Thing 13: Final Reflection on Digital Tools for writers

Thing 13 is REFLECTION. Write a post reflecting on your 13 Things for Writers experience. Please write a meaty post--multimedia if possible--reflecting on the following questions:

1. Did this turn out to be what you expected when you started?
2. Were you already familiar with any of these "things"? For example, did you already have an online bookmarking account? Or were they mostly new?
3. Did your Wordle of your blog give you any insights?
4. Which was your favorite post?
5. Did you discover anything new that could be helpful in your day-to-day activities?
6. Did you discover anything new that you think you might use in your Life After Coe?
7. How did you feel about "self-discovering" as opposed to having specific due dates created by the professor? 

I'll comment on these after they're all in.

Thing 12: Word Clouds

You've probably seen word clouds on various websites. They make a visual image of the words that are used--on a particular website or in a particular document. Words that are used most often become more visually prominent--they're BIGGER. This can help you see which themes are repeated most often.

Often, we can get some great insights from looking at word clouds. For example, look at these cool word clouds of presidential inaugural speeches.

Word clouds can be made using the website Wordle. Luckily, you don't have to create an account or pay to use it. You'll just need to save it to the "public gallery," where your word cloud will get its own URL and embed code. Here's the word cloud for 13 Things for Writers:
(Sadly, these images don't have very good resolution.  They'll look MUCH better for you when you make yours on the website!)

You can also make a word cloud of any document. Here's Gorgias's "Helen" speech (if you've taken Rhetorical Theory, you may remember it!) I just copied the text from a website and pasted it into the Wordle box.

I couldn't resist comparing this speech with Socrates' long discourse on "rhetoric" and "flattery" from the dialogue we read in Rhetorical Theory.

Isn't it interesting how "Body" is bigger in Socrates' explanation? "Soul" is in both. And the word "persuasion" never comes up in Socrates. Hmm. This helps me see the two rhetoricians in a clearer way.

If you haven't taken Rhetorical Theory yet, it's offered this fall!

Here's another word cloud of this blog, an interactive one, made with a different site, Tagxedo.  

Watch what happens when you scroll over the cloud.

For your 13Things blog:

Create a word cloud of your 13 things blog and embed the code into the blog.  Just put the URL of your blogspot address in the box on the Wordle or Tagxedo site. Save (or "share" for Tagxedo) and copy the html code (i-code for Tagxedo) and embed on your blog's Thing 12 post.*

Then copy and paste the text of something else into the site's text box--something you've written, or a text you've become familiar with recently. When you get the word cloud, save it, and embed the code for that into your blog, too.

Now reflect:  Did these word clouds give you any insight about the documents/sites? Which words are most prominent? Did this visual representation of words bring any thoughts that you didn't get from reading? How might you use this in professional life? Or is it just a fun toy?

*Don't forget to switch to HTML before you copy in the embed code--that's little rectangular button at the top of your blogger post.

Thing 11: Using a visual thesaurus

The word is right there on the tip of your tongue...but you just can't make it come out! You've got lots of other words that mean something close...but just not the right word.

You need a visual thesaurus. A visual thesaurus shows you all the synonyms to your word, plus, with a click of the mouse allows you to drill deeper into one of the related words, and then see all of the synonyms to THAT word. Somewhere in that exercise, you'll find the perfect word.

The Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus is actually a commercial tool, with a limited free interface. Even with it's limitations (you'll have to click "try" when you first start, and you'll be limited to a handful of drill downs) the tool is rich. Enter a word you'd like to explore, and you'll get a pop up application with all the related words, plus definitions of your original word. It totally appeals to my inner word nerd.

Click any of the related words, and get a new view. You can print with the free trial, but you won't be able to save your word searches or share them. A membership will cost $19.95/year. Also worth noting is the information included on the main website: a word of the day section, a blog feed written by writers talking about writing, featured word lists, lesson plans and more.

