Starting something new after pouring months into a project is an odd feeling for me. I have a backlog of short story ideas scattered among several notebooks. Several of these stories, including the one I’m working on now, are for genre-specific pseudonyms so I won’t discuss them here other than to acknowledge that they exist. There is a string of Fillius Glint related shorts in the works, as well.
I recently made the switch to Scrivener for prewriting, drafting, and initial editing. It’s a fantastic program with a broad range of customizations. As a result, I’ve spent lots of time collecting research and details for my story– far more than I ordinarily would have.
But when it came to writing, I couldn’t.
Initially, I thought it was a problem with the story or the genre. But, no. It was the font.
Isn’t that funny?
The default font felt foreign to me; it’s a style I associate with other formats. This was an easy enough problem to solve. After changing the font to what I normally use in Word, going into full-screen mode, and turning the background opaque, the words poured out onto the page almost of their own accord.
What about you? Has your writing ever been stoppered by a seemingly inconsequential formatting issue?
Writing Resource Round-up
Focusing on Craft:
- Perception and How to Identify POV Leaps
- Over 100 Ways to Say “Shrug”
- 10 Essential Tips to Improve Your Writing Style
- How to Write Character Arcs
- What Exactly Is a Short Story and How Do I Know If I’m Writing One
Motivation and Inspiration:
- Why Success is Hard
- Short Story Challenge- 10 Awesome Reasons for Writing Short Stories
- 47 Resources for People Who Love to Write but Can Never Find the Time
- How to Choose a Book Idea: Using the Hedgehog Concept
- 4 Strategies to Make it Through the Dreaded Middle of Your Story
Marketing:
- The Pro Bono Marketing Staff Every Self-Published Author Has at Their Fingertips
- Anatomy of a Bestseller [Infographic]
Professional Development:
Opportunities:
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For my NaNoWriMo projects I change font every day. I go for the hard to read, script ones or block fonts. It keeps me interested when I know I have to bash out a certain number of words. In my normal writing day, I use different coloured pens, or my fountain pen to get my ideas flowing. Font is obviously important for a range of reasons.
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