RealtimeBoard as a Writer's Tool for Planning a Story
Last year we were surprised when one special event had started and we got a lot of new users among writers. The event was calledĀ NaNoWriMo, and we are happy that we helped a lot of writers to plan their novels and write their 50,000 words in a month. There is not much time to this year event left, so we are happy to share stories from writers who use RealtimeBoard. Hero of this week is Joshua Hendry. He is a writer, and we are happy to share his story and RealtimeBoard tips with you.
Hi Josh, nice to meet you! Can you please tell us about yourself? When and why did you start to write? What is your story?
A seed is dying underground though we yearn to taste its fruit. Ā The seed of this story was planted in 1997 and has been growing ever since. Ā Like a musicianās opus the story has many instruments (characters) and layers (motivations and intentions). Ā The score in process is affecting and affected by each partās pitch and tone, vibrato and tremolo, entry and exit. Ā I write because the story is inside me dying to get out. Ā I write for those who see something similar, feel something similar or want to be on an epic adventure as much as I do. Ā I write to express emotions about the life we live, the drama, the ecstasy, the challenge, the victory, the defeat, the heartache and the heartbreak of love lost and won.
What visuals mean for the writer?
I am an artist before I am a writer. Ā I have to plan plan plan ad nauseam to feel my work has a level of competency. Ā The visuals for me are the easy part, so the challenge is toĀ notĀ use illustration to prop up a weak story. Ā Ā The story has to be well-structured and meaty for the visuals to have the right effect! Ā Will that happen with this story? Ā I hope so.
What project(s) are your working on right now?
The series is called āThe Legend Of Harapanā. Ā Currently, Iām working on the second of a planned 28 books. Ā Itās titled āThe First Raceā.
How are you using RealtimeBoard? What are the main cases?
Iām new to RealtimeBoard so I have a workflow hill to climb. Ā I did not have it for the first book, āOriginā . It is currently my brain organizer for book two and beyond. Glad I found it when I did!
The Legend Of Harapan is cryptic and requires a broad view to ensure all the details are woven together well. Ā I use RealtimeBoard to help visualize the bigger picture and zoom into the intricacies.
What was the process before RealtimeBoard and what has changed?
The process before was folder after folder in Google Drive or on paper in my studio. Ā This makes information extremely challenging to track and locate, however I still use them as tools, because so much information still remains in those archives.
What advice could you give to our users? Maybe some productivity tips or something like that?
Play around, see what works for you. Ā Stay in touch with the development team. Ā The staff at RealtimeBoard is eager to improve the product and frequently reviews feedback. Ā Look at what other users are doing and imitate their good work. Ā Beyond that, I personally love the zoom in zoom out feature. Ā When zoomed out, you can hover your cursor over blocks of text and they appear at a legible font size. Ā This is a particularly useful feature for the work I do.