Writer Tool: Macros

I’m pretty savvy with computers and with word processing. I know things most folks don’t know about tech stuff- smarter than the average bear, you might say. I do, after all, work on tech support work part time and offer on-site tutoring instruction/training on the PC.

You’d be surprised to know I only recently discovered the wonders that are MS Word macros.

What are macros? Well to put simply; they are short cuts. You record actions such as keystrokes, or clicking buttons, and once recording and assigned to a keyboard shortcut, you have a very quick and handy trick.

I journal with my MS Word program, but having to click INSERT, then DATE, then selected the format in which I want inserted….well I was getting sick of that. Now with simply Ctrl+PageUp (this is what I assigned the macro as), and VIOLA! Its automatically inserted with the word GOALS: beneath it. This is to remind me to do something towards my goals each day.

Here is a video showing you how to create macros.

Consider tasks you do regularly in your MS Word, and how a macro could make these tasks so much simpler.

If you have XP, you can use this tutorial which shows step by step illustrations.

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Writing Tip- Meeting word counts

Trying to meet word counts, especially for the National Novel Writing Month, you might find yourself falling behind for a number of reasons. A tip I find most helpful is to use writing bursts. Sit with a timer for 10-15 minutes and write as much as you can in that given time. You can always edit later.

Dr. Wicked’s Write or Die online service offers a perfect timer for writers, adding consequences should you not meet a word count goal. You can opt to not have word count goals as well, if you can’t stand the pressure.

Other online timers:

Online Stopwatch- counts up as a stop watch or counts down with an alarm. This can be added to your IGoogle start page.

Meditation Timer works a bit more softly, using a knocking sound to indicate the start, and a soft bell sound to end.

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My favorite writer’s tools

What I use to help me along with writing and ideas;

A regular, purse-sized notebook- The pen and paper method works best for me during moments where I’m waiting in a doctor’s office, or those other moments of pause in one’s life.

Voice recorder- You’d be surprised you may already have this on hand. I discovered my phone, for instance, has a voice recorder, which works wonderfully to say my ideas and things I need to do while I drive, wait, or take the dog for a walk. My MP3 player also has this same feature, enabling me to simply talk out loud the creative process.

StayFocused for Google Chrome- Many browsers include add-on tools which offers timers and even blockers to sites. StayFocused is set for a block of time during the day, cutting me off from distractions such as Facebook, YouTube, and other productivity killers.

You can also find Leechblock for Firefox which does the same thing. In fact, it allow you to pick and choose blocks of time from day to day.

Wordweb is an add-on program for Windows that is both a dictionary as well as Thesaurus.  All I need do is highlight a word, click on the Wordweb icon on the taskbar and I get info on the word and choices for synonyms.

LiveWriter is my blog writing program of choice. I find it simply gives me more flexibility to writing and formatting blog entries, as well as adding pictures into the posts.

Flesch Reading Ease Readability can be found in a free web service or a feature in MS Word. (click link to make this an option) This allows you to view the grade level at which you write. It also shows you the readability of your work.

Chapter-by-Chapter is one my favorite programs to use to organize novels. Master documents in MS Word are known to get corrupted from time to time, so I use this small (free) program that works with word processing to organize each chapter into separate documents. I can find/replace ALL documents, and the program can assemble all my chapters into a single document for submission later. This also works with a program called SuperNoteCard.

Feedburner allows the author of blogs to setup RSS feeds on their web sites and online journals. I can then keep track of statistics of who visits, for how long, and what entries they tend to read most. It neatly packages the necessary HTML for me to cut/paste into my blog as well.

“Press It” and other share button services such as Google Share or Addthis or StumbleUpon allow me to easily click a button on the browser and it automatically sets up a blog entry about that site. I then add my own words and viola’! its posted.

My Flash Drive- On my flash drive (also called a thumb drive) I back up my writing, but also add some programs that enables me to write FROM THE FLASH DRIVE. This way I don’t need to worry what program a computer has or where my bookmarks are. They’re on the portable hard drive. Check out PortableApps.com for the free software that includes word processing, browser, and more.

Technorati Tags: tools,writer,web blocking,stay focused,productivity,resources,wordweb,Flesch,readability,feedburner,chapter by chapter

A Writer’s Start Page

A start page is the first page you view when going online; the first page your browser program opens up when you run it. Most often, you’ll see the start page selected by your Internet Service Provider. If you use priority software such as America Online or MSN, you’ll see AOL’s start page or MSN’s start page. You can, however, have any page as first page you see.

Why would a writer care about the start page? The answer is simple; the start page can be personalized for your craft, whether you’re a writer, teacher, doctor, or anything else. You can pick any web page to start with, but ideally the sites that offer modules and personalization make the best choices.

Start pages generally include modules you can add, delete, and move around in two or three column layouts. This is done by click and dragging, or using an ‘add module’ page. Modules include news, email, radio, to do lists, calendar, and millions of other blocks of information that is personable to your tastes. This means if you have a weather module; the module will be specific to your area. News can include topics you select, such as Health, local, or Global new. Calendars, email, and to do lists further personalize the page, including deadlines or even word count goals.

As a writer, I prefer IGoogle for my start page. The themes are straightforward, and changes by updating a different picture through the day. I can select not just Google modules, but widgets from other sites as well.

Some of my favorite modules for IGoogle :

Online Stopwatch- This I use for timing myself with writing, or when my writer’s group works on timed exercises. There is no alarm unfortunately, but it does allow to count dow or count up.

Time Gadget v100. Project Tracker helps organize my time and forces me to focus on one thing at a time.

Wikipedia is a good resource for resource, but be sure to double check sources as well since this is an editable-by-the-public site.

Google Document Google documents is a wonderful tool to backup and collaborate your writing. I often backup stories and articles on Google Documents which also allows for collaboration. Mac users might want to check Zoho.com for collaboration.

Online English Grammar provides some tips on grammar. This also includes an ebook link, online resources, and more, but I use it mostly for the tips.

Google Bookmarks- I keep a series of helpful links at my fingertips which also includes little icons to keep track of them.

To Do List provides many features in one single module. Not only can you make a to do list by priority, you can also set deadline dates and notes to specify further on what needs doing. I make sure to list what stories or articles I want to work on first.

This shows you an example of my IGoogle page. You can see the theme (which changes through the day), as well as the modules below. This is the writer’s page I made, but I also have added my ‘home’ page and a blog page which includes more blog-related RSS feeds. All my information at my fingertips.

Writer’s Tips:

A tip I found so plainly simple but effective is to remove distractions that take away from your writing time. I have to remove certain toolbars that lure me into wasting valuable time by shutting them off by going to VIEW, Toolbars, then deselecting them for the time I’m writing.