#jotterpad

I am not prone to ranting. I'm pretty laid back, usually, but I'm going on a rant-rampage about this. I was really enjoying using this app until I suddenly found a paywall in between me and my own work.

Yes, I publish to Ao3 as I finish and yes I set Jotterpad to synch my documents as I go so I haven't lost anything, as far as I know. I just can't finish writing my current fic - I write on my phone and the text apps it has are really only for notes. That's why I got Jotterpad in the first place!

Disclaimer: Alright, I know this isn’t strictly sci-fi or fantasy-themed, BUT. Too bad, this goes out for everyone who writes, ever.

So, writing is hard. Full stop. Writing is difficult, and irritating, and oftentimes downright infuriating- and as much as we writers adore it, we could all use some help, right? 

Enter some tools of the trade- writing platforms and apps! Every writers uses something to write- be it the traditional methods of pens and notebooks to brainstorm, regular MS Word programs, online writing websites, or fancy programs like Scrivener for plotting- and all of them have their merits and downfalls. There are a ton of platforms upon which one can write. There’s no way I could get through all of them in one sitting, let afford some of the fancier ones out there (curse you, fundamental necessities!), but for this post I wanted to discuss the 4 programs that I use (and have been using for more than a year) and think are especially helpful not only for writing anything, but for...wait for it...NaNoWriMo endeavors!  Woooh, it’s time for Camp NaNo!!

Ahem.

So, let’s begin!

First up to bat is...Writeometer!!

This one here is an app available for free- yes, FREE, one of my favorite words right there- that is designed specifically for helping you track your writing progress. You can enter as many projects as you like, decide on your word count goals and your preferred deadline to reach that goal (perfect for NaNo!), and it will calculate how many words per day you’ll need to write- and, bonus, you can set subtle reminders to pop up at certain times to tell you it’s time to write. Even more bonuses- this app has tons of other features that are fun to use, including a writing log to record how you’re doing, graphs to show your progress, a list of stats pertaining to each project (for instance, your averages per day/week/month, your writing streaks, your best writing days, etc), a nifty little toolbox with a dictionary/thesaurus/word of the day/random words generator, AND a writing sprints timer that rewards you guavas each time you write for 25 minutes. Fun fact, guavas can be virtually exchanged on the app for prizes you set- mine include things like, “3 guavas to eat a cookie!” and “10 guavas to bang head onto desk while yelling!”.  Great stuff!

Next up- another app I use very often is JotterPad!

This one is very simple- while Writeometer was meant to deal with the nitty gritty statistics and tracking of writing, JotterPad is just a clean, simple mobile platform for writing. Nothing more, nothing less. You can create new documents and folders, and organize them any which way you desire- which, in my anxious writer brain, is wonderful- and if you want, add your Google Drive to it for backup so nothing is ever lost. Each folder and document is automatically made with different font colors, which I think is a nice touch, and every document has options for a viewing mode (closer spacing, no keyboard, cleaner look) and an edit mode (allows you to write, shows spelling errors, wider spacing for easier typing). Also in each doc is a dictionary and thesaurus option, a dark screen option for writing at night or sensitivity to light, and a short collection of stats for the doc (word count, character count, reading time, etc). This is all in just the basic app- there is a pro version that brings in other cool features like different writing fonts and document formats, but it costs money and I’ve never had any need for it. 

Onto the third program I like to use- myWriteClub! 

This one I just discovered a little while ago, courtesy of a fellow NaNo buddy, but I love it. The site is still in beta, so feel free to jump on the early bandwagon! This is a website, not an app (although here’s hoping they make an app for it...), but it’s 100% free and only requires an email address to make an account. The whole site is oriented towards writing sprints, and they make it fun- for NaNo and Camp NaNo, you can make a private sprint that only people with the link can join up on, and for anyone else there’s a global sprint going 24/7. What are these “sprints”, you might ask? Writing sprints last 25 minutes, and start every half hour- and on this site, you can watch your friends word count meter fill up in real time. Don’t worry- nobody can see your writing, only your word count. It makes NaNo writing sprints wayyyy easier, trust me. I’d recommend setting up a Dropbox account for all your writing on the site to be automatically uploaded to- there’s only one window you can write it, and there’s no saving documents on site- which I find is actually good, because there’s no getting lost.

