Write or Die was created by a man called "Dr. Wicked" so you know something nefarious is going on. Like other online writing tools, this one is about motivation. It is about getting you to sit down and write and write and write until you can't write no mo'. It does this by deleting your words. Yes, that's right. It makes you write by threatening to unwrite what you've already written. If you're not writing constantly, Write or Die will delete, word by word, everything you've done. Better finish in time then, no?
I am reviewing WoD as a web app. However, for those of you who want all the evil that it entails without the "giant kitten of distraction that is the internet", there is an iPad/iPod/etc. app and a desktop version that works on Mac, PC and Linux.
Usefulness: 4 out of 5
Write or Die is really useful. This is because it cracks the proverbial whip in getting you to get your words down. It has 4 difficulty settings: Gentle, Normal, Kamikaze and Electric Shock. Gentle and Normal don't really count, in my opinion. Gentle simply gives you a pop-up box suggesting you keep writing and Normal plays an annoying sound, which can easily be avoided by turning your speakers off. Kamikaze and Electric Shock are the truly useful modes. Kamikaze is the mode everyone hears rumors about, the one that deletes all your hard work. Electric Shock, well, that doesn't even have a description on the webpage, so you know it must be the purest of evils.
You can also set a grace period. This is the amount of time you have before Write or Die imposes its evil motivational techniques. You can chose between Forgiving, Strict and Evil. As a personal suggestion, Evil may be too evil for most.
The true usefulness of Write or Die, however, is found in its time limit and word count goal. You decide how hard this is supposed to be. If you need a leisurely stroll, try 1000 words in 30 minutes. If you want breakneck speed, try that same thousand in 10 minutes. You plug in how much needs to get done, in how long, and Write or Die makes damn sure that you do it.
It does lose points for the lack of export capability. To save your work, you must copy and paste it into your own text editor. It would be quite nice if I could save it online or it would export as an already formatted file.
Fun: 4 out of 5
This is fun for masochists everywhere. I really don't think people use it angrily. It's not only fun to race against the clock, but its fun to see your words disappear and scramble to replace them. That being said, that could just be me.
Hipster: 2 out of 5
This is a pretty well-known site. The author created desktop and iProduct versions because he had such a big following.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Intro: What even is NaNo?
My beloved father has been rather helpful in reading over this blog and giving me advice. And the thing he keeps coming back to is this. "Meghan, your blog is really for people who know what they're doing. You may want to give a little background if you can."
At first, I was like, "Duh, Dad, that's the point!". But thinking about it, it's not really. The point is to make a big ol' database of reviews for sites that help writers. I've centered it around National Novel Writing Month because my own personal (writing) life centers around National Novel Writing Month. But maybe some of you just use these sites for funsies. Maybe someone (and I pray to the gods this is true) stumbles onto my site from somewhere else on the internet knowing nothing of NaNoWriMo. As I just did a thesis paper on it, I would be a GREAT person to explain it to them, no?
First of all, go here. This is the official NaNo website, where a LOT of my information came from for my thesis (at least, the info about NaNoWriMo, as opposed to that abut writing techniques and communities of practice). The about pages on the site will give you a pretty thorough run down of what happens around the globe every November.
But, I'll give you a break down. NaNoWriMo has become a phenomenon that has swept the world into a writing frenzy. Hundreds of thousands of people get together every November to write novels (of 50,000 words in length), and send them in at the end of the month to get verified and win prizes. The "rules", which are "more like guidelines anyway", state that you must start from scratch on November 1st (meaning these are the first words of your manuscript, not that you can't plan anything) and write 1667 words a day until November 30th. You cannot have a co-author. You cannot write the same word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, etc. over and over until you reach your goal. You just chug along until the word count reaches 50,000.
Writers during NaNo find many things to help them work harder, better, faster, stronger and reach 50,000 sooner (if at all). These are the sites reviewed here. Some of them, like the generators, provide random information so you don't have to be creative mid-month. Some of them, like Write or Die, motivate you to reach your daily word count. Some of them, like fictionpress, are a place to post your work for critique and the occasional flame (read: rude and vicious review with minimal to no constructive criticism). Some of them are self-help or "how to write" articles. Some of them are just fun distractions. All the websites reviewed on this blog are used by "WriMos", the affectionate term for participants in this crazy scheme.
Hopefully this explains a little more about my project and the point of this blog. For those of you who read this BEFORE reading reviews, thou art very smart. Sorry this is blatant retcon.
-Meghan
At first, I was like, "Duh, Dad, that's the point!". But thinking about it, it's not really. The point is to make a big ol' database of reviews for sites that help writers. I've centered it around National Novel Writing Month because my own personal (writing) life centers around National Novel Writing Month. But maybe some of you just use these sites for funsies. Maybe someone (and I pray to the gods this is true) stumbles onto my site from somewhere else on the internet knowing nothing of NaNoWriMo. As I just did a thesis paper on it, I would be a GREAT person to explain it to them, no?
First of all, go here. This is the official NaNo website, where a LOT of my information came from for my thesis (at least, the info about NaNoWriMo, as opposed to that abut writing techniques and communities of practice). The about pages on the site will give you a pretty thorough run down of what happens around the globe every November.
