New members

[sherryll]

Hi to all--I am a retired professor (English) and am new to the software and the forum. I had a very good chat today with Steve, who has been most helpful in trying to answer my queries about Storyist. I would like very much to know if others have trouble "coordinating" the relationship between the 3 different views and the sections of the project listed on the left side of the screen?

 

Sherryll

[thealtruismsociety]

Hi to all--I am a retired professor (English) and am new to the software and the forum. I had a very good chat today with Steve, who has been most helpful in trying to answer my queries about Storyist. I would like very much to know if others have trouble "coordinating" the relationship between the 3 different views and the sections of the project listed on the left side of the screen?

 

Sherryll

 

Hey welcome Sherryll, I'm pretty new to the software myself but there will be someone else more knowledgeable along to lead you astray ... er to help you along.

[Steve E]

Hi to all--I am a retired professor (English) and am new to the software and the forum. I had a very good chat today with Steve, who has been most helpful in trying to answer my queries about Storyist. I would like very much to know if others have trouble "coordinating" the relationship between the 3 different views and the sections of the project listed on the left side of the screen?

 

Sherryll

Hello Sherryll, and welcome!

 

I've always felt that the views and sections are two of Storyist's greatest strengths but, yes, there is a small learning curve. Storyist's single greatest strength, in my opinion, is its ability to conform to your own story-writing process. There is a great deal more discussion on this subject elsewhere in the forums. You can use Search (at the top-right of this window) to find things of specific interest. (Don't be thrown by references to overmuffins or Evil Alien Overladies — we can get pretty silly sometimes.)

 

By the way, I used to teach Computer Science and Discrete Mathematics at CCNY. If you don't mind my asking, where did you teach?

 

Trying not to lead you astray. (TAS is such a kidder.)

- Thoth

[orrenm]

Hi to all--I am a retired professor (English) and am new to the software and the forum. I had a very good chat today with Steve, who has been most helpful in trying to answer my queries about Storyist. I would like very much to know if others have trouble "coordinating" the relationship between the 3 different views and the sections of the project listed on the left side of the screen?

 

Welcome Sherryll!

 

I too spent time in the academic side of things, although far lower on the totem pole—I taught high school English and community college English part-time for a few years, before I went into editing and writing music tech articles/books.

 

I agree with you completely about the 3-pane thing; if you look through the posts you'll find requests from me for some more intuitive (to me) ways to place various pages/views on the various panes automatically. I often find that in the heat of the moment, I get it wrong, then have to "backtrack" and click around to get things back the way I want them. Hopefully, this is something being worked on.

 

Anyway, I find what works best for me is to create a "set and leave" storyboard/outline view in pane 3, so that once you set it up, you can do all your work in the middle pane and never worry about it. For example, in a post in which I ask for research features here, you'll see I have my 3rd pane set up in outline view with all my research links. This way, I just keep them showing, and then never worry about them. I'm sure after trial and error you too will find a setup that works for you—and then as Steve works on this feature, we'll get to experiment and learn all new workflows!

 

Take care,

Orren

[thealtruismsociety]

Welcome Sherryll!

 

I too spent time in the academic side of things, although far lower on the totem pole—I taught high school English and community college English part-time for a few years, before I went into editing and writing music tech articles/books.

 

I agree with you completely about the 3-pane thing; if you look through the posts you'll find requests from me for some more intuitive (to me) ways to place various pages/views on the various panes automatically. I often find that in the heat of the moment, I get it wrong, then have to "backtrack" and click around to get things back the way I want them. Hopefully, this is something being worked on.

 

Anyway, I find what works best for me is to create a "set and leave" storyboard/outline view in pane 3, so that once you set it up, you can do all your work in the middle pane and never worry about it. For example, in a post in which I ask for research features here, you'll see I have my 3rd pane set up in outline view with all my research links. This way, I just keep them showing, and then never worry about them. I'm sure after trial and error you too will find a setup that works for you—and then as Steve works on this feature, we'll get to experiment and learn all new workflows!

 

Take care,

Orren

 

This is exactly what I do. As far as this issue, in the features I suggested a way where all three panes could be used without worrying about losing your place in the middle panel, go check it out.

