A Shaking Leg

The dog feared thunder, and heavy rain which presaged thunder, and sticks carried by men, and unknown noises.

He was afraid of many things, no shame in that. Threats were everywhere and someone had to watch for them, raise the alarm and bark for help.

They would thank him, when the wolves came.

One of the best and perhaps even revolutionary features of Scrivener for iOS is the customisable extended keyboard.

I say ‘perhaps’ only because I have little experience of using third party screen keyboards on iOS – so perhaps these kinds of features are common. But for someone who has only ever used Apple’s screen keyboard, they are a revelation, and left me wondering why on Earth the folks at Apple never implemented something like this.

It’s one of those situations where pictures tell the story…

The extended keyboard is a row above the normal keyboard:

There are three versions of the extended keyboard, all a swipe away

Swipe left and right to move between the different versions – a clever way to add more functionality while saving space.

Below is the second of the default extended keyboards – and by far the most useful for editing – bringing proper text navigation to iOS and a forward delete button. This will make editing text while using the screen keyboard much faster. In fact, it transforms the experience totally.

And best of all, every single key can be customised – so you can add the features you use the most.

All of the keys can be customised. And it’s dead easy to do.

After only a few minutes of using the extended keyboard, I was sold on it utterly, but also left baffled as to why no one had thought of this before. If you’re using Scrivener for iOS and haven’t discovered this feature yet, go check it out and let me know what you think.

My review of Scrivener for iOS is here, with further thoughts here.

UPDATE: Twitter user Andreas Busch (@anbusch) alerted me to the fact that the iOS app ‘Editorial‘ has used the extended keyboard for some time. Looks like a great piece of software and useful writing tool.

Eyes In The Dark

The dog waited, watching, knowing one false move might plunge him into danger. He didn’t growl, or bark, or move, or bare his teeth. The wolf stared at him from the darkness of the trees, like a primeval devil, its eyes alive with the intensity of here, now.

The eyes drew back into the darkness. The dog waited, not trusting itself, not yet. Its legs would shake if he tried to run. To bark would give away his fear. Stay still, stay alive. Keep hidden, if you can.

I now have a Facebook page. It’s taken a time, I realise. And there’s not much there as yet, but all the same, if you’d care to pop over, like it, follow it and all that social media goodness then I’d be really grateful.

The Gatekeeper

No one would come or go without his say so. He guarded the door, controlled access, decided who was friend or foe. The dog knew his job and was hard-working. He barked so loud and threatened so often, that people stopped coming to the house. Tradesmen were wary of knocking. Children ran away when they heard the fierce roar.

One day the master took the dog aside. “I need your help,” he said. “There are people coming and I want you to let them pass. It’s important that I speak with them.”

The dog frowned at his master, unsure whether it was safe.

The master held out a biscuit. “Please do as I ask.”

The dog wagged his tail. Now, at last, he understood.

Guard Dog

Big Dog sat at a window, watching passers by and listening to the world, alert to any hint of danger. A neighbour crossed the road outside. Birds gathered in a distant field. The trees rocked in the wind. He took it all in.

Protect the pack, that was his job. Watch over the household and the master, his family, friends if they had proven to be so. Outsiders might be a threat, but the pack too had to be watched. Don’t let them take risks or wander. Don’t let them attack or cause trouble. Don’t bite or scratch or claw. Keep everyone in line. Be alert.

Even the master must be watched, when he is not himself.

(This is the first instalment in a metafiction series called ‘Short Tales of Big Dog’)

Following on from my blog post reviewing the first 24 hours of using Scrivener on my iPad and iPhone, here are some further thoughts on why this piece of software will be a big deal for me – and many other writers.

