Eureka!

Yesterday I did some brainstorming on a few of the plot issues I was having and generally got myself psyched up to work on The Book. As I sat down to begin completing the worksheets that are part of the First Draft in 30 Days method, all my motivation fizzled. I sat there staring at the worksheets for a while, plunking in a word or two until I realized that it was the worksheets themselves that were the problem. I love the idea of the First Draft in 30 Days method. It makes sense to me. But as it turns out, I just don't like to write that way. Too much form, not enough content.

Today I spent a couple of hours working with the Writer's Cafe software and I LOVE IT. I got more done in two hours today than I have in the last 3 weeks. It employs some of the same principles of the FD method but without all the boring and cumbersome worksheets to fill out. It's chock full of nifty features, including an electronic version of the Post It note plotting system.

I highly recommend checking it out. There are some screenshots and a comprehensive features list on the website but you can download a trial version of the software for free. I ended up buying it ($45) after an hour because it was working so well for me.