content that we can publish anywhere and reuse anytime.

We save five minutes now and cost ourselves hours later.

An Outdated Workflow For Outdated Tools

So poof. A third of my time gone because I’m spending my time in Dropbox and plinking away in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

We need a better way to do this.

Find A Better Way

Most important, it lets me spend more time writing.

Feel free to try all or some of it.

Also feel free to hunt me down on LinkedIn or Twitter: @portentint and https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianlurie/

The Four Rules Of Content Workflow

First, a successful workflow has to follow these four rules:

Structure > Format And Design

You can also easily repurpose well-structured content, adapting it from prose to presentation to script.

So a good content workflow has to support structure first, format and design second.

Proprietary Tools Are Traps

Tools—word processors, for example—trap us with proprietary formats. They also trap us on specific devices.

Yes, I can open a Google Doc or Word file on my phone. Yes, I could edit it. But I won’t, because it’s awful.

I need a cross-platform process that’s as tool-independent as possible.

Repurposing Is Inevitable

Smart content creators re-use their work.

E-books become blog series

Blog posts become slide decks

Transcripts become blog posts

Word documents become Google Docs become HTML

I’m going to repurpose content. My workflow has to support that.

Good Writers Are Orderly Hoarders

I always seem to delete an old file moments before I need it. Or I forget why I made an edit. Or I edit in circles, ending up back where I started.

We need to keep everything for every project:

All revisions and drafts

All image files

All other supporting files

The full change history for all of the above

And we need to keep it in an organized format.

Setting Up Your Tools

You only have to do this work once. If you’ve never used these tools, there’s a learning curve that feels pretty short if you’ve been using desktop software.

Still, it takes a little patience to install new stuff. Take the extra time now, and you’ll save hours later.

Install Markdown Tools

There’s also a great tutorial here and a syntax cheatsheet here.

You can write Markdown using a plain text editor, then preview and export it to other formats, like HTML.

But there are a few Markdown-focused editors that make it easier. They still use plain text—no proprietary formatting—but they flatten the learning curve. My favorite is Typora.

Typora

Typora runs on OS X, Windows and Linux. Type in Markdown and Typora gives you an instant preview. So if I type:

# Typora

It instantly turns that into a level one heading “Typora.”

Download it here: typora.io.

Note: When you install Typora, go to Preferences or Settings (depending on the operating system). Find the Markdown tab/settings. Make sure you uncheck “Smart Quotes:”

Turn off smart quotes in Typora

Typora is filled with all sorts of other niftiness, like key combos to add links and set headings. Be sure to explore it.

Other Options

I also really like:

Dillinger.io

iaWriter

Ulysses

And my longtime favorite, atom.io. Atom is a pure text editor, so it’s not as friendly, but it’s fast as heck and easy to customize. If you want to get nerdier, that’s your best choice.

Set Up Version Control With Github

Rule of Content Workflow Number Four: We need to be orderly hoarders. To do that, use Github.

So this tool they built is perfect for writers, too. And while it looks scary, it isn’t that hard to learn.

Install Git on your computer. You can get the Windows installer here and the OS X installer here. If you’re on Linux, I’ll assume you know what you’re doing.

Go to github.com

Set up an account

Download the Github desktop client

You’re all set.

Git will let you track changes with far more detail than Microsoft Word, and pass your work around for simultaneous revisions or contributions by lots of other people.

It’s also close to bulletproof, which you’ll really appreciate if you’ve ever used the revision tracking in Word, Google Docs and other tools.

One Last Gadget

Go get TextExpander. Yes, it costs a little money. It’s worth it.

After you install it, subscribe to this snippet group:

HTML Entities

It’s where I keep the shortcuts I use to create smart quotes and such. They’re handy if you’re in a hurry or can’t remember the HTML entity for a smart right quote (like me).

What You’ve Got

You’re ready to follow all four rules of content workflow:

Markdown and Typora help you create structure

You’re not using any proprietary formats

The resulting content will be easily repurposed from one format to another

Thanks to Github, you’ll be an orderly hoarder

Getting Ready To Write

I’ve got lots of steps here, but this takes about five minutes, start to finish:

Step 1: Create Your Work Folder And File

Your work needs a home. Create one in advance. I’m writing this to prep for Learn Inbound. I’m going to have images and some supporting files.

Now, create your markdown file.

Create a folder where your work will live. I’m writing this to prep for Learn Inbound. I’m going to have images and some supporting files. I create folders accordingly

Open Typora

Click File >> New

Save the file in your work folder. You can name it whatever you want. I’m not feeling all that creative, so I’ll name it “post.”

You’ll end up with this:

Outline View In Typora

Step 2: Create Your Github Repository

Git is pretty intimidating until you break it down into steps:

Open Github Desktop

Click File >> Add Local Repository

Choose your work folder

If Github Desktop asks, click create a repository here

Create a new repository in Github Desktop

Click Create Repository or Add Repository as relevant

Github does its thing. If you look in your folder and can see hidden files, you may see some stuff like this. They belong there. Let them go on with their lives:

Ignore these

You’ll also see the repository appear on the left, much like this:

Git repository, added to Github Desktop

It won’t have the lock until you push the repository to Github.com.

Step 3: Put Your Repository On Github.com

In Github Desktop, click the Publish Repository button. Here’s what it looks like on OS X:

Publish repository from Github Desktop

Check Keep this code private

Unless you’ve set up a Github organization or have an enterprise account (you’ll know if you do), don’t change any other settings

Click Publish Repository

If you’re not logged into Github, you’ll get a login prompt.

Github desktop pushes files up to the cloud and creates a repository on your Github account

Done. If you want to geek out, log into github.com. You’ll see that your new repository is all comfy and cozy:

Your content project, on Github

Large Projects

Github kicks buttocks if you’re creating something large and complicated. If you’re working on a big project, you’ll want to do a couple other things:

Add a readme.md. it’s a special file that Github will show as part of your project’s “home page.” It’s an excellent place to make notes for the rest of the team

Invite others to the repository. Sharing is caring (the kind of thing I write on a Sunday when I’ve rewritten this post five times)

Learn how branches work. I wrote a very short bit about that below. Someday I’ll write a separate post

What You’ve Got

You should now have:

A home for your work, both on your desktop and on Github.com

Your first files

Between that and a few bathroom breaks, you’ve spent about ten minutes.

Now you can write!

Writing

You know what to do. Write stuff. Add images and whatever else you need. A few time- and sanity savers:

Structure

Remember Rule Number One: Structure is more important than format.

Use the handy outline on the left side of Typora for an at-a-glance structural view of your content:

Outline view shows me where I'm at in the content structure

If you’re working on a large, multi-file project, you can change the outline to a file tree. Then you can see all text and Markdown files. I’m an outline fan myself.

Syntax

This isn’t a guide to Markdown. You can find that here.

But follow these guidelines:

Headings

When you create a heading, use this syntax:

# Heading 1

## Heading 2

### Heading 3

And so on. That creates real, structural headlines.

In HTML, that markup becomes proper markup for each..

https://ift.tt/2x7TFds

#Content Workflow Using Github And Markdown

0 notes