I've started using my blogging as a way to plunge back into writing creatively on a regular basis, which in turn will hopefully help jump-start my writing self from her current dead-battery status into full-fledged functionality for the massive writerly undertaking that now lies at my feet: THE DISSERTATION.
As most of you now, I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. At the end of May I successfully passed my prospectus colloquium, during which my advisory committee of professors approve what is basically a 10-page description and plan of my dissertation. After a summer of talking theory and philosophy with my main advisors, taking care of Baby W and attempting to recover enough from newborn-land to establish a routine that blends mommy-time and Ph.D.-time, I'm pleased to announce that *bugles blaring* I've written two paragraphs!
Of course, I'm now apparently procrastinating by writing this post, but it does feel good to preen a little bit. I spend quite a lot of my time breastfeeding these days - time which I occasionally use wisely to look things up on our handy new iPad 2. I recently found this awesome links page on a website called Literature & Latte that is dedicated to digital writing tools, focused mainly on Apple systems. They're the people behind Scrivener, which some of you writer types may be familiar with. For those of you who aren't, it's organization software for writing that is made to help organize all the bits and piece of extensive writing projects and increase focus and productivity. I use a PC, so I won't be able to use a lot of the shiny, pretty writing software out there for Macs. Scrivener is on beta testing for Windows, but I'm frightening by the disclaimers about losing your work. Since I'm not willing to entrust my dissertation to a beta test, for now I'm going to try a similar PC program listed in the links called PageFour.
I am also dying to try one of the programs that is geared toward writing minimalistically, without distractions, on a refreshingly clear screen that avoids menus and sidebars and instead goes full-screen with a white page and plain text. I can't decide between WriteMonkey and Q10, so I think I'll start with the former. Here's their description:
Writemonkey is a Windows zenware* writing application with an extremely stripped down user interface, leaving you alone with your thoughts and your words. It is light, fast and free. With an array of innovative tools under the hood, it helps you write better. Editing is for another day ...