Other visual thesuarus tools to try:

• Visiwords: very similar to The Visual Thesaurus, but not quite as robust: you don't get the drill-down functions, and you'll have to decode the color codes to determine meanings based on word type (nouns have a purple background)
• Lexipedia: again, very similar in visuals, but this one, in my humble opinion, is a bit easier to read than Visiwords. I like this one the best. Mouse-over tips help you decipher color coding, and you can show or hide different word forms (keep nouns, hide verbs when applicable).
• The benefit that both Visiwords and Lexipedia have over The Visual Thesaurus is that they are free (open source).

Post on your 13Things blog:

• Choose a word or two from a recent post, and enter them into the visual thesaurus of your choice. Do you come up with any useful alternatives? List the words you like best, along with their definitions.

• In general, do you use a thesaurus when writing? Have you ever had any problems using one (for example, you found out later that the word you chose wasn't exactly what you had in mind . . . )
• Play around with the thesaurus for a while and see if you discover--or rediscover--any great words. Sometimes simple ones are the best. Try: say, play, word, table, time . . . Share a couple words you searched and a couple synonyms you found. And/or comment on the connections between words.
• Are you a word nerd?

Thing 10: Copyright online

Have you ever found a great photo on the Web and used it in your own PowerPoint, on your blog, or even in a print publication you were making?

Did you feel guilty about it?

We're not technically supposed to use someone's work without their permission, but getting permission can be time consuming, and besides, what if the creators don't mind?

The people at Creative Commons have given creators of original works an option to give their works a Creative Commons license. This license allows people to use their works, always with attribution, sometimes with other optional stipulations.

Watch the videos below:







Now visit the Creative Commons website for an overview of the CC philosophy and the different licenses creators may choose for their works. Also, CC licenses aren't just for photos: they can be used with video, music, writing, scientific research, anything that would normally be covered under a copyright license!

I've been amazed at how often I see the Creative Commons license now that I'm aware of it.

Discovery Exercise for Thing 10:

• Watch the videos
• Visit and explore the Creative Commons website
• Post your thoughts about Creative Commons. Does CC seem like a good idea? Think about projects you've created while here at Coe . . . and your blog. What projects--or aspects of those projects--would you LIKE to share with other writers--for them to "remix and reuse"? Are there any writing projects you've created that you would NOT want to share?
  

Thing 9: Manage large projects with Scrivener

Next time I have a large writing project to work on, I'm going to use Scrivener.  It's an online word processing program and helps writers manage and organize writing projects.

For Thing 9, I'd like you to have a look at this powerful tool for writers. I don't usually promote tools that cost money--it costs $40 for a subscription to Scrivener--but this tool has some interesting ways for writers to organize their work.  It also has an awesome 30-day trial.  It's 30 days of use, so if you use it every day, you can use it free for 30 days.  If you use it twice a week, it'll last 15 weeks.

That could be very useful for students working on a project during a semester.

Some of you may be working on a big writing project for this class or another class.  Would Scrivener be helpful for you?

First, take a look at the video overview of Scrivener.  The examples used are fiction, but you can picture how you might use it for a class paper, an extended essay, or even a long journalism piece.  I have a good friend who uses it to write plays.

This is the Scrivener Video for those of you who use Windows:




And here's the video for you Mac users out there.



Next, take a look at some of Scrivener's  features described on the website.

On your 13 Things blog, share your reflections about managing large projects:

• What large writing projects (more than 8 pages) have you worked on recently?
• Did the projects require research or summaries of readings?  How did you take notes and keep track of your research?
• How did you work on writing the piece--from draft through final project?  Did you use paper/pen?  Or just a computer?
• Which features of Scrivener can you see being useful for you this semester--or in the future? 
• Will you download a free trial?

Thing 8: Online Notebooks and writing prompts

Nulla dies sin linea:  Never a day without writing--Horace

If you want to be a good runner, run.  If you want to be a good writer, write. Writing is like athletics in that it requires practice to attain competence.

I can feel when I'm out of shape, writing-wise:  it will take me MUCH too long to get words on the page, or the words that do come to me seem flat and lifeless.

But if I'm "in training," so to speak, the words flow out, organizational patterns bloom in my mind, and new concepts flash and spark.

