# Idea to Novel Superstructure: Emacs for Writing
Bala Ramadurai
[[!template id=vid src="https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/emacsconf-2020--03-idea-to-novel-superstructure-emacs-for-writing--bala-ramadurai.webm" subtitles="/2020/subtitles/emacsconf-2020--03-idea-to-novel-superstructure-emacs-for-writing--bala-ramadurai.vtt"]]
[Download compressed .webm video (17.3M)](https://media.emacsconf.org/2020/emacsconf-2020--03-idea-to-novel-superstructure-emacs-for-writing--bala-ramadurai--compressed32.webm)
[Download compressed .webm video (8.1M, highly compressed)](https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/smaller/emacsconf-2020--03-idea-to-novel-superstructure-emacs-for-writing--bala-ramadurai--vp9-q56-video-original-audio.webm)
[[!template id=vid vidid="qnaVideo" src="https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/emacsconf-2020--03-idea-to-novel-superstructure-emacs-for-writing--questions--bala-ramadurai.webm" download="Download Q&A .webm video, 720p" subtitles="/2020/subtitles/emacsconf-2020--03-idea-to-novel-superstructure-emacs-for-writing--questions--bala-ramadurai.vtt"]]
[Download compressed Q&A .webm video (22.4M)](https://media.emacsconf.org/2020/emacsconf-2020--03-idea-to-novel-superstructure-emacs-for-writing--questions--bala-ramadurai--compressed32.webm)
[Download compressed Q&A .webm video (10.3M, highly compressed)](https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/smaller/emacsconf-2020--03-idea-to-novel-superstructure-emacs-for-writing--questions--bala-ramadurai--vp9-q56-video-original-audio.webm)
[View transcript](#transcript-questions)
You want to write a novel, but you don't know how to create an
outline. You have a seed idea for a novel, and you intend to expand
it into a complete story. You have many ideas for a novel, and you
are wondering how to proceed. You started writing your heart out, and
you now feel the need to create a framework for a novel.
Worry not, Emacs is here to the rescue.
Listen to this talk to find out how to develop your story idea into a
framework for a novel, all within your favourite text editor, Emacs.
What you will learn during the session:
- How to write a single-line plot for a novel
- How to write the backbone of the novel, the main character arc
- How to create characters and write their arcs
- How to create a story design
- How to create the scenes design
- How to plan your novel writing project
- How to track your project
The modified Emacs template has all the ingredients and flow to start
from a basic idea to a full fledged thrashed out novel superstructure.
Once you are done with the superstructure, you can use the planning
and clocking infrastructure to finish scene after scene, thus
finishing your masterpiece.
We will use:
- The snowflake method - <https://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/>
- The seven-point story structure - <https://invidious.snopyta.org/watch?v=KcmiqQ9NpPE&list=PLL7D_RCJrhcLzLiO17m7KcnG5WrjcUxGz>
- The original emacs writing template - <https://tonyballantyne.com/EmacsWritingTips.html>
- Some spices from the speaker's kitchen
# Links
- Screenplay in Fountain format -
<https://emacsconf.org/2020/info/03/screenplay.fountain>
<!-- from the pad --->
- Actual start and end time (EST): 9:40-9:58
# Questions
## Do you have occasions to use Emacs for multilingual text composition? How do you deal with spell-checking etc?
- Wrote in English with spell-check but wasn't able to find anything for the local script
- ^ thank you. I find using multiple languages in one document is a hard problem, not made easier in Emacs
## Is it possible to align the columns in headings and subheading?
- Thanks for the beautiful demo.
## Maybe there should be an emacs-for-writing mailing list and online Writers Workshop (?)
- This is a good idea, perhaps an online Writers Workshop indeed makes a lot of sense.
- Has conducted online WW in India, used Notion (Emacs Org Mode was scary for other attendees)
## How do you share drafts of your novel? If you use pandoc to export to word (etc), how do you incorporate feedback on the document back into org? (Thank you for the talk)
- Exported to Word (via pandoc). There were some inconvenient parts for the editor, and Ramadurai copied and pasted the feedback/changes from Word into Emacs.
- For collaborators: paste it into Google Docs. See the question below.
- Not an answer by the speaker, but here's the workflow of Mickey Petersen: <https://masteringemacs.org/article/how-to-write-a-book-in-emacs> (Mastering Emacs)
- From my bookmarks: <https://www.wisdomandwonder.com/link/9922/how-to-reintegrate-changes-for-word-back-into-org-mode>
## Can you show exported pdf of any of your novel?
- Will make a "demo" and have a link somewhere accessible to the community (probably on talk page at <https://emacsconf.org/2020/schedule/03/> )
## How do you collaborate with others while writing your Novel ? Like sharing your file and getting feedbacks.
- working on ebook sustainability, long org mode file, pasted into google docs so collaborator and editor can see it
- like to see python
- paste to google docs
## Can you text-wrap in the columns?
- Community: possibly ftable.el