Now, last and certainly not least- my FAVORITE writing site, 4thewords!

Okay, I’ll try to restrain myself here. I’ve been using 4thewords for over a year now, and I ADORE it. That being said, I will mention that this is also a fairly new site, still working out some of the bugs and getting updated all the time- I’ve never had a problem, but I wanted to mention it. This site is geared towards making writing fun, which it accomplishes by turning it into a game- a game with adorable monsters. Basically, you have a little avatar (whom you can edit and outfit as you please) and a map of different places you can unlock as you progress- each location has different monsters, which you can “fight” by writing a certain amount of words in a specific amount of minutes. For instance, to defeat the Wignow you must write 250 words in 30 minutes. To defeat the Pester, 500 words in 50 minutes; the Mawt, 1,400 words in 210 minutes. 4thewords is set up like an actual game- for each monster defeated, you get little prizes that you can trade in at the marketplace, and you can boost your fighting prowess by making or buying armor and weapons. There are also different missions you can run- namely things like, “defeat 20 of XXX monster”, after which you get a bigger prize. 

I mean, look at this little monster.  LOOK AT IT.

Even better things! I know, I know, I’ll wrap it up quick- 4thewords runs lots of different events, including Love Week (for Valentine’s Day), Tico Week (for Costa Rica Independence Day), Winter Wonderland (for Christmas and winter holidays), annnnnd...NaNoWriMo!!! Each event has special missions and monsters to fight, and has special prizes. There’s one going on right now, actually, for Camp NaNo, and an even bigger one in November for the main event. Also, 4thewords has a Read section where you can post your writing, if so desired- and every year so far, there’s been a writing contest with real prizes for people who post their writing projects. Not to mention, I’ve spoken with the creator themselves when I changed my account email, and they were so, so polite and accommodating. The only downfall to this site is that yes, it costs $4USD a month to subscribe- but, with everything it’s got going on, from active forums to incredible graphics (the ART, you guys, holy sh*t) and an lengthy, intricate ongoing storyline, I’m okay with the cost and I think it makes sense. Plus, bonus- there’s a month long free trial upon making an account, so if you’re not sure about it, you can try it out for free!

Alright, I know that was a lot of info all at once. I want to say right here, right now that I have not at all been asked to review on these sites or make a post about them in any way- this post is purely my opinions, with no coercion or bribing or whatever else. This is just me, ranting- I mean, sharing- some of the writing platforms that I, personally, find fun and helpful for me in hopes that someone else finds it useful. 

And hey, if you’ve ever used one of these platforms, tell me your thoughts! Or even better, send me your favorite apps and/or programs- maybe I’ll make a compilation post of them, who knows. Questions about them? Hit me up.

(Bonus: LOOK AT THIS LITTLE STINKER, I CAN’T EVEN FUNCTION)

All writers know how annoying it is when inspiration suddenly hits, and you have nowhere to jot down your ideas on! No one really carries their physical notebooks or laptops everywhere they go, but they do carry their phones!

Meet JotterPad. 

JotterPad is a plain-text word processor that is designed with writers and novelists in mind. These functions are exceptionally useful for serious writers, as it allows you to write on the go with cloud synchronization.

Simply make sure that you’re saving the text file as you sync to your cloud account, and have ease of mind while you’re out and about that you can take out your phone and continue where you left off, or even start on a new piece, and continue when you’re back home.

So how can you make full use of JotterPad? Here are 5 tips on how you can utilize them when inspiration strikes, and hopefully, make your lives easier as writers!

Here's a look into the future!