How does a writer get in shape, though?

Daily writing practice is a staple in the lives of many people who write. And while writers used to carry around a notebook for this practice, today there are digital tools that make daily writing easier--and more fun. 

In addition, people who write daily can lower stress levels and improve their immune function.  Writing is awesome, isn't it?

A blog is a great place for daily writing.  But writers sometimes need to write in private.  That's when online notebooks come in handy.

There are several sites where you can establish a private journal or diary.

I use Penzu.  With a free Penzu account, I can keep a private writer's notebook/diary on a site that has military-grade encryption, so I can feel safe about your privacy.  If I write something you do want to share, I can do that, too.  Penzu sends me reminders to write via email. 

I don't use the Penzu mobile app, but if I had a smart phone, I might.

Take a look at this video about Penzu.


One trick about writing discipline and daily writing is . . . thinking of things to write about.  If you're sometimes at a loss of what to write about on your Penzu, you can click on the little lightbulb on the Penzu page--it will provide you with a question to answer.  They're usually fun.

If you're looking elsewhere for writing prompts, you can also try Plinky, which will email you prompts, and provide you with a place to write and share daily writing.  These also make great conversation-starters!

For Thing 8:  Explore some options for keeping an online Writer's Notebook.
1.  Set up a free account on Penzu, Plinky, or on another online notebook/diary app.  (Both Android and App Store have several; I have one called "Notebooks" on my Kindle Fire.)  You can create your notebook on a computer, on your phone, or on a tablet.  Or you can create several notebooks--that's what I did.
2.  Set up your account to send you reminders to post.
3.  Write your first post, using your own idea, the light bulb prompt, or a Plinky prompt. 
4.  Write on your blog: 

• Which type of Writer's Notebook did you choose:  Penzu.com, Plinky, or an app for your smartphone/tablet?  Why did you choose this one?  
• Have you ever kept a daily (or semi-daily) writer's notebook?  Was it for a class, or on your own?  
• If you haven't (or aren't now doing it), what have been the reasons for not keeping one?  Would these new digital tools address those reasons?

Thing 7: Making Multi-media stories with Storify

So now that you're on Twitter, you can see that a 140 character post can be useful.  And the immediacy of tweets can draw in readers who want to know what's happening NOW.

But let's say you're following a particular topic:  say last week's big winter storm Nemo (that name keeps making me think about a fish).  There may be lots of tweets tagged with #Nemo, but I'm guessing not all of them are that interesting.  And what if you want to look at pictures?  or read longer comments--on blogs, for example?

If you want a full picture of the storm, you might want to look at many different media sources.  And maybe you'd like to make your own story about it and share it.  Like one news channel did here!

Storify is one way to sort out the most meaningful material from social media and put it together yourself, creating a story that's a mosaic of tweets, images, and commentary on a particular trend.  It's a way for writers to create multi-media stories by collaborating with social media creators all across the web.  News outlets uses it, and ordinary people use it, too.  Here's a brief tour on one web page.

Or if you'd rather look at quick video, here's the official Storify intro video.


Thing 7:
Explore and try out Storify
1.  Go to Storify and explore the trending stories.  Look at the multi-media, collaborative stories created with this digital tool.  The most recent ones are linked on the home page; you can search for others.  Choose three stories about topics that interest you, and look at them.  On your blog, describe one of the Storify stories you viewed/read.
2.  Create your own story.  First get a free Storify account.  Think of a recent topic that people are buzzing about in social media:  could be in national or international news, arts, sports, entertainment, even weather!  Then click on "create a new story."  Follow the instructions to choose tweets, blog posts, images, and other media to your story about a recent topic.  You can add your own text, too.  It doesn't have to be long, but do try to include various types of social media.
3.  After you've created a Storify story, embed it in your blog and share your reflections about the process:

• what did Storify allow you to do that you might not have been able to do were you writing a news story in the old-fashioned way (interviews and local research)?  
• If you're tweeting, would you like your tweets to be shared in someone's Storify story? 
• What are the limitations to writing stories this way?