But, I'll give you a break down. NaNoWriMo has become a phenomenon that has swept the world into a writing frenzy. Hundreds of thousands of people get together every November to write novels (of 50,000 words in length), and send them in at the end of the month to get verified and win prizes. The "rules", which are "more like guidelines anyway", state that you must start from scratch on November 1st (meaning these are the first words of your manuscript, not that you can't plan anything) and write 1667 words a day until November 30th. You cannot have a co-author. You cannot write the same word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, etc. over and over until you reach your goal. You just chug along until the word count reaches 50,000.
Writers during NaNo find many things to help them work harder, better, faster, stronger and reach 50,000 sooner (if at all). These are the sites reviewed here. Some of them, like the generators, provide random information so you don't have to be creative mid-month. Some of them, like Write or Die, motivate you to reach your daily word count. Some of them, like fictionpress, are a place to post your work for critique and the occasional flame (read: rude and vicious review with minimal to no constructive criticism). Some of them are self-help or "how to write" articles. Some of them are just fun distractions. All the websites reviewed on this blog are used by "WriMos", the affectionate term for participants in this crazy scheme.
Hopefully this explains a little more about my project and the point of this blog. For those of you who read this BEFORE reading reviews, thou art very smart. Sorry this is blatant retcon.
-Meghan
Personal: October Mini-NaNo Overview
So, for my October Mini-NaNo, I wanted to combine two things I love dearly- being a lazybum and fantasy. Now, anyone who writes fantasy novels knows that it is very hard to be a lazybum while doing so. There is worldbuilding, racebuilding, townbuilding; there is so much building involved in fantasy that I might as well be a contractor. So, to make my load a little lighter (especially since I'll be worldbuilding for November DURING October Mini-NaNo), I decided to do a modern fantasy, something set in the real world but also not. I also thought it might be nice to set this story in the town I currently live in, primarily because I've never heard of anything being set here. So, while this will end up being a bit of a self-insert (I'll give hints as time goes on as to which character is based on me), I'm excited to present, the plot of October's Mini-NaNo!
Our main character is a senior at small town SUNY Geneseo. She is double majoring in history and creative writing and decided, for her thesis, to do a paper on the history of magic in literature. As she researches, she comes upon hints and information that the world is not all that it seems. Academic at heart, she decides to determine what this means, unintentionally launching herself into a world just below the surface of reality, where magic is real and nothing makes sense.
Pretty vague, huh? Well, that's because I'm not really sure where it's going. But it'll be easier to write knowing I don't have a world to build! ;)
My first question to you, community of possibly existent readers and definitely existent friends and family, what is your favorite kind of magical creature? The one who gets the most replies, by October 1st, will get a large role in the story ahead.
The story will be written in 750words, so I can get some badges and maybe defeat the October Challenge. However, I will also post what I've written on fictionpress.com (primarily because it is an easy to use platform that I have experience with). The fictionpress account tied to this blog is aptly named "the Capstone" and can be found here.
Edit: Obviously, my own replies don't count.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Intro: "Mini-NaNo"
The website "Toasted Cheese" holds what they call a "Mini-NaNo" during the month of September. This warm-up for the real thing asks you to write 167 words a day for 30 days, leaving you with a grand total of 5,000 words that month.
While I have never participated in the official "Chasm and Crags" version (which I assume is their forum space), I thought it would be a great idea to do a mini-NaNo in October, primarily because I am a masochist.
I am going to use an online writing platform, dear to my heart, to do so. This platform is also the one I just reviewed- 750words.com! In case you were clever, you'd notice that that means I am writing WAY more than 167 words a day. Yes, I plan on writing 750 words every day for the month of October, for a total of 23,250 words. This is a test to see how motivated I can stay and will, hopefully, be a good indicator of whether or not I can (finally) complete National Novel Writing Month.
Why am I telling you this, you ask? Because I have a favor to ask of you, my possibly existent readers. Part of my project has been to understand the development of an online community around NaNoWriMo and her home site. I would also like to bring a bit of community into my own blog. Each week (at least), I will post an update about my work and my story. In that update I will ask for your opinions and your decisions as to how the story will go. Yes, I want my writing to be interactive. The text will be posted on whichever hosting site I chose and everyone will be able to read the shitty, unedited version as I produce it. Best of all, you will be able to see where your input affected the story.
Sound good? I'm excited, so I can only hope y'all are :)
While I have never participated in the official "Chasm and Crags" version (which I assume is their forum space), I thought it would be a great idea to do a mini-NaNo in October, primarily because I am a masochist.
I am going to use an online writing platform, dear to my heart, to do so. This platform is also the one I just reviewed- 750words.com! In case you were clever, you'd notice that that means I am writing WAY more than 167 words a day. Yes, I plan on writing 750 words every day for the month of October, for a total of 23,250 words. This is a test to see how motivated I can stay and will, hopefully, be a good indicator of whether or not I can (finally) complete National Novel Writing Month.
Why am I telling you this, you ask? Because I have a favor to ask of you, my possibly existent readers. Part of my project has been to understand the development of an online community around NaNoWriMo and her home site. I would also like to bring a bit of community into my own blog. Each week (at least), I will post an update about my work and my story. In that update I will ask for your opinions and your decisions as to how the story will go. Yes, I want my writing to be interactive. The text will be posted on whichever hosting site I chose and everyone will be able to read the shitty, unedited version as I produce it. Best of all, you will be able to see where your input affected the story.
