Eliza March talks about #Writer's Tools: Inspiration, Imagination, Perspiration...and #Dracula

Johnathan Rhys Meyers in Dracula

The series Vampire Diaries has kept me going for several years between Underworld movies. Now I get to look forward to Dracula the new NBC series with Jonathan Rhys Myers of Showtime's The Tudors fame.

Since I've been working on the vampire sequel to Defeat The Darkness (Dylan Macgregor's story) I've enjoyed other versions of my vampire world. There was Buffy and Angel, and I'm still a fan of True Blood. In my series, the past story about how Dylan was turned is already written and called CONQUER THE HIGHLAND BEAST. My dilemma is whether to incorporate it into his present day story, DAMN THE DARKNESS, the way Anne Rice told the Louis and Lestat story; Interview With A Vampire, or release it as a freebie before or later. I have one versions written incorporating it and one as a separate book.  Any ideas, suggestions or opinions? Help!

Another thing I'm doing is using SCRIVENER. After the learning curve...I love it. Yesterday I figured out how to lock the opening page so I can use it this way until I find another way that works better. *GRIN*

I also discovered by using Dragon Naturally Speaking, I can get a heck of a lot more writing done. I refuse to edit while I'm speaking, so the scenes move along quite quickly. I go back and edit afterwards before I begin the next scene. Thankfully the program gets more intuitive with each upgrade. Gotta love that. I can't tell the story for long before I go back and check for errors though. One sentence I went back to (and this isn't how you are supposed to use Dragon) was so far from what I intended, I could barely figure out what I'd said. It took longer than correcting it immediately would have. But I didn't want to stop my mental flow. It seems as if either my fingers are working against my creative flow or my tongue is.

Dracula/NBC

I can also dictate into my phone and use it to download to the program, later. I can use my smart phone like a microphone if I don't have the one that came with the program. If I open my old files, it can read them and become acquainted with my writing style. Hey, this is great since I haven't spent the appropriate time training my Dragon. Know any shortcuts?

I probably shouldn't share this, but I've never taken typing...finger placement, speed, typing in the dark...out of the question for me. I'm pretty speedy in the light with both hands on the keyboard, but if I switch keyboards I'm lost. I even have a typing lesson program installed, all I have to do is use it. But I find once I sit down to the keyboard, I need to do productive work.  That means editing, writing, or promoting. How many of you couldn't type when you began writing?

Checking emails and doing the paperwork that goes along with all that is also time consuming and eats away at my creativity. Thank goodness I can fill in time with books..or TV--they're fuel that energizes my imagination. What do you watch?