The only real flaw that I see in Scrivener for iOS isn’t really to do with the software at all – it’s more to do with the convenience, comfort and speed of typing large amounts of content on an iOS device. I touched on that in my original review, and recommended the use of an external keyboard. This is especially important for firing through first drafts, which tend to be written in a blaze of keystrokes. It’s all about getting it down fast while inspiration strikes and the ideas are hot. An iOS device will rarely be the ideal tool for that, though with an external keyboard it can serve well enough. But, of course, writing isn’t all about first drafts. Scrivener on the iPad and iPhone is already proving ideal for me for several of the other stages of writing. These include:

• Ideas and planning – this can be a long phase, over days, weeks, months and even years. It’s about capturing ideas for a project wherever and whenever they occur.
• Read and review – once you have a first draft, or any later draft, you may then need to read it through and review to decide what needs to be done next.
• Editing – full on editing of your own work involves moving and deleting large chunks of text along with plenty of rewriting and, of course, writing whole new sections to fill in gaps or replace other material that just plain didn’t work. Lots of cut and paste, in other words. I’ll probably choose to do these stages using Scrivener on my mac desktop or laptop. But some editing stages are less intensive and more to do with tweaks and detailed changes. The iOS version can be a useful tool for these stages.
• Reading out loud – this is an important stage in any project. Reading the whole book out loud to yourself gives you a far better feel for how the voice is working and if it’s consistent. It’s also a great way to spot typos (strangely) and awkward sentences that don’t flow or are confusing. The iOS and iPad versions of Scrivener are great for this – especially if you don’t like an audience for your read-throughs. Now you’re not tied to your computer and can take your iPhone / iPad outside or to a different room, whatever it takes to get some privacy.

There’s one additional advantage to the iOS version, which is important if you believe in getting regular exercise: you can work on your book while walking. Don’t try this on a busy street or around traffic, of course. But you can walk around your room, your house, garden or even a local park or beech, whatever suits you, and do some work on your project.

For me, this will make it easier to get up from my desk regularly, move around and keep my step count moving for the day. (I do 15,000 steps every day, minimum). I find spending three or four hours at a desk without moving from the chair makes my body ache, my limbs start to protest. Scrivener for iOS will not only help me be more productive – it will also help to keep me healthy and active.

“You want to see him again?”

Tears glistened in her eyes. She nodded.

“It’s possible,” he said, adjusting his glasses.

Her face showed no hint of emotion though her eyes flashed from side to side.

He leant forward. “It exists. The afterlife. I’ve seen it.”

Her mouth opened a fraction, though still she said nothing.

“I’ve been there. I can take you there.” He held out his hand. “And bring you back.”

“How?” Her voice crackled with emotion – a mix of fear and excitement.

“We kill you.” He paused. “Hold you there, on the edge of death. It’s safe. We can revive you. But you crossover. You can find him, see him, say your goodbyes. I know there was no time. So tragic.” He held out a box of tissues.

She glared at him, unsure what to believe. Was he a conman, a madman or a miracle worker?

“We’re keeping it secret,” he said. “You’ll be one of the first. Of course, there are costs involved.”

“Naturally. How much?”

“Everything,” he said.

“What does that mean?”

“Everything you own. To see him again. And to see the afterlife. It’s worth it, believe me.”

She shook her head, her mind made up. “Charlatan. I’ll not waste my time on this.”

“If that’s how you feel…”

She got to her feet. “Goodbye, and don’t contact me again.”

“Very well,” he said. “You know where we are, when you change your mind.”

She slammed the door on the way out.

Photo: 'The feeling of sun on fingertips' by Keoni Cabral via Flickr

When he died they offered a him new life: go back as anyone – or anything. He could be rich, famous, talented. A woman or an eagle, a saint or a sinner, a miracle man or a humble monk out in the backwoods.

Whatever challenge he needed to face, whatever he longed to learn this time around, it was there, open to him. “Choose.”

“I’ll be a tree,” he told them. “Quiet and still for hundreds of years, watching time flow by.”

No one argued or tried to dissuade him. It was his life and he had chosen it.

He’s there still, the wise one, of whom so much was expected, out in the middle of a field in the West Country. He forgot all about changing the world and setting others free. All he cares about is leaves and acorns, the wind and sun, deep roots and Spring rain.