Sound good? I'm excited, so I can only hope y'all are :)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Review: 750words.com!
750words.com is a site that I love. It is set up as an online way to write your "morning pages"- 3 pages written every day, generally long hand, as a way to clear your mind and get ready for the day ahead. This site has a word processor that notifies you when you've written approximately 3 pages, or 750 words. Not only is that rather nice, but it gives you badges for each "streak" of days you get- a turkey, for example, is three days in a row. It also allows you to track "metadata". Structured as "WORD: answer", it can track how many drinks you have a night, how happy you are feeling, whatever you decide to score. (It generally works best on a numerical scale, as the metadata is graphed for you. I, however, also track what books I am reading. It doesn't graph well, but it's interesting to see what I write based on what I'm reading, or if they even correlate at all).
Usefulness: 4 out of 5
Because 750words has a specific premise (write 750 words a day), it may not be perfect for everyone. However, the word processor and the premise are not why I find this site so useful and so dear to me. Those badges are incredibly motivating. Seriously. They are a great idea. In a similar vein to fitocracy, the fitness site that "levels you up" based on how much you work out, 750words badges for day streaks is something that keeps you going. If you have, say a 100 day Pheonix badge, you are NOT going to want to break that streak and lose it all.
The metadata is also really cool, as it plays to my sciency side. I like the idea of being able to track certain values over the course of your writing.
The 750words site also breaks down each day's work into percentages. It tells you how happy what you wrote was, which words you used the most and whether you were feeling introverted or extroverted (or more accurately, whether your WRITING was so). The statistics make for a really interesting understanding of your creative work.
Fun: 3 out of 5
Seriously, it's the badges that make me happy. Nothing else is really fun. (Well, I mean, I find the data fun, but I feel that's not an overwhelming majority in the opinions of most writers.)
Hipster: 3 out of 5
It's pretty obscure. I mean, most online writing tools can be pretty obscure. A lot of 750words problem is that it ends up used more like a diary and less like a creative writing tool. Not that that's a problem, necessarily. It just changes the demographic and means that you hear fewer writers' voices in the discussion of the product.
Usefulness: 4 out of 5
Because 750words has a specific premise (write 750 words a day), it may not be perfect for everyone. However, the word processor and the premise are not why I find this site so useful and so dear to me. Those badges are incredibly motivating. Seriously. They are a great idea. In a similar vein to fitocracy, the fitness site that "levels you up" based on how much you work out, 750words badges for day streaks is something that keeps you going. If you have, say a 100 day Pheonix badge, you are NOT going to want to break that streak and lose it all.
The metadata is also really cool, as it plays to my sciency side. I like the idea of being able to track certain values over the course of your writing.
The 750words site also breaks down each day's work into percentages. It tells you how happy what you wrote was, which words you used the most and whether you were feeling introverted or extroverted (or more accurately, whether your WRITING was so). The statistics make for a really interesting understanding of your creative work.
Fun: 3 out of 5
Seriously, it's the badges that make me happy. Nothing else is really fun. (Well, I mean, I find the data fun, but I feel that's not an overwhelming majority in the opinions of most writers.)
Hipster: 3 out of 5
It's pretty obscure. I mean, most online writing tools can be pretty obscure. A lot of 750words problem is that it ends up used more like a diary and less like a creative writing tool. Not that that's a problem, necessarily. It just changes the demographic and means that you hear fewer writers' voices in the discussion of the product.
Intro: Write Online
As it is almost October, or as it's called in NaNoLand, "Planning For NaNo Month" (PlaFoNaNoMo). This is the month before the biggest month of our year, and it means we have some things to get together. We need to start hoarding teas, coffees and other highly caffeinated drinks (My drink of choice is actually hot cocoa, but we'll pretend I'm a coffee drinker for the sake of fitting in.). We need to start warning our friends that we will be totally inaccessible during the month of November.
It's also a great time to figure out where you're going to write your novel.
Y'see, many of us are starting to utilize online tools not only to make plotting and planning easier, but to also make the act of writing easier as well. Sites exist to allow us a quiet, distraction free place to write, sometimes with motivational techniques tied in to get us up to our word count as fast as possible. I've got a list of sites that are, as usual, used by WriMos to make their lives just a little easier.
I give these to you in October and NOT November, primarily because you're going to want to try them out first. Do you respond better to threats or positive reinforcement? Do you need somewhere with no distractions? Do you want a site that saves your work, so you can be sure it doesn't get lost if your computer tragically breaks down? That and more, in October, from the Digital Writer.
It's also a great time to figure out where you're going to write your novel.
Y'see, many of us are starting to utilize online tools not only to make plotting and planning easier, but to also make the act of writing easier as well. Sites exist to allow us a quiet, distraction free place to write, sometimes with motivational techniques tied in to get us up to our word count as fast as possible. I've got a list of sites that are, as usual, used by WriMos to make their lives just a little easier.
I give these to you in October and NOT November, primarily because you're going to want to try them out first. Do you respond better to threats or positive reinforcement? Do you need somewhere with no distractions? Do you want a site that saves your work, so you can be sure it doesn't get lost if your computer tragically breaks down? That and more, in October, from the Digital Writer.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Review: Donjon
This site is completely new to me. Or, more accurately, a good DEAL of this site is completely new to me. In fact, anything that is not the Fractal World Generator is a whole new world. (I can be very obnoxious sometimes.) I decided to go through this generator, by generator, by generator, by generator. Y'see, unlike the other generators, that I had either seen before or were very small and could be understood rather quickly, Donjon is similar to the Sanctum or Chaotic Shiny in that it is a conglomeration of a multitude of generators.
