Day: April 13, 2018

Writing Tools for the Modern Age: Plotist

Update 11/29/2019: As of December 1, 2019, Plotist will be CLOSED PERMANENTLY.

Technology can be a writer’s best friend and their worst enemy. Sometimes it makes life easier, such as being able to save all your files on one computer; other times it’s more trouble than it’s worth, such as spellcheck and its uncanny ability to sabotage even the most careful of writers and editors. Today, I am letting you know about one technological advancement, namely a website, which might help writers: Plotist.

I usually stick to the basics when it comes to technology and writing: Microsoft Word for writing and e-mail/flash drives for transporting files from one device to another. However, this method proves to be rather tedious after so many years, not to mention messy. I can’t always remember which stories I’ve sent via e-mail, which are on flash drives, and which are still only on my computer. I have notes and outlines strewn all across my digital devices (not to mention my notebooks, but that’s another can of worms entirely). Since I’ve started using Plotist, my writing life has become a little less of a tangled mess.


Image retrieved from Plotist

Now, I wasn’t actively looking for a site or program like Plotist when I found it. Frankly, I just came across the Plotist account on Twitter and decided to give it a try. Luckily for me, the site offers a free 30-day trial of their “Wordsmith” subscription, which is their premium package. A few days into the trial, I was hooked. The timeline and elements features in particular felt like a God-send. (You might call my typical planning methods “organized chaos.”)

Here are the basics of the features offered by Plotist:

  • Planning

For me, this feature is the best offered by Plotist. The website allows users to create “worlds,” which includes information on characters, events, and other “elements.” Genre writers in particular will find this feature useful. I’ve been using it to keep track of elements in my fantasy stories in particular, especially since you can assign multiple stories to a world. I’ve also found it useful for keeping track of the research I’m doing for some historical fiction.

All prose writers will want to check out the timeline feature within the planning feature. You can create color-coordinated timelines for the different characters which populate the world, which can be helpful no matter what genre you’re working in. Even non-fiction and academic writers will want to utilize the timelines to keep track of the chronological order of the events and/or concepts about which they are writing.

Of course, there is also the classic outline feature available. Within each story, you can outline based on chapters, book sections, whatever you want, and the summary of each chapter/section will be clearly labeled and shown above the space in which you write.

  • Writing

With the writing feature, you can write your chapter/section with your outline and chapter/section summary handy. If you don’t want your outline or summary to show, you can just hide them and reopen them as needed. I have found the writing feature as helpful as the planning feature because I no longer need to e-mail my files to myself or transport them via flash drive.

  • Collaborating

There are options to collaborate with other writers through the site. I don’t know much about this feature as I haven’t really collaborated with other writers yet, but there’s more information on the Plotist website.

  • Community

I haven’t explored this feature much, either. However, Plotist runs both a blog and a forum. The blog provides new information regarding Plotist, writing tips, and guides for gifts to give the writers in your life.


Image retrieved from Plotist on Tumblr

How much does a Plotist subscription cost? That depends on which subscription you use. Plotist offers four subscription options:

  • Free

As the name suggests, this subscription is free. You get unlimited public worlds, unlimited public stories, unlimited elements, unlimited timelines, and unlimited collaboration. However, you do not get any private worlds or stories. Essentially, the “public” worlds and stories can be seen by anyone using the site. “Private” worlds and stories can only be viewed by the user who creates them. With this subscription, everything is public.

  • Scribbler

With this subscription, you get all of the free features plus one private world and one private story.

  • Writer

This subscription, which is their most popular, offers all the free features, three private worlds, and three private stories.

  • Wordsmith

The Wordsmith subscription, which I got to try for free as part of a 30-day trial, gives users all the free features as well as unlimited private worlds and unlimited private stories. After the trial ended, I decided to subscribe to this option using the annual payment option. (It’s normally $99/year, but I caught a special price of $80/year in March. Either way, it’s cheaper in the long run.) Not everyone will find this expense necessary; I’m just a rather private person, especially when I’m in the initial planning and writing stages of a story.

You can also access the blog and forum for free.

Unfortunately, they do not have an app for iOS or Androids yet. However, you can still access Plotist through Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Safari, even on your phone or tablet. I’m hoping that they will have an app for iPhones soon but, for now, I can work with using it on Safari.

You can learn more about Plotist and pricing options on their website.

Have you ever tried Plotist or similar websites? What have been your experiences in this area? Any alternative sites, apps, or methods you’d like to suggest? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: Unlucky Friday

Happy Friday the 13th! Despite its reputation, I’ve always loved Friday the 13th. Or perhaps it’s because of its reputation? I really don’t know. All that I do know is that I love Friday and thirteen is one of my lucky numbers, and so Friday the 13th is usually a good day for me. (The jury is still out on today considering my dog didn’t let me sleep much.) A lot of people, however, seem to consider Friday the 13th as unlucky, and it’s that reputation I want to focus on for this writing prompt.

I could go into the history of how Friday the 13th became an “unlucky” day, but that would take too long. (You should look it up, though. It involves greed, a corrupt government, and the Knights Templar. You couldn’t make this stuff up.) Instead, let’s jump to the good stuff: a perfectly unlucky day.

What’s a “perfectly unlucky day”? It’s a day when nothing can seem to go right. From the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, everything seems to blow up in your face and, by the end, you just want the world to go away. We’ve all had that sort of day. Maybe it’s not as drastically bad as in the movie Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but it’s still the worst day you’ve ever had. This is the kind of situation I want you to throw your characters into.


Image retrieved from Amazon

As usual, the prompt is pretty straightforward: write a story in which one of the main characters in your WIP experiences their worst day ever. The story can be a part of the character’s everyday life or a major plot point in your WIP, depending on how evil you’re feeling. All that matters is that nothing goes right for them that day.

However, don’t make the bad day illogical or implausible for your character, either. With very good and very bad luck in stories, it’s easy to rely upon coincidences. For this prompt, I want you to avoid coincidences as much as possible.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say part of your character’s very bad day is catching their partner, who works in the same office as them, having an affair with a coworker. You will want to avoid a set-up such as your character runs out of staples, goes to the office supply closet to get more, and just so happens to catch their partner making out with a coworker. Instead, have them notice that their partner and the coworker seem to have been flirty for a while. Then, because they are in a bad mood from having a bad day anyway, your character becomes paranoid and decides to follow them during lunch. During this stalking, your character finds them sharing a kiss in the stairwell, and their suspicions are confirmed.

I suggest that, before actually writing the story, you create an outline of the unlucky events that will happen to your character. Obviously, this outline will just be a guideline, but it’s good to go into this with half an idea of what you want to write. It’s easier to avoid coincidences that way.

This exercise is meant to test your character’s limits. What will they do under the pressure of a bad day? Will a normally calm character have a meltdown? Will a nervous nellie be oddly prepared and step up to the challenge? Take this opportunity to really explore your character’s personality. After all, a person’s true personality shines in the worst of times, not the best.

How did this prompt go for you? Did you learn something about your character that you hadn’t thought about before? What sort of torment did you put them through? Leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011