ClearARC
ClearARC keeps on improving. This month I added an import and export PDF feature. It’s not really necessary these days (ClearARC already lets you export your work in multiple formats including EPUB), but is handy if you want to send it to someone for review and they prefer PDF (the best way in my opinion is to use ClearARC’s HTML export, which creates an interactive version of your book and opens in any browser).
Anyway, here’s what made me create ClearARC:
I kept trying to write a novel, but always finished it before the first chapter was done! This is because I could never bring myself to plan out the whole thing first.
So I broke the concept down into its smallest parts, then put it back together in a way that made sense to me.
I knew I needed chapters, so the software needed to let me create them one after another. I knew each chapter needed a name, but had no idea what that name would be yet, so I just named them Chapter 1, Chapter 2 etc.
I could have left it at that of course, but planning really is more than a bunch of chapters!
So I added a hierarchy system: Books > Chapters > Scenes > Events (what screenwriters call ‘beats’).
The idea was to split the chapter into simpler parts starting with scenes. A scene, just like in a movie or theatre, usually happens in one place. And when that’s done, we move on to another place (another scene).
This helped because it created a rule I could use – if I decided the action is going to move to another place, that’s the time to add a new scene. And right now, I may as well call those scenes ‘Scene 1’, ‘Scene 2’ etc. (planning is hard, and coming up with meaningful names just slows me down at the start).
Obviously if all the action in your book happens in the same place from beginning to end, you probably won’t bother with scenes (the point being, it’s your choice, software shouldn’t force things on you).
Once you have your scenes (if you chose to), you can get down to the nitty gritty, and that is events. An event is a single happening. You know the kind of thing: a knock at the door, you open it, and the ghost of your great great gran appears.
Then another event happens – you slam the door and the ghost walks straight through it.
Since you only need to describe the minimum at every step, in no time at all, you have built your entire book from a series of sentences (events).
And with that done, one click, and you have a complete timeline to guide you (or a browsable HTML, PDF, or EPUB file of your whole book if you want to export it).
Which means, for the first time ever (if you’re like me) you’ll get to finish chapter 1, and chapter 2, and who knows, maybe all of it.
So where does all this ARC stuff come in? Simple. You can add character, places, and items wherever you want, and whenever you do, you can add a reason for that action.
The reason could be “Dave’s mood right now is complacency”. In a later event you might add “Dave is starting to get worried, complaceny level is dropping fast”, and later, “Dave is now full-on stressed”. Obviously you describe traits anyway you like, but when you view them sequentially on a timeline along with all the other information, the ARC starts coming to life.
It’s out now and available on subscription. Better still, you get 30 days without paying a penny to try it (credit card required to stop scammers, but no payment will be taken and it’s super simple to cancel anytime).
ProofMEDIA
ProofMEDIA helps B2B UK agencies scale and retain clients whose websites are run using WordPress.
We have created the ProofMEDIA Marketing Suite, a WordPress plugin that combines an autoresponder, CRM, popups, funnel analytics, and consent in one.
Guaranteeing compatibility across the major components of any major marketing plan for UK businesses.
I have been a professional coder for 40+ years (as well as a founder of 6 businesses over that period of time), so I have a pretty good idea of what businesses need to market themselves without adding a ton of useless extras that others charge a fortune for and no one uses.
Get in touch using the form below (run using our very own ProofMEDIA Marketing Suite of course).
The ICA
There are organisations for pretty much every industry in the world. This one’s dedicated to teaching copywriters how to write more persuasively in an ethical way and make more money doing it.
Join the International Copywriters Association and you’ll get membership of ProCopyClub (my premier copywriter training program) and a whole bunch of AI tools included.
If you have any questions about the ICA, please feel free to use our support portal. You can also book one-on-one time direct with me.
Quentin Pain
PS. This page was inspired by Derek Sivers’ Now Page Movement