Usefulness: 4 out of 5
Donjon is very focused on Dungeons and Dragons and Dungeon Mastering. That makes it "sort of" useful for writers (you have to make sure you're not archetyping too hard, which DnD tends to do). However, unlike many of the generators I normally frequent, this has a nice set of SciFi world/system generators. It'll give you planets! That's so convenient if you want to write a SciFi but don't want to worry about all the planets you're not ACTUALLY writing about.
The naming generators are pretty intense, about as hardcore as Rinkworks. You pick a main group of names (like "Outsiders") and then a subgroup (like "Earth Elementals"). There are so many options as far as names go, plus he separates them into Fantasy and SciFi.
Fun: 1 out of 5
This is a boring website. Oh god, it's so boring. The design is bland, there is no humor involved. It's not fun. I can find literally no redeeming qualities in it, as far as fun goes.
Hipster: 5 out of 5
I've been on this site a multitude of times and never realized that there was more than one generator. That should be answer enough.
Usefulness: 4 out of 5
Donjon is very focused on Dungeons and Dragons and Dungeon Mastering. That makes it "sort of" useful for writers (you have to make sure you're not archetyping too hard, which DnD tends to do). However, unlike many of the generators I normally frequent, this has a nice set of SciFi world/system generators. It'll give you planets! That's so convenient if you want to write a SciFi but don't want to worry about all the planets you're not ACTUALLY writing about.
The naming generators are pretty intense, about as hardcore as Rinkworks. You pick a main group of names (like "Outsiders") and then a subgroup (like "Earth Elementals"). There are so many options as far as names go, plus he separates them into Fantasy and SciFi.
Fun: 1 out of 5
This is a boring website. Oh god, it's so boring. The design is bland, there is no humor involved. It's not fun. I can find literally no redeeming qualities in it, as far as fun goes.
Hipster: 5 out of 5
I've been on this site a multitude of times and never realized that there was more than one generator. That should be answer enough.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Review: Fractal World Generator
This is a really cool generator I get to review today. This generator creates planets. Yes, readers, whole planets! Combine with, say, Chaotic Shiny's culture and constellation generators and you could have a home for your novels for the rest of your life.
Usefulness: 3 out of 5
I think this generator has a limited popularity. Yes, it's crazy convenient to have a world map generated for you in seconds, with the option to adjust certain parameters. However, any WriMo who needs an entire planet created for their novel is probably going severely overboard.
The generator has multiple different style planets as well, which means you can create your home world and the planets in the system, which can be incredibly useful for SciFi writers who may need a plethora of planets to discuss.
Fun: 3 out of 5
This is totally biased. In all honesty, I should give this a 1 out of 5. So, for those of you who don't care about my biases, just assume that's what it is.
However, I must say, it's really cool to just magically create a planet at the click of a button. I like to think I'm playing god and "Letting there be light" all throughout the universe. So, if, like most writers, you have a serious God complex, this can actually be pretty enjoyable.
Hipster: 4 out of 5
I have no idea what this website is. I have never actually looked into it until now. You can generally find a link to this generator on writers' forums, hidden in their somewhere, but only to the generator. However, the side links say that it has multiple generators involved (that I have never heard of anyone using). Obviously, this will involve a second review to determine the value of the rest of the site.
Usefulness: 3 out of 5
I think this generator has a limited popularity. Yes, it's crazy convenient to have a world map generated for you in seconds, with the option to adjust certain parameters. However, any WriMo who needs an entire planet created for their novel is probably going severely overboard.
The generator has multiple different style planets as well, which means you can create your home world and the planets in the system, which can be incredibly useful for SciFi writers who may need a plethora of planets to discuss.
Fun: 3 out of 5
This is totally biased. In all honesty, I should give this a 1 out of 5. So, for those of you who don't care about my biases, just assume that's what it is.
However, I must say, it's really cool to just magically create a planet at the click of a button. I like to think I'm playing god and "Letting there be light" all throughout the universe. So, if, like most writers, you have a serious God complex, this can actually be pretty enjoyable.
Hipster: 4 out of 5
I have no idea what this website is. I have never actually looked into it until now. You can generally find a link to this generator on writers' forums, hidden in their somewhere, but only to the generator. However, the side links say that it has multiple generators involved (that I have never heard of anyone using). Obviously, this will involve a second review to determine the value of the rest of the site.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Review: Rinkworks Name Generator!
Rinkworks is one of my favorite places on the web, specifically because of their Book-A-Minute series. As someone who is from the Internet, you would've thought I'd already know about their name gen. Nope. Not a clue. This is proof that people on the internet don't look past what they're looking for/at.
Usefulness: 5 out of 5
Let me tell you why this is so useful, because I've been giving a lot of perfect scores for these gens. THIS is useful because it is the first and only generator I've found that truly let's you control what is generated. The Advanced System has a damn instruction manual to teach you how to gnerate names based on YOUR personal preferences. I would explain it here, but it's quite long and honestly, I haven't completely mastered it yet. But it's the perfect generator for someone who's attempting to build their own culture. You can define vowels, consonants or even strings of letters to include in the names.
