One of my goals for this year (not resolution, mind you) is to have a clearer production plan.  Part of this involves daily writing, and I've started mandating a two hour block in the morning.  Hey, I'm up at 4:45 am right now and even once Dr. D's schedule changes to clinic hours, I will still be able to move from my writing laptop to my teaching laptop before 8 am.  I don't have a length requirement, but I do set my stopwatch on my phone for two hours and I'm focused on writing during that block.  

If you're interested in production plans and why they are important for writers, there is a great podcast over at The Author Biz with Elizabeth Spann Craig.  You can listen on Stephen Campbell's site or grab it on your phone (this was my walking podcast today).   Not only is this a great listen for the production planning advice, but Spann also talks about her use of WattPad and the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).

While I don't really do resolutions, I do need to get back to Book 3 of The Olivia Chronicles.  One of the struggles I have with longer works like novels is dealing with chapters and organizing everything in one large document.  I suspect that Scrivener will help me with this.  I'm also working on an article related to literacy, and I can see where this will help me with source material and research organization.


They are offering a free trial right now, so if you're interested in trying it out, what have you got to lose? And, check this out:  It is a true 30-day trial.  As the site indicates, if you only use it twice a week, then you'll be able to use it for 15 weeks for free--how cool is that? I suspect if you watch the introduction video above you'll be pretty jazzed about the software, too.