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Ideamason on special
Curt:
... I write fiction in my spare time, everything from modules for games to actual novels, and I find it perfect for that, .... I'd heartily recommend it to any writers, ...-wraith808 (November 16, 2007, 02:30 PM)
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As a writer you should give it to yourself to try out the portable Liquid Story Binder from Black Obelisk Software. The author of the program is constantly updating the program, and on the forum there are almost never any talk of bugs. The manual is somewhat poor / "unpedagogic", and support is via the forum, but as one can see on the forum, the author is answering many questions a day, so please don't ask this IT-illiterate (me) how it works (though I can tell that it has music playlists!).
The program: Liquid Story Binder at www.blackobelisksoftware.com
The asking price: $45.95 once (from Plimus) + 'Order CD' option
The forum: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Liquid_Story/
Features:
Dossiers: Create Dossiers for major characters and settings. Timelines: Plot your novel by organizing cards along colored timelines. Storyboards: Combine images and text to create a visual reference board. Outlines: Create a collapsible tree of plot ideas. Image Galleries: Organize your reference images into galleries. Builders: Organize complex scenes using titles, descriptions, and color indexing. Position Memory: Liquid Story Binder XE remembers just where you left off. Manuscript Building: Combine multiple chapters into a single manuscript automatically. Printing: Preserve your font and paragraph editing with Format Printing. Workspaces: Preserve your favorite window layouts for quick access. Project Goals: Words per day, words left to write, days remaining, multi-document word counts. Color Schemes: Create the perfect writing environment with your favorite window colors. Recordings: Record yourself reading your own novel. Test for pacing and time. File Listings: Organize all your files into easy-access file trees. Backups: Every Chapter has its own backup repository. Never lose a single word with automatic version and session backups. Compress your whole archive into a single ZIP file. Shortcuts: Quickly access your favorite external software and documents. Statistics: Times, Word Counts, Goals, Sessions, Versions, Days. Reader: Read over your work in a easy to view columned window, free of editing distractions. Music Playlists: Add your MP3s and sort them into playlists. Set the mood for writing. External Editing: Open your work outside of Liquid Story Binder. -Liquid Story Binder
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Current Version 1.91, Released November 9th, 2007
Liquid Story Binder XE by Black Obelisk Software
Word Processing, Outlining, Organizing.
A Portable Text Editor that Keeps You Organized
Liquid Story Binder XE is a uniquely designed word processor for professional and aspiring authors, poets, and novelists. Writing software for those who require the editing ability of a commercial text editor as well as a document tracking system. It is for those who want the freedom to create, outline and revise but are tired of losing track of their work.
Word Processing for Novelists
Liquid Story Binder XE is specifically designed for fiction writing. XE includes all the standard features such as spell-checking, thesaurus, smart quotes, templates, font and paragraph styles -- everything you need to write your next great novel.
Chapter and Scene Based Writing
Liquid Story Binder XE can clean and combine many small documents into a single, font-unified manuscript. Use a Chapter Builder to quickly arrange complex scenes.
A Multimedia Organizer
Sort pictures into Galleries or Storyboards, quickly access custom MP3 playlists, even record yourself reading your latest chapter using a microphone.
Pick and Choose Flexible Features
Pick and choose the file types that work best for you. Liquid Story Binder never tells you how to write! Flexible file types allow you to use your imagination. Use a Dossier for characters, places or things, or a Builder to preserve important snippets.
Organize Your Novel
Create a Book folder and let Liquid Story Binder sort, search and combine your documents.
Create the Perfect Working Environment
Choose a color scheme that suits your writing style. Save window positions and open files for quick and easy access using Workspaces. Open dozens of windows simultaneously - or just a simple textbox centered in the screen.
Full Screen Editing
Even though Liquid Story Binder is packed with features, sometimes less is more. Liquid Story Binder XE offers full screen editing, a feature that removes all distractions including menus and title bars
Advanced Outlining Tools
Timelines, Outlines, Dossiers, Sequences and Storyboards. Liquid Story Binder XE provides the tools you need to plan your next great novel.
Protect Your Work
For every Chapter, Liquid Story Binder XE creates a single, easy-to-access backup file. This backup file contains an entry for each day's changes. Liquid Story Binder XE also includes a complete book backup using ZIP compression.
Take Liquid Story Binder With You
Liquid Story Binder can be installed on a flash card or USB drive. Take your writing wherever you need to go. Use XE on a friend's computer, at school, or at work.
WordWeb Integration
Liquid Story Binder integrates with WordWeb. WordWeb is a quick and powerful international English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows. It can be used to look up words from almost any Windows program, showing definitions, synonyms and related words. There are also many proper nouns and usage examples.
Universal Search
Liquid Story Binder XE can search every Chapter, Note, Builder, Timeline, Storyboard, Outline, Dossier, Sequence and Backup for a single lost word or phrase. Can't remember where you wrote that important paragraph? Just use XE's Universal Search.
Repetition Visualizer
Liquid Story Binder XE's Repetition Visualizer allows you to find, at-a-glance, repetitive words and phrases.
Simple File Formats
Liquid Story Binder XE uses basic TXT, RTF, and ZIP file formats guaranteeing future access no matter what software you use.
Many Features in a Very Small Download
The Liquid Story Binder XE installation package is only 2MB in size! It takes longer to download an MP3 file!
Vista Compatible
Liquid Story Binder is tested and developed on systems using Windows Vista. Liquid Story Binder XE is also compatible with Windows XP.
30 Day Free Trial Without Any Feature Limitations
Download Liquid Story Binder XE and test out it features before buying. The download includes the entire XE package without limitations. If you love what you see, return to our website a buy a special licensing code that will allow you to use Liquid Story Binder indefinitely. After that, all future upgrades and updates are absolutely free!
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wraith808:
I've already tried it and several others. LSB just puts too much in the way of what I really need to do- plot and write. It's like a multimedia organizer and doesn't have the links I need for plotting and drag-and-drop simple storyboarding and character development. Just didn't like it.
Darwin:
I still haven't had a chance to really work with IdeaMason :( :o :-[
I have tried it out a few times but my experience is echoed by wraith's comments, above: I find that it just gets in the way. To be honest, the best writing aid I have on my computer is ZuluPad Pro :Thmbsup: It's lightweight, very simple, and works.
wraith808:
I find IdeaMason a bit different; I guess it depends on what you're looking to do. If I'm writing a short story, then I wouldn't use IdeaMason. I used it during NaNoWriMo and it was invaluable; I plan to use it for further novel writing, game/game supplement writing, and writing articles. It keeps all of my notes at hand, and allows me to write snippets and combine them together later.
Darwin:
Still waiting to try it :-[ I'm encouraged by your comments, wraith, because what you describe is pretty much exactly how I'm hoping to use it... eventually!
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