And, say that's too much work for you (as it would be for me in the midsts of NaNo-frenzy). Rinkworks also has a thorough "Simply" interface that cane generate names from, if I can count correctly, 33 different categories. Including Pokemon. And, well, you'll always have me at Pokemon.
Fun: 2 out of 5
The Advanced interface really drops points for the overall fun. Yes, I want to give it a 5 out of 5 because POKEMON, but I didn't. That was responsible of me, wasn't it? Due to the fact that you have to read a long instruction manual to use this tool, it really drags you down.
Hipster: 4 out of 5
The actual Rinkworks site is more of a 3 out of 5. The Book-A-Minute thing is pretty damn funny and gets visitors coming. The Name Generator, however, is hidden enough that I didn't see it until now (which I'd like to say is years after first finding the site, but I honestly can't remember). While this could just mean that I'm blind as a bat or oblivious, I'm going to instead assume that it's just hidden away and only sneaky people can find it. It's gentler on my ego.
Usefulness: 5 out of 5
Let me tell you why this is so useful, because I've been giving a lot of perfect scores for these gens. THIS is useful because it is the first and only generator I've found that truly let's you control what is generated. The Advanced System has a damn instruction manual to teach you how to gnerate names based on YOUR personal preferences. I would explain it here, but it's quite long and honestly, I haven't completely mastered it yet. But it's the perfect generator for someone who's attempting to build their own culture. You can define vowels, consonants or even strings of letters to include in the names.
And, say that's too much work for you (as it would be for me in the midsts of NaNo-frenzy). Rinkworks also has a thorough "Simply" interface that cane generate names from, if I can count correctly, 33 different categories. Including Pokemon. And, well, you'll always have me at Pokemon.
Fun: 2 out of 5
The Advanced interface really drops points for the overall fun. Yes, I want to give it a 5 out of 5 because POKEMON, but I didn't. That was responsible of me, wasn't it? Due to the fact that you have to read a long instruction manual to use this tool, it really drags you down.
Hipster: 4 out of 5
The actual Rinkworks site is more of a 3 out of 5. The Book-A-Minute thing is pretty damn funny and gets visitors coming. The Name Generator, however, is hidden enough that I didn't see it until now (which I'd like to say is years after first finding the site, but I honestly can't remember). While this could just mean that I'm blind as a bat or oblivious, I'm going to instead assume that it's just hidden away and only sneaky people can find it. It's gentler on my ego.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Review: Behind the Name: Random Name Generator
I will be doing a review of the Behind the Name website later in the semester, as far as naming websites go. However, since we're on the topic of generators, I wanted to review their Random Name Generator.
Usefulness: 5 out of 5
Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Noooo Meghan, Behind the Name can't be a 5! It's only one generator!" And, technically, Some of You, you'd be correct. If I was basing the usefulness of a site on how many generators it had, Behind the Name would get a 1. However, that's not what this rating is based on. The usefulness of this one generator is exorbitant. This generator can name anyone. You can use it for a YA novel, maybe, the name of the sexy Italian male lead. Or maybe you need it for a historical piece, some Norse vikings off to conquer the world. Maybe you're naming some fantasy characters- You could use a less well-known culture to pull names from, or just pick the "Witch", "Fairy", or "Kreatyve" options. Hell, you can even name Transformers style. This generator packs some serious heat.
Fun: 1 out of 5
Outside of the short list of "interesting" options (Witch, Transformer, Hippy), this generator is not very much fun. Okay, I'm being really nice saying that. This generator is boring. You go to it, hit your buttons and move on. No playing around here.
Hipster: 2 out of 5
Behind the Name itself is a pretty well known website. It contains the history and etymology of not just first names, but surnames as well, so it's the kind of site that is frequented by more than just writers. This little generator sits on the sidebar just waiting for you to click it. However, the shoddy layout and graphics of BtN may make finding things a little difficult- It's hard to look at something so ugly for so long.
Usefulness: 5 out of 5
Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Noooo Meghan, Behind the Name can't be a 5! It's only one generator!" And, technically, Some of You, you'd be correct. If I was basing the usefulness of a site on how many generators it had, Behind the Name would get a 1. However, that's not what this rating is based on. The usefulness of this one generator is exorbitant. This generator can name anyone. You can use it for a YA novel, maybe, the name of the sexy Italian male lead. Or maybe you need it for a historical piece, some Norse vikings off to conquer the world. Maybe you're naming some fantasy characters- You could use a less well-known culture to pull names from, or just pick the "Witch", "Fairy", or "Kreatyve" options. Hell, you can even name Transformers style. This generator packs some serious heat.
Fun: 1 out of 5
Outside of the short list of "interesting" options (Witch, Transformer, Hippy), this generator is not very much fun. Okay, I'm being really nice saying that. This generator is boring. You go to it, hit your buttons and move on. No playing around here.
Hipster: 2 out of 5
Behind the Name itself is a pretty well known website. It contains the history and etymology of not just first names, but surnames as well, so it's the kind of site that is frequented by more than just writers. This little generator sits on the sidebar just waiting for you to click it. However, the shoddy layout and graphics of BtN may make finding things a little difficult- It's hard to look at something so ugly for so long.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Review: The Forge (By Thewingless.com)
I've been playing around with this guy for a while now, and I have to say I'm not very impressed. The site and it's layout are gorgeous- well-designed and minimalist with a color scheme that doesn't make me want to claw my eyes out. I was so happy looking at the design that I thought about adding design element to my grading scheme. However, using the actual generator interface was such a downer, as you'll see based on my grade.
