While I was attending RWA’s National Conference in San Francisco, the Outreach Chapter planned a wonderful nighttime tour of Alcatraz. The prison closed in 1963, but parts of it have been restored.

There is a walking tour and other interpretive programs. I regret that didn’t have more time to explore and learn. I’ll definitely go back and schedule a longer visit. I’m sure I wasn’t the only writer who look at the cells and thought, “What a wonderful place to write!” Those small cells certainly would provide an interruption-free place to write. prescription levitra border=”0″ /> Of course, without the interaction and distraction of our busy lives, we might run out of things to write.

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Like some of you, I just got back from the RWA National Conference in San Francisco. It was a super conference with great workshops, the chance to get together with old friends, and a great city to explore.

My brain hasn’t returned yet. If you see it, please point it toward home. My muse is also missing.

Apparently she was last sighted getting into a limo with Nora. I picked up some items to bribe her with at the Midnight Bazaar, but nothing that can compete with whatever it is Nora uses. › Continue reading…

We all know that Google is great for doing research. However, Google provides many other tools to make a writer’s life easier.

Gmail is probably my favorite, since I keep having computers crash. I leave my email on their servers and can access it from any computer. It lets me create folders (they call it labels) to try to keep me organized. Now, they offer over 6GB of space.

Even I, the ultimate packrat, haven’t filled it up yet.

Google documents provides a way to back up your WIP offsite. If you backup to an external drive or thumb drive or memory stick (and you should), you run the risk of losing your data and backup in case of a fire or other disaster. Having the documents on Google’s servers helps minimize the risk. You can also share documents with other people for critiquing and collaboration. You can also put your documents there and share with others, if the file is too large to email.

Each one of my computers has a different version of Microsoft office. The Vista machine lacks MS Outlook. It does have the new Windows email program. I haven’t taken the time to set it up and learn how to use it. Google has a calendar function that works well, sends reminders to my cell phone and can be shared with others.

My XP machine doesn’t have MS PowerPoint. This weekend I had several friends send me inspirational PP slide shows. I was able to view them using Google documents. I’ve saved spreadsheets to Google documents and then set the link to people who don’t have Excel. They don’t need to have a Google account. You just send them a link.

Google Maps is a good alternative to Map Quest, especially combined with Google Earth. I have to be careful with that application. It is very entertaining and can become a great time suck.

I haven’t covered all the features and uses, but these are enough to get you started. If you have a favorite application or use for these tools, please leave a comment.

Write on,

Lynn Jordan