How To Dabble

 

Dabble is a basic word processing app for fiction writing. To start, either go to the website https://www.dabblewriter.com/ or download it from the app store.

Once loaded, log in with a simple email and password. You’re ready to go.

The Home screen is a simple splash screen with all your projects listed. Since we’re just starting, this is blank. Click plus sign to create a new novel. The screen opens to the word processing page. On the left is a list of menus. The middle has the document for typing. On the right is more workspace for things like comments. More on that later.

Let’s start on the left. Skip down a few options to MANUSCRIPT. The app starts users off with a title page, chapter one, and the first scene. This section is the actual text of the novel that will be compiled when you finish. Click on the file labeled Untitled Book to give your story a title and add your author name. I’m stressing to do this first, as the app will file your story under this name. If you forget to title it, you might end up with numerous untitled books. Not great for organization.

Now click on the Once Upon A Time icon or the Chapter icon. Here you can begin crafting your novel. You will notice that there aren’t any ribbons, menus, or toolbars with formatting options on this screen. These are located on the left menu. Click Project Setting. This menu will let you set the name, subtitle, and author. If you’ve chosen a subscription level with co-authors, enter that information here. Scroll down to set Font and Size. Literary, Romance, Thriller, and Screenplay set both fonts and paragraph styles in one step. Preview the changes below the options. Be sure to hit Save Formatting when finished.

Back on the middle page section, type away at your will. As you type, the side panels disappear, leaving only the text page. This is Focused Mode. Click the mouse or hit the Esc key to exit. You can immediately enter this mode by clicking the eye icon at the bottom of the screen.

What about other formatting options? Highlight the text you want to change, and a pop-up menu will appear over the text. The options include bold, italic, strike-through, and highlight. It also allows you to make a comment which will appear on the right side. The middle double quote will automatically put your text into an indented quote-style paragraph. Handy for song lyrics, research papers, and the like. The last option that looks like a dog-eared square will place a sticky note over the text. Type in it to give yourself a comment that way. You can drag the colored square anywhere on the MANUSCRIPT page.

Yes, there are fewer options than other writing apps, but Dabble focuses on writing.

At the start of the last paragraph, you may notice a faded plus sign in a circle. This handy option will let you split a scene or a chapter right there. No need to add more text on the left menu.

If you need to add more text, click on the three dots next to each manuscript piece. MANUSCRIPT will allow you to create a new book. The title page will add another part or chapter. The chapter page will add a new scene. Most options will allow the user to rename or export the file.

Next on the left-side menu is the PLOT section. Here you can use index-sized cards to outline the novel. If you’re a pantser, you can synthesize your novel into chunks to use for a synopsis or scan for story holes. Dabble uses the terms plot point and plot grid for organizing your information. You can make a specific grid for your current novel or a generic to use with all your novels.

Click on PLOT for your title on the left menu. You will see a series of boxes. If you have already written some text, it will appear condensed in these boxes. Click on a card to add a summary of a scene or a plot point. Missed a scene? Easily fixed. Hover at the bottom of the list to see a large plus sign to add another scene. Click on the icon between cards that looks like a film strip. This will add a line to your book, and you can add a new scene.

Things out of order? No problem. Rearranging scenes is simple with drop and drag. Click on the scene or plot point (in either the MANUSCRIPT or PLOT section) and drag the piece where you need it to be, even if it’s the trash.

Last on the left is STORY NOTES. Here are places to create the novel’s bible. These text sections are not included in the larger manuscript. But you can add character sketches, setting descriptions, and other world-building.

Phew… on to the right side.

There are a few interesting features on the right side of the Dabble screen. Click on the MANUSCRIPT section on the left first to see the right-side menu. The first is Goals and Stats. Immediately clicking on this shows how many times in the last thirty days you’ve typed with Dabble. Hovering your mouse over the blue ticks will show how many words you wrote that day. Click on the gear to customize your goal. Set a place where new words will be counted from, choose a word count number, and a deadline. You can also click on the second tab to give yourself days off.

Next on the right is Notes. Click here to add text notes for your scenes or novels. After that is Comment History. This will show all comments and the date entered. (Remember, you can add comments after highlighting text.) The next icon allows you to hide comments. The eye icon here will turn on and off spelling, grammar, and sticky notes.