Usefulness: 2 out of 5
Oh dear. The Forge is a really interesting concept. It's actually 4 generators, The Forge, the Landforge, the Spellforge and the Beastforge. It's a pop-up, kind of like a flash game, which lost it points right off the bat, because I do NOT want to have to deal with pop-up blockers when I'm trying to generate. The naming generator, the Forge, is shitty. No other words for it. Some of my suggestions were "Stone Slayer", "Sprite Dust" and "Maiden Form", yes, Maiden Form, like the bra. The Beastforge creates stereotypical beasts, the Spellforge stereotypical spells and the Landforge, you guessed it, stereotypical realm names. With a non-traditional interface and such uncreative suggestions, I'd skip the Forge all together and just head to Chaotic Shiny or the Sanctum.
Fun: 1 out of 5
Learning a new generator interface is not fun. Especially when generators are as simple as they can get to begin with. It's not fun to get shitty suggestions. If the Forge generated interesting names/beasts/spells/realms, it might actually be fun to figure out how everything works, play around with retaining bits here and changing bits there. However, this is not the case. It's boring. Honest truth.
Hipster: 5 out of 5
This is a sort of biased answer. I had never heard of this site before trolling through the NaNo forums. It comes from what looks like a personal site, something called thewingless.com, that leads to a scifi-esque layout. The Forge itself stinks of hipster, with an "About" and "History" page, explaining how the generator has a "stunning, streamlined user interface" and how "names have power".
Usefulness: 2 out of 5
Oh dear. The Forge is a really interesting concept. It's actually 4 generators, The Forge, the Landforge, the Spellforge and the Beastforge. It's a pop-up, kind of like a flash game, which lost it points right off the bat, because I do NOT want to have to deal with pop-up blockers when I'm trying to generate. The naming generator, the Forge, is shitty. No other words for it. Some of my suggestions were "Stone Slayer", "Sprite Dust" and "Maiden Form", yes, Maiden Form, like the bra. The Beastforge creates stereotypical beasts, the Spellforge stereotypical spells and the Landforge, you guessed it, stereotypical realm names. With a non-traditional interface and such uncreative suggestions, I'd skip the Forge all together and just head to Chaotic Shiny or the Sanctum.
Fun: 1 out of 5
Learning a new generator interface is not fun. Especially when generators are as simple as they can get to begin with. It's not fun to get shitty suggestions. If the Forge generated interesting names/beasts/spells/realms, it might actually be fun to figure out how everything works, play around with retaining bits here and changing bits there. However, this is not the case. It's boring. Honest truth.
Hipster: 5 out of 5
This is a sort of biased answer. I had never heard of this site before trolling through the NaNo forums. It comes from what looks like a personal site, something called thewingless.com, that leads to a scifi-esque layout. The Forge itself stinks of hipster, with an "About" and "History" page, explaining how the generator has a "stunning, streamlined user interface" and how "names have power".
Not Reviewing: The Ever Changing Book of Names
Abbreviate EBon, the Ever-Changing Book of Names is shareware.
This means I'm not reviewing it. Sorry guys, not happening. I don't download things from the internet.
But, as it IS a name generator, I figured I'd mention it, give it it's own post and, maybe, if one day I have a reader who ISN'T my thesis mentor, someone can tell me what they think of it.
This means I'm not reviewing it. Sorry guys, not happening. I don't download things from the internet.
But, as it IS a name generator, I figured I'd mention it, give it it's own post and, maybe, if one day I have a reader who ISN'T my thesis mentor, someone can tell me what they think of it.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Review: Chaotic Shiny
Oh Chaotic Shiny. You are so wonderful. Not as dear to my heart as the Sanctum, which has been with me since my first foray into the web-based writing world, way back in '05, but still wonderful.
Now, I'm just going to dive right into the review of this site, solely because I am about to do something I never thought I would. Try not to be angry at me, as I go over my own scale to descrbie how great this site is.
Usefulness: 6 out of 5
If Seventh Sanctum is the pinnacle of usefulness, Chaotic Shiny is the stratoshpere. It's like, having nukes in Civ 5 when everyone else has warriors. It's ass-kicking and name-taking. Shiny contains many similar generators to the Sanctum, broken up into similar categories. However, Shiny succeeds in two places the Sanctum does not. One, Chaotic Shiny generates a LOT of words. The "CivGen", or civilization generator, generates 50 separate words describing different aspects of your newly created civilization, ranging from culture, to population, to economy. You can even put in constraints, like what time period the civilization thrived in (ancient to far future) and whether or not they possess magic. For those of us who are just winging it when NaNo comes along, Chaotic Shiny is the place to go for substantial plot details.(You know this site is good when it can generate a valid DnD 4e character, dice rolls and all)
Two, Chaotic Shiny tied itself intrinsically with National Novel Writing Month. Not only does Shiny have a generator meant to motivate us, suggesting that "If you write 163 words in a row that questionably-dressed hottie you've been eyeing will turn out to prefer your gender, after all.", but they even have a NaNo calendar app for FREE on their product site. NaNoWriters, you have found your home. Not only does Shiny know that you can't be bothered to come up with your own complex ideas, but they know just how hard it is to write your simple ones too. Shiny has your back through it all.
