Igniting Your Words

Have you ever sat down and wanted to write a novel or poem that others would read and be blown away? For a writer the drive to write can vary. However, writing isn’t as simple as vomiting your thoughts on a page. Even when the intent is to do just that, it has to be strategic.

The worst feeling in the world to an artist is when someone views you work and says “I don’t get it.” Did you ever stop and ask your self why your main character has set out to save the world when they’re an under paid, bag boy at Walmart?

Writing Apps

Sometimes I miss good old fashion pen and paper but that’s not sexy. In a mobile age where everyone carries a laptop, tablet, or smart-phone it’s easy to write and staying organized can be made easy. If you’re anything like me using Microsoft Word, Pages, or LibreOffice just isn’t enough. Over the years I’ve found three powerful writing applications that have mobile support as well.

LyX

First on the list is probably the most versitle out of the group: LyX. LyX can be used on all PC platforms and is free to download. The application is a front-end to an older typeset system but I won’t dive into it’s history. No matter if your a novelist, tech-writer, or screen writer LyX has a ton of different features. Personal favorites being it’s ability to easily restructure your work, create table of contents for you, and supports languages around the world.

Bibisco

Growing as a writer can be tough and creating detailed stories with all the recommended exercises to give weight to a character are built into this application. From listing your characters, building their history, emotions, and motivations; to location descriptions and setting creation for your readers. I’ve spent many waking nights pounding at my desk trying to illustrate what my main character “looks” like. Finally, Bibisco has an analytical section that can show you how often you used a character or location. If you’re the “process” type writer building a road map with this application may work for you.

Celtx

Generally I stay away from cloud applications but Celtx offers some pretty attractive perks. If you’re collaborating with many writers, or perhaps consistently on the go but don’t want to drag your laptop around Celtx may be just for you. Beware that when you first join the site you’re in a 15 day free trail. So don’t get comfortable linking various writers to your work before knowing the price to continue working. However, all is not lose, Celtx free service will still allow you to access and write with little issue. Just don’t forget that you should download your work frequently from the “cloud” for offline access.

For all you starving artist out there each application is free to use. I chose these applications based on three categories: Ease of use, openness, and cross platform support. Each application offers exporting a project into at least a PDF format. None of them have a proprietary format that can’t be used with another application. So I give a objective win to Celtx by way of TKO over Bibisco for lack of Apple support.

What application do you use? Let me know in the comments.

Drunk On Words

 

Writing for a “Writer” is like drinking alcohol. You stick to what you like most of all. Trying new things is interesting and you may build a larger palette as you go but there is no guarantee you’ll like anything. If you stop your tolerance goes down and you have to build up again. Drink too much in a night and the sun will greet you harshly the next morning. Finally, you can quit but you can’t forget what it’s like to taste good alcohol.

I’m a scotch man personally. Simple, straight to the point and never too harsh. Typically I just need laptop, my music, and five minutes to get the ball rolling. However that wasn’t always the case. As a younger man I progressed from Beer to Tequila then Wine to Scotch.

I started cheap, writing as if I had something important to say above my peers. Sadly my words were hollow and I didn’t grasp my emotions to pour my into my pages. My heart was crushed soon after entering my adult life and like most people I looked for external outlets, created experiences and lots of bad decisions. Drama filled my stories with little hope for my characters return to happiness. Lucky for the world I came back down to earth.

Today I wouldn’t title myself refined as the wines I ventured through. Seeking new experiences in life and travel brought me vibrant tales for various characters that could never reach the bottom of the bottle like I did so often. Simply put, I couldn’t close. With so much to say and so many unique stories learned for people watching no story seemed like it “could” end because life was just that, lasting.

Writer’s block hit me hard at this point until eventually I walked into a Scotch Bar. I learned the difference between a single or double malt. The life of a distillery placed into a bottle, aged 12 15 or 18 years and many older. Stories of various barrels mixed into a single bottle to tell a story. Not a life but a moment, comprised of many hands and stories to create one tale.

In my defense, I’m not an alcoholic. And, I will say that my inspirations stem from many things in life. I love writing and I want people to read my writing. It’s not about whether the writing itself is good or not. The expression of my experiences, thoughts, or feelings is why I write. “This is who I am.”

“A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, or because everything she does is golden. A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any signs of promise, you keep writing anyway.” -Junot Diaz-

 

My First Roast

After Thanksgiving of 2015 I decided to create WordRoast. The road to building a community starts here. My name is Jonathan Jenkins and I’m bold enough to call myself a writer. It’s been four hours since my hands touch the keyboard and I have to say it feels good.

The aim of WordRoast to bring together a community of writers that can help each other create, critique, collect and publish in a collaborative way. It welcomes all genres of writing- Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Adventure, Children’s Literature, Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Theatre, etc. The more creatives we have, the better our writing will be.

WordRoast will provide a forum for free-thinkers to socialize with and gain access to publishing their work of art.

Join us today!