[marguerite]

Hi to all--I am a retired professor (English) and am new to the software and the forum. I had a very good chat today with Steve, who has been most helpful in trying to answer my queries about Storyist. I would like very much to know if others have trouble "coordinating" the relationship between the 3 different views and the sections of the project listed on the left side of the screen?

 

Sherryll

Welcome, Sherryll! My, what an academic bunch we are: I've done college teaching, too, although these days I mostly "teach" as an editor.

 

Could you be a bit more specific about what is bothering you? I'm not sure the question you're asking is the one that the others are answering. To figure out which window something in the Project View (that outline on the left side of the screen) will affect, look for blue text in the topmost line. (It will say "Characters," "Plot," or "Settings" or an individual name of something.) That tells you which window is "active" in Storyist's computer-generated mind. You can link windows with a weird-looking little button at the bottom of the window; if you do, clicking on one open window will cause whatever is in the main window to jump to the same thing.

 

But I read your post somewhat differently. Are you asking about displaying the same section as text, outline, or image (card, collage, depending on what's selected)? For example, are you having trouble navigating from corkboard to collage? Or with clicking on something in the outline and having it show up against a gray background when you were expecting the corkboard? Or with wondering what exactly you're typing into when you type on an index card?

Best,

Marguerite

[Steve E]

I take a very different approach. I prefer to use only two panes: the Project pane (left) and the manuscript pane taking up the rest of the screen, often set at 200% zoom to reduce eyestrain. I am unbothered by switching between views (Manuscript, Outline, Collage) or pulling up data sheets to replace manuscript view (Character, Setting, Notes). Concentrating on one thing at a time actually works better for me.

 

Have you had a chance to read the Getting Started Guide (Help>Show Getting Started Guide)?

 

- Thoth.

[marguerite]

I actually use two separate copies of the file on two separate monitors. On my main screen I have the copy I'm working on, set to two panes (Project View and Main View, in text mode). On the other window I set up three panes: Project View on the left and two windows separated by a horizontal split. The top pane shows my characters as Polaroids against a corkboard, and the bottom pane does the same for settings.

 

If I have to check a note, say, I click to it and from it in text view window. Otherwise I leave everything alone and just type.

 

By the way, just in case this was the source of your question, Sherryll, there is a quirk in OS X that requires you, if you have something selected in the Project View and then work in the Main View, to click on something else before reselecting the same section that was already highlighted. Otherwise it sits there and blinks stupidly at you. Weird and annoying, but Apple's job to fix.

Best,

Marguerite

[Steve E]

By the way, just in case this was the source of your question, Sherryll, there is a quirk in OS X that requires you, if you have something selected in the Project View and then work in the Main View, to click on something else before reselecting the same section that was already highlighted. Otherwise it sits there and blinks stupidly at you. Weird and annoying, but Apple's job to fix.

In the meantime, you can de-pale-select a line in the Project View with Cmd-click. Then just click it again to select it.

 

The more you know, the less you don't know.

- Thoth.

[sherryll]

Hello Sherryll, and welcome!

 

I've always felt that the views and sections are two of Storyist's greatest strengths but, yes, there is a small learning curve. Storyist's single greatest strength, in my opinion, is its ability to conform to your own story-writing process. There is a great deal more discussion on this subject elsewhere in the forums. You can use Search (at the top-right of this window) to find things of specific interest. (Don't be thrown by references to overmuffins or Evil Alien Overladies — we can get pretty silly sometimes.)

 

By the way, I used to teach Computer Science and Discrete Mathematics at CCNY. If you don't mind my asking, where did you teach?

 

Trying not to lead you astray. (TAS is such a kidder.)

- Thoth

 

Thanks so much for your comments. I got my Ph.D. at University of California, Irvine then taught for seventeen years at the University of Hawaii at Hilo where I was dept chair for the last five toe curling years. We left Hawai'i because of Vog--the volcanic emissions of sulfur dioxide that often make breathing there difficult, and which in my case exacerbated my asthma. I also taught last year as a visiting prof at Portland State University, which takes a factory approach to education and whose faculty are often underpaid, non-benefit earning, over worked adjuncts.

 

Best, Sherryll

[sherryll]

Welcome Sherryll!

 

I too spent time in the academic side of things, although far lower on the totem pole—I taught high school English and community college English part-time for a few years, before I went into editing and writing music tech articles/books.