Fun: 4 out of 5
Shiny doesn't tie with Sanctum here because of their lack of contests. Shiny has a similar amount of humor based generators. However, the Sanctum ups the ante by having hilarious art contest using their generators.
Something that must be mentioned, however, and a large part of the reason that Shiny gets a 4, is their RPG Drinking Game. Yes, Chaotic Shiny randomly generates a drinking game based on RPG tropes. Srsly. I don't even know how to begin explaining how awesome that is.
Hipster: 3 out of 5
Shiny's not Sanctum. Sanctum's tie to Deviant Art will probably make it the least obscure overall out of everything I review (save, maybe Holly Listle). Shiny is not entirely obscure. Shiny has a huge product site and a damn good following both of writers and gamers. Chaotic Shiny is the kind of website that, if it's not incredibly popular now, has so much potential to be incredibly popular in the near to immediate future.
Now, I'm just going to dive right into the review of this site, solely because I am about to do something I never thought I would. Try not to be angry at me, as I go over my own scale to descrbie how great this site is.
Usefulness: 6 out of 5
If Seventh Sanctum is the pinnacle of usefulness, Chaotic Shiny is the stratoshpere. It's like, having nukes in Civ 5 when everyone else has warriors. It's ass-kicking and name-taking. Shiny contains many similar generators to the Sanctum, broken up into similar categories. However, Shiny succeeds in two places the Sanctum does not. One, Chaotic Shiny generates a LOT of words. The "CivGen", or civilization generator, generates 50 separate words describing different aspects of your newly created civilization, ranging from culture, to population, to economy. You can even put in constraints, like what time period the civilization thrived in (ancient to far future) and whether or not they possess magic. For those of us who are just winging it when NaNo comes along, Chaotic Shiny is the place to go for substantial plot details.(You know this site is good when it can generate a valid DnD 4e character, dice rolls and all)
Two, Chaotic Shiny tied itself intrinsically with National Novel Writing Month. Not only does Shiny have a generator meant to motivate us, suggesting that "If you write 163 words in a row that questionably-dressed hottie you've been eyeing will turn out to prefer your gender, after all.", but they even have a NaNo calendar app for FREE on their product site. NaNoWriters, you have found your home. Not only does Shiny know that you can't be bothered to come up with your own complex ideas, but they know just how hard it is to write your simple ones too. Shiny has your back through it all.
Fun: 4 out of 5
Shiny doesn't tie with Sanctum here because of their lack of contests. Shiny has a similar amount of humor based generators. However, the Sanctum ups the ante by having hilarious art contest using their generators.
Something that must be mentioned, however, and a large part of the reason that Shiny gets a 4, is their RPG Drinking Game. Yes, Chaotic Shiny randomly generates a drinking game based on RPG tropes. Srsly. I don't even know how to begin explaining how awesome that is.
Hipster: 3 out of 5
Shiny's not Sanctum. Sanctum's tie to Deviant Art will probably make it the least obscure overall out of everything I review (save, maybe Holly Listle). Shiny is not entirely obscure. Shiny has a huge product site and a damn good following both of writers and gamers. Chaotic Shiny is the kind of website that, if it's not incredibly popular now, has so much potential to be incredibly popular in the near to immediate future.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Review: Serendipity
In keeping with the last (and my first) post, I'm reviewing another generator site today. Serendipity Generators, at nine.frenchboys.net, is a site you can find through the sidebar or Seventh Sanctum. Serendipity is similar to the Sanctum in that it is a conglomerate of different generators. However, Serendipity, unlike the Sanctum, is nowhere near as exhaustive. In fact, recently (like, as of 9/12/12), the site has been undergoing some changes that have caused the full list of generators to be unavailable.
Serendipity is probably best known for the French name generators, though they also have Japanese, Medieval (which is really more English) and Fantasty name generators as well. (Just a hint, the beginning of the word links to female generators, the end to male.)
Usefulness: 3 out of 5
Serendipity can be incredibly useful, in a limited scope. The naming generators are the best. They provide accurate sounding names that are not going to confuse your reader. The City and Stronghold generators provide a good chunk of text describing your possible locations. However, with some of the generators missing, this site is almost useless compared to the Sanctum. It eeks into a 3 solely because of the varied modern name generators it provides- a counterpoint to the Sanctum's primarily Fantasy ad SciFi namers.
Fun: 2 out of 5
Noooot really anything fun going on with the current selection. Not that that's a problem. All the generators do their job splendidly. It's just, nothing's funny, nothing's particularly interesting about the site. It's a generator site and that's that.
Hipster: 3 out of 5
This is a little hard to judge. Serendipity IS on the Sanctum's linklist. Therefore it cannot be completely obscure. Plus, the site explains that spammers took down the full generator list. This means that its got a following, for sure. However, because I have been unable to 1) google it (it is not present in the first page of a "serendipity" google search, which is partly due to an overused name) or 2) connect it to any big name websites (besides the Sanctum), I must assume that Serendipity is at least a little bit obscure. Writers may pass it around their inner circle, but it has a relatively small presence on the web.