There are more options around the page. On the bottom, you can zoom, turn on Focus Mode, and hide the side panels. There’s a small cloud at the top to show your data is syncing if you are online with the app.

The person icon at the top will allow you to sign in and out, change your profile, and billing. It also has a NaNoWriMo sync option. This feature will allow writers to sync their word count with the NaNoWriMo website and update as they go. You must be registered for NaNo and link the two websites through your logins. The option works for Camp, not just November.

And that’s how you Dabble.

Next week, we will see how authors can use this app to their best advantage.

 

Dabble

 

Dabble is a novel drafting app. You can either download the app to a desktop or use their website to write. It works on both PC and apple browsers and computers. Online, you can save in the cloud. Their system can accommodate even the most prolific writer with two terabytes of space. The app contains various writing tools live for writers to use. It also has an option to request features that are not yet included.

The writing screen looks similar to Scrivener, with folders on the left and tools on the right. The novels have plots, scenes, characters, notes, and world-building. A blank page sits in the center, ready for all the words. Files can be exported to Word and text. The app can keep track of word counts and goals. It also has a sync with NaNoWriMo, handy as it is Camp NaNo time.

Writers can try out Dabble for a free two-week trial. A Basic subscription for $10 a month will earn you unlimited manuscripts, cloud backup, sync with multiple devices, goals, stats, and spell-check. A $15 a month Standard subscription adds plot grids, story notes, sticky notes, and comments. (So many notes.) For $20 a month at the Premium level, you get all the above with co-author options, advanced grammar and style checks, and enhanced prioritized support. Each level receives a 20% discount if you subscribe for the entire year. Students and teachers can receive a 30% discount. Check out the details on the website. There is also a lifetime subscription for a one-time payment of $549.

Next week, we’ll learn how to use this writing app.

 

 

One Stop for Writers Ideas for Authors

 

 

What can I say about this amazing app? It has so many useful tools right at your fingertips.

Let’s start by talking about pricing first. many other apps like Book Funnel, Book Brush, and Headspace have annual fees. The costs can add up. But $105 a year is not that much, and you can buy in increments. Grab One Stop for Writers for a single month and slog through your plot issues. For $11, you get access to the entire app for twenty-eight days. If you can’t solve your hero’s wound or your heroine’s external conflict by then, buy the six months subscription for $60. Maybe I’m preaching here, but if you’re honestly stuck, the cost is minimal compared to the pain of not fleshing out your plot. Even the website says, “for the cost of two lattes a month.”

Applying Skills. Cost aside, let’s get serious. We all take those classes from Inkers Con and read the craft books like Show, Don’t Tell by Sandra Gerth. And then we forget or never actually read the book or… generally procrastinate. This site allows authors to use all those classes and craft skills. We can create our setting and character descriptions using those “show, don’t tell” techniques. We can “romance the beats” on the story and scene maps at the same time we “goal, motivate, and conflict” our characters. You know what I’m saying. The site allows you to use all the skills you’ve learned in a practical way.

Bibles. I can’t stress enough about creating a series bible. I have two series and am forever referencing who works where, what they look like, that elusive last name. One Stop for Writers allows you to input not only the basics for a bible but the itty-bitty details that make readers adore your books. When you throw that special teddy bear from Book One into Book Five, readers cheer. I’m old. I don’t remember things as well as I used to. A site like this, organizing my information, is invaluable.

Pantser versus Plotters. At first glance, the site looks Plotter-centric. With all the mapping and planning tools, pantsers may be turned off. But with these tools and worksheets, pantsers can fill in plot holes, fix a saggy middle, or just mark down character traits. The site is designed not just to help you organize your story but to discover it. I’ve never seen a spot where I can create a character with such depth. The thesauruses and the character sheet (all that wound stuff) help me strengthen my characters. No one wants a cardboard cutout in their book. One Stop for Writers can make your book friends live.

Jump on the free trial, and see if this app is for you.

 

How to Use One Stop for Writers

 

I’m so excited to share this site with you. Let’s Go!!

To begin, start your free trial. The first time you visit the site, hit the Sign Up button, give your email and a password or use Google, Facebook, or Twitter. Confirm your email with a link, and boom, you are off and running.