Here is a list of updates and releases that we are planning to cover this year.

Journey Mac v2 (This week)

Journey Windows v2 (2 weeks later)

Journey iOS (Later this year, Date TBC)

Journey Android v2 (End of next month)

Journey.Cloud web service (Later this year, Date TBC)

JotterPad Pro (Just released)

We all seek out happiness every single day of our lives. We work, eat, think and crave for happiness. The world is an ever-revolving entity and life is going faster and faster each second. As we all get busier seeking financial stability for the sake of our loved ones, it will definitely get harder to pursue what each of us defines as ‘happiness’.

A few days ago I read this book, ‘The Happiness Project’. Gretchen Rubin, like many of us, was searching for ways that she could make herself happier, and with extensive research came up with this happiness project. She listed down 11 values that she wanted to work on each month up until November, and incorporated all these 11 values during December. The idea of ‘The Happiness Project’ is that firstly, nobody’s definition of happiness is the same and secondly, consistency is important.

The parts of the book that really stood out to me the most were the chapters on Boosting Energy - Vitality and Pursuing a Passion - Books.

Boosting Energy - Vitality was the Gretchen’s value for January that she wanted to work on. She mentioned in one section that she identified ‘tackling nagging tasks’ as a method to boost energy. This wasn't clear to me at first why clearing some tasks would boost your energy, but as I read on, she explained that finishing a task that you were supposed to do long ago would provide you with a sense of relief and would motivate you thus giving you the energy to clear other tasks.

“Finishing a task that you were supposed to do long ago would provide you with a sense of relief and would motivate you thus giving you the energy to clear other tasks”

So I set about thinking how I could apply this in my daily life. I once kept a bullet journal. And it failed miserably because I'm the sort of person to be enthusiastic about starting something, but ends up never following through.

The next best thing I could think about was Journey. The way I did this was, I sat down and created an entry filled with the tasks that I had to since a while back, but never ever got down to it. When that was done, I looked through the list I had created and bolded the tasks that I was going to do that day itself. At the end of the day I came back to Journey and reviewed the tasks I had managed to finish. The next morning I would copy and bring over the remaining tasks from yesterday and continue from there.

Let's say you were supposed to spend more time with your children. You were going to bring them to the zoo or the swimming pool, but you got caught up with work or you were just too tired, so list that down and get to it asap! You can even upload pictures of the fun that you had that day. The idea is to catch up on possible missed moments and log them so that you would be able to look back one day and smile upon reliving those memories.

It's a little like how you'd do for a bullet journal, but without the inconvenience of having to carry a physical journal around.

Next, I looked at Pursuing a Passion, which was the Gretchen’s value for September. Her passion was in writing, so she set about looking at how she could work on that passion for books further. She was introduced to this writing challenge by her friend - write a novel in a month just by writing 1,667 words each day, without editing or re-reading anything. By the end of the month, she had already accumulated over 50,000 words, a full novel.

“Small consistent effort will produce BIG results.”

Small consistent effort will produce BIG results. Lao Tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with the first step.” I believe that writing is for everyone, and with technology you could do it with more convenience, and at a faster pace. Just open writing app such as JotterPad, create a new file to work on for the day, and track the number of words that you have accomplished for that day with the tracker. I personally preferred to just create a new document for each day that I worked on my novel. It was easier for me to track my own progress that way, but that's entirely up to you. Once you have completed your 1 month of writing, read through it and be proud of it!

I hope this article has helped you to think of ways that you could make yourself happier. Remember, everyone has their own idea of what happiness is. Work towards it and don’t ever give up!

A story in multiple parts. How many? I don’t know. I’ve decided that while I’ll proof and polish, I won’t trim or streamline this post. I may shuffle things around to give it a vague sense of cohesion, though that’s hardly guaranteed. So you’re along for the ride. The prelude I got a new phone. I wasn’t supposed to. I had, in fact, decided not to. But a convenient excuse presented itself, and I…