The Write Thought » Fiction

Instapaper, One of My Favorite Writing Tools

Stephen Blake Mettee — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:25:41 +0000

Save time and energy saving articles to Instapaper

A dozen times a week I’ll stumble upon a news story or an article on the web that I’m interested in but don’t want to take the time to read right then.

This happens too when I’m researching material for this blog or the three (!) books I’m writing.

Pigs don’t fly.

I have never been foolish enough to tell myself I’d remember to go back to an article, so I tried to solve this problem by making folders under my browser’s “Favorites” for each project I was working on. I even had one called “Hot at the Moment” for oddball things that interested me but didn’t apply to my work.

There were numerous problems with this system. Foremost among them was that the folders would quickly fill up with a confusing morass of links. I also found myself reluctant to spend more time on the computer reading than I was already putting in.

Enter Instapaper.

With one click on a button on my browser toolbar titled “Read Later” I can now save the text on any web page to my Instapaper account.

Instapaper automatically synchs what I save to my iPad via the Instapaper app. The app’s opening screen lists the title of each of the items saved with a few lines of text so I can easily find what I’m looking for.

Since the items are downloaded to the iPad, I can read them anywhere including bed, bath, or beyond. Ok, not bath. That really would be daring with an iPad.

It’s mostly free and easy.

To get started, create a free account on Instapaper’s website and follow the simple instructions to install the Read Later button on your browser.

The iPad app, which is good to go on your iPhone too, is $4.99.

No iPad but you’ve got a Kindle or a Nook? With a little finessing you can download what you’ve saved to either one. Go here for instructions.

No iPad, no Kindle, and no Nook? Where do you buy those leisure suits? Have no fear, you can read your saved articles on your PC or laptop too.

Isn’t it great? With technology, life just gets easier and easier.

Just a write thought.

What Will They Want to Read Tomorrow? Anticipate Trends with “Top Searches.”

Stephen Blake Mettee — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:35:05 +0000

George Bernard Shaw was an ardent socialist.

“If you want to see how a society thinks, look at what it searches for.”

—George Bernard Shaw

Allow me to slightly rewrite Shaw’s wise counsel: “If you want to know what a society is interested in reading about, look at what it searches for.”

As writers (and publishers) of nonfiction books, magazine articles—even novels—it behooves us to be on top of whatever is about to break into the collective consciousness.

In other words, to be able to predict what a majority—or at least a large segment—of us are going to be interested in next week, next month, or next year.

Easier said than done

I don’t know about the rest of you, but it seems to me that, by the time I notice a trend exists, it’s already fading.

So how do you figure out what next will be hot?

Check out the “Top Searches” lists supplied for free by many Internet search engines. Most of them keep the lists updated and archives of past lists are even available.

The searched-for items that appear on each list are undoubtedly what people are interested in at the moment.

However, these subjects may be old news by the time you do your research and write about them, so look for subjects that are just beginning to show up here and there on these lists. Also check the archived lists to see what subjects have exhibited staying power.

Here are some places to start:

Google Trends

On Google Trends, you can get a list of the 20 current hot searches or reset the date to see what was hot on any specific day going back to May 15, 2007.

You can also do a keyword search that returns a graph that shows search volume and news reference volume.

When I searched on “Kindle,” the graph went back to 2004, which I assume was the first mention of Kindle by Amazon.com. It then flat-lined through 2005, 2006, and most of 2007, spiking when the first Kindles became available late in 2007.

After a lackluster 2008, search volume steadily climbed in 2009 to the present with a huge spike coinciding with the recent release of the Kindle Fire.

Yahoo! Buzz

Yahoo Buzz lists its search engine’s current top 20 searches as well as the current top 20 “Movers.” Movers are terms that are currently spiking.

As I write this—on Sunday, October 16, 2011—Movers include “401k Plans,” “9 9 9 Tax Plan,” and “Bankruptcy Protection.” Hmmm. Wonder why.

Menu choices across the top of Yahoo Buzz’s home screen deliver the current top 20 searches under the categories actors, movies, music, sports, TV, and video games.

Want to know what’s fading? Click on “Decliners” for a current list of the 20 terms that are most rapidly declining in popularity.

Bing

Go to Bing Images to see the latest trends in what images people are searching for.

Technorati

Technorati doesn’t have a great deal to do with Internet searches, but nothing much is more current than the blogosphere. Spend some time on Technorati to keep up on what is popular in the world of bloggers.

By the way, George Bernard Shaw is the only person to have been awarded both the Noble Prize for Literature and an Oscar. We should be so talented.

Just a write thought.

Need to Add a Plot Twist? Watch This.

Stephen Blake Mettee — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 17:31:58 +0000

Under the category of “Beware What You Wish For” comes this author-centric video in which the plot device is the plot device.

Plot Device from Red Giant on Vimeo.

That was worth nine minutes, wasn’t it?
I first saw this on Kristin, the polite agent’s, blog: Pub Rants.
BTW, polite literary agents abound, it just seems otherwise since the self-impressed ones make so much noise.

Just a write thought.