The first screen has a ton of information. Depending on how your brain works, you might want to check out the videos under the Useful Links block. The Getting Started video will give you all the details available. Or you could keep reading my blog. Up to you.

(Psst, these boxes will change as you use the app. Useful Links becomes Recently Visited. But all the tools are easy to find in the Stacks menu.)

The second link, Features and Tools, is basically my how-to section of the blog. A list of features and how-tos in one simple spot. (Fantastic, right?) Let me highlight these features quickly and dive into one or two. There’s so much to explore.

I’ll run through the top menus and highlight the features. There’s so much here that I can’t get too detailed. Most features have a video to show you how to do it. Not to mention, many things are filling search or data fields.

Thesauruses Menu

This menu takes you directly to the sixteen detail thesauruses. These tools can add details, sharpness, and specificity to your novels. They include character motivation, conflicts, emotional wounds, occupations, physical features, and more. Click on a thesaurus and a trait to explore. The bottom of the page has links to other thesauruses to further explore linked traits, behaviors, or thinking.

The Stacks Menu

Storyteller Roadmap: A great place to begin. Choose one of three options: Planning, Writing, or Revising. Each option has detailed steps, amazing advice, and my favorite, handouts! There are articles, advice, and even nap time build into these guides. Worth checking out.

Character Builder: An intensively detailed profile for your characters. Click on the +New button and give your character a name. Now fill in the fields about backstory, personality, behavior, motivations, physical details, daily life, gallery, and a summary. There are notes on the side to explain some terms and ideas in the builder. You can include their “wound” or the “lie” they tell themselves, positive and negative traits, quirks, occupation, hobbies, and so much. You can use from the thesauruses or create your own wound by clicking on the appropriate box. There are many choices for each feature, and most are hyperlinked to the entry that describes the lie or wound or whatever you need. Gallery allows you to upload an inspiring image. For subscribers, you can consolidate all the data and download it into a PDF for ease of use as you draft.

Story Maps: This feature uses Michael Hauge’s Six Stage plot structure. You can create your story arc to add the big moments of your novel/story. The tool has some resources to better understand Mr. Hauge’s technique with website references, articles, and a video. Plus, there’s plenty of help as you create in the form of pop-up dialog boxes on each timeline event. This feature is for the overall story.

Formal Scene Map: Here, you can plot out the events and order of scenes in your chapters. The structure it creates can help ensure that each scene is needed and move the story forward. You can reorder scenes by clicking and dragging them.

Informal Scene Map: This component is the same scene map with fewer details. It’s for those who don’t need the intense structural details to plot the book or track the scene.

Timeline: Much like the scene and story maps, the feature allows you to sequence the events of your story. With this tool, though, you place the happenings in chronological order. Great for stories with huge eventful backstories, secret babies, or time travel. Again, you can drag events to new locations along your timeline.

World Building Surveys: This feature asks questions about the world of your story. It covers not only the big issues but the smaller details that make a story great. You can select what type of survey to create, and the app will generate questions about that topic. Perhaps you have an alien race and need to explore their contact with humans. Select Creatures and Aliens (intelligent) and drag the questions from the right to get an answer field. You can also add your own.

Idea Generator: This element has a great graphic of a series of drawers. Click on one to see several ideas, plus a link to the corresponding thesaurus for more ideas.

Templates and Tools: Templates of each tool can be saved on your own computer for working offline. Worksheets can be downloaded as a PDF or saved in your workspace. The list here of possibilities is huge. The tools break down into character arc, backstory wound, character fears, emotional progress, emotional value of a setting, and more. Each category has templates to use or you can click New on the worksheet options to create it in your workspace.

Checklists and Tip sheets: This section has fifty-three pages of information. You can download the image, share it on social media, or open it in a new tab to use for reference as you write. Topics run from A-W, including conflict, motivation, plot holes, and show versus tell.

Tutorials: Last in the Stacks menu is a list of help topics. It explains many of the elements available from the app with text and videos. Things covered include characterization, setting, character arc, and miscellaneous.

The last menu is Connect. Inside, you’ll find ways to ask questions of the admins, create a wish list of features you want, bug reports, testimonials, and support for using the site.

This service offers plenty of tools, information, and support for writers. Take the two-week trial and check it out. You might find your next writing home.