 

I agree with you completely about the 3-pane thing; if you look through the posts you'll find requests from me for some more intuitive (to me) ways to place various pages/views on the various panes automatically. I often find that in the heat of the moment, I get it wrong, then have to "backtrack" and click around to get things back the way I want them. Hopefully, this is something being worked on.

 

&view=findpost&p=8408"]here[/url], you'll see I have my 3rd pane set up in outline view with all my research links. This way, I just keep them showing, and then never worry about them. I'm sure after trial and error you too will find a setup that works for you—and then as Steve works on this feature, we'll get to experiment and learn all new workflows!

 

Take care,

Orren

 

Orren, thanks for the link to your work. I am not sufficiently experienced yet with the program to evaluate all of your screenshots as to their usefulness for what I want to do, but the third one, which shows the research occupying the entire 3rd pane is what I want to achieve.

 

It will not surprise you to know I am writing an academic novel, and that a significant aspect of the novel is my intense rejection of the academic hierarchy. How did you get into editing?

 

Sherryll

[Joolissa]

Welcome Sherryll!

I'm less academic, so I can't really add to the editor/academia conversation, but I thought I'd welcome you to the bunch!

- Jules (spelt myriad ways)

[marguerite]

I am not sufficiently experienced yet with the program to evaluate all of your screenshots as to their usefulness for what I want to do, but the third one, which shows the research occupying the entire 3rd pane is what I want to achieve.

Sherryll

Sherryl, here's how you get that effect:

 

1. Open a new file based on Novel (or your existing Novel file).

2. Click on Workspaces. Choose "Side by Side." A second window opens.

3. Drag the scroll bar in the middle over to the right if necessary to make the windows the size you want.

4. Click in the rightmost window. Look up in the top right corner of the window, where there are three small boxes.

5, Click the middle box, which has an icon that vaguely resembles an outline. (You can get the same effect by choosing "as Outline" from the View menu.)

 

The rightmost pane will switch to something resembling a yellow legal pad. So long as the text at the top of the window is blue, anything you click on in the Project View will show up in that window in outline mode. If you want to see your notes, click on the Notebook.

 

When something is in outline mode, you can click on the title to change it or hit return and start typing text. Usually that text shows up on index cards if you choose View > as Storyboard (right box with four squares representing cards) or in the summary field if you choose View > as Text (left box with four lines representing text).

 

If you would rather see the windows as Project View | Research | Manuscript, just click in the middle window instead of the farthest right window in step 4. When you get it set up, choose Workspaces from the Window menu and then "New Workspace." Give it a name that you will easily identify, and hit return. Then when you want to go back to that setting, you can find it by clicking the Workspaces button.

 

Clear as mud? Don't worry: it's easier to do than to explain.

Best,

Marguerite

[Steve E]

Thanks so much for your comments. I got my Ph.D. at University of California, Irvine then taught for seventeen years at the University of Hawaii at Hilo where I was dept chair for the last five toe curling years. We left Hawai'i because of Vog--the volcanic emissions of sulfur dioxide that often make breathing there difficult, and which in my case exacerbated my asthma. I also taught last year as a visiting prof at Portland State University, which takes a factory approach to education and whose faculty are often underpaid, non-benefit earning, over worked adjuncts.

Ah yes. The underpaid, non-benefit earning, over worked adjuncts. I remember them well. And yet, the push now is to blame the teachers for not being engaged. But to be blunt, I left CCNY because I got a ridiculously better offer in Connecticut. Then I left Connecticut because I got a ridiculously better offer from Wall Street. I got what I deserved. It started out well and was fulfilling for years — then the financiers and "consultants" took over and everything went to hell. They divided everything into Cost Centers and Profit Centers (as if some things didn't cost and not everyone contributed) and then started requiring people to account for every minute (literally every minute, including bathroom time). I can't even begin to describe the hypocrisy but I'll try. When they wanted something from us, like mandatory unpaid overtime, we're a family so it's not really stealing from your employees. When we wanted something from them, like being able to take an unpaid personal day, we're a business and it's stealing from the company. I left to start my own business.

 

Someone once told me that in the past people spent their whole working lives at one job and today should expect around fifteen. Society needs to adjust for that.

 

Sorry for the rant.

In my sixth career.

- Thoth.