Serendipity is probably best known for the French name generators, though they also have Japanese, Medieval (which is really more English) and Fantasty name generators as well. (Just a hint, the beginning of the word links to female generators, the end to male.)
Usefulness: 3 out of 5
Serendipity can be incredibly useful, in a limited scope. The naming generators are the best. They provide accurate sounding names that are not going to confuse your reader. The City and Stronghold generators provide a good chunk of text describing your possible locations. However, with some of the generators missing, this site is almost useless compared to the Sanctum. It eeks into a 3 solely because of the varied modern name generators it provides- a counterpoint to the Sanctum's primarily Fantasy ad SciFi namers.
Fun: 2 out of 5
Noooot really anything fun going on with the current selection. Not that that's a problem. All the generators do their job splendidly. It's just, nothing's funny, nothing's particularly interesting about the site. It's a generator site and that's that.
Hipster: 3 out of 5
This is a little hard to judge. Serendipity IS on the Sanctum's linklist. Therefore it cannot be completely obscure. Plus, the site explains that spammers took down the full generator list. This means that its got a following, for sure. However, because I have been unable to 1) google it (it is not present in the first page of a "serendipity" google search, which is partly due to an overused name) or 2) connect it to any big name websites (besides the Sanctum), I must assume that Serendipity is at least a little bit obscure. Writers may pass it around their inner circle, but it has a relatively small presence on the web.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Review: Seventh Sanctum
Seventh Sanctum is a website that is dear to my heart. I have used it hundreds of times to flesh out details in a novel. It is a "generator" site- Hundreds of lines of code created to produce random outputs in certain categories. My favorite section of the site? The Naming Generators. It contains 23 different generators that can name characters in styles from "Dark Elf" to "Western". It also contains naming generators for places, taverns and pirate ships.
Usefulness: 5 out of 5
This website is so incredibly useful. Say you need to describe a slew of potions in a magician's den for your high fantasy epic? Potion Generator. Say you need some technologies from the far future or, more accurately, some crazy sounding devices for your Dr. Who fanfiction? SciFi Tool Generator. Best of all is the "Writing" section of the site, which contains over a dozen generators for plots and story ideas. Have no idea what you want to write for NaNoWriMo? No problem! Just pick your favorite plot generator and you'll have a novel idea in no time. The Sanctum also has extensive links to other generator sites, organized by what section you're looking in. Not only is the site itself super useful, but it is just as happy to send you somewhere else if you aren't getting what you need.
Fun: 5 out of 5
A lot of generators on this site are just hilarious. The Cat Being Name Generator, for those of us writing werepanthers or anime-style catgirls, can suggest names in the vein of Thundercats, with offerings like Felinni and Caracal-a. The Humor section, though small, contains generators for Questionable Spells, Questionable Anime Attacks, and Evil Animal Minions like the "berserk android squirrels!"
Hipster: 1 out of 5
This is a judge of how obscure this website it. The Sanctum is not obscure. You will hear mention of on almost any writing forum on the Web. A good portion of the site's following are artists from Deviant Art, a highly popular art-post and critique website. Deviant Art users participate in art contests based on the Sanctum's many generators. With such a widely known and popular website tied so closely to the Sanctum, it is one of the least obscure writing tools on the great wide Web.
Overall, the Sanctum is an incredibly convenient site for the NaNo months as it decreases the amount of time you need to spend on logistics and the time-consuming act of "being creative". Instead of agonizing over what would be the best name for the IT department working with the cops to try and catch your murderer, you can just click a button and bam, "Bureau of Programming Installation and Implementation".
Usefulness: 5 out of 5
This website is so incredibly useful. Say you need to describe a slew of potions in a magician's den for your high fantasy epic? Potion Generator. Say you need some technologies from the far future or, more accurately, some crazy sounding devices for your Dr. Who fanfiction? SciFi Tool Generator. Best of all is the "Writing" section of the site, which contains over a dozen generators for plots and story ideas. Have no idea what you want to write for NaNoWriMo? No problem! Just pick your favorite plot generator and you'll have a novel idea in no time. The Sanctum also has extensive links to other generator sites, organized by what section you're looking in. Not only is the site itself super useful, but it is just as happy to send you somewhere else if you aren't getting what you need.
Fun: 5 out of 5
A lot of generators on this site are just hilarious. The Cat Being Name Generator, for those of us writing werepanthers or anime-style catgirls, can suggest names in the vein of Thundercats, with offerings like Felinni and Caracal-a. The Humor section, though small, contains generators for Questionable Spells, Questionable Anime Attacks, and Evil Animal Minions like the "berserk android squirrels!"
Hipster: 1 out of 5
This is a judge of how obscure this website it. The Sanctum is not obscure. You will hear mention of on almost any writing forum on the Web. A good portion of the site's following are artists from Deviant Art, a highly popular art-post and critique website. Deviant Art users participate in art contests based on the Sanctum's many generators. With such a widely known and popular website tied so closely to the Sanctum, it is one of the least obscure writing tools on the great wide Web.
Overall, the Sanctum is an incredibly convenient site for the NaNo months as it decreases the amount of time you need to spend on logistics and the time-consuming act of "being creative". Instead of agonizing over what would be the best name for the IT department working with the cops to try and catch your murderer, you can just click a button and bam, "Bureau of Programming Installation and Implementation".
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