[orrenm]

I got my Ph.D. at University of California, Irvine

 

Right down the street from me, nearly. (we live around South Coast Plaza).

 

whose faculty are often underpaid, non-benefit earning, over worked adjuncts

 

You just described my six years of being an adjunct English instructor at Fullerton College and Irvine Valley College...

 

Orren, thanks for the link to your work. I am not sufficiently experienced yet with the program to evaluate all of your screenshots as to their usefulness for what I want to do, but the third one, which shows the research occupying the entire 3rd pane is what I want to achieve.

 

You're very welcome! I think Marguerite gave you some pretty solid instructions on how to set up Storyist; from there it's just drag-and-drop. If you look in Feature Requests, much of my requests recently have revolved around research features, so I'm right there with you. You can take the academic out of academia...

 

It will not surprise you to know I am writing an academic novel, and that a significant aspect of the novel is my intense rejection of the academic hierarchy.

 

Well, the college hierarchy is nothing compared to the secondary hierarchy. One of two jobs I've ever been fired from was teaching at a private high school in which having an opinion = making waves = getting laid off.

 

How did you get into editing?

 

Well, in between teaching jobs I had two full-time gigs: one was as a technical writer for online network courses at a now-defunct online vocational education company, and the other was as staff editor for an internal magazine of the IEEE (called Computer). The IEEE is the standards organization that keeps tech standards, for example your wifi card is called IEEE 802.11, your FireWire interface is an IEEE 1394 interface, etc.

 

But the short version of I got my full-time acquisitions editor gig was:

* I wrote free pro audio gear reviews on the web, moderated forums, and beta tested software

* I got approached by both magazines to write articles and Course Technology PTR to write books

* My relationship with Course PTR became so close I was hired to freelance development edit music tech books, and when a full-time AE position opened, I applied and got it.

 

So now I work from home, a full-time AE, still writing pro audio reviews (and co-writing the Logic book) and writing fiction on spec.

The perfect job for me!

 

Take care,

Orren

[sherryll]

I take a very different approach. I prefer to use only two panes: the Project pane (left) and the manuscript pane taking up the rest of the screen, often set at 200% zoom to reduce eyestrain. I am unbothered by switching between views (Manuscript, Outline, Collage) or pulling up data sheets to replace manuscript view (Character, Setting, Notes). Concentrating on one thing at a time actually works better for me.

 

Have you had a chance to read the Getting Started Guide (Help>Show Getting Started Guide)?

 

- Thoth.

 

Hi--thanks for your comments. Indeed, I printed out the GSG. I actually learned Ancient Greek as easily as I'm learning this (which attests to my verbal sided brain). It is the visual components--i.e., conceptualizing the program visually--that I have a problem with. Once I have learned the fundamental concept (i.e., views, projects) I'll probably need less hand-holding.

 

Thank you.

 

Sherryll

[sherryll]

Sherryl, here's how you get that effect:

 

1. Open a new file based on Novel (or your existing Novel file).

2. Click on Workspaces. Choose "Side by Side." A second window opens.

3. Drag the scroll bar in the middle over to the right if necessary to make the windows the size you want.

4. Click in the rightmost window. Look up in the top right corner of the window, where there are three small boxes.

5, Click the middle box, which has an icon that vaguely resembles an outline. (You can get the same effect by choosing "as Outline" from the View menu.)

 

The rightmost pane will switch to something resembling a yellow legal pad. So long as the text at the top of the window is blue, anything you click on in the Project View will show up in that window in outline mode. If you want to see your notes, click on the Notebook.

 

When something is in outline mode, you can click on the title to change it or hit return and start typing text. Usually that text shows up on index cards if you choose View > as Storyboard (right box with four squares representing cards) or in the summary field if you choose View > as Text (left box with four lines representing text).

 

If you would rather see the windows as Project View | Research | Manuscript, just click in the middle window instead of the farthest right window in step 4. When you get it set up, choose Workspaces from the Window menu and then "New Workspace." Give it a name that you will easily identify, and hit return. Then when you want to go back to that setting, you can find it by clicking the Workspaces button.

 

Clear as mud? Don't worry: it's easier to do than to explain.

Best,

Marguerite

 

Marguerite--I'll figure out how to print this out and try it. You are so helpful!!!!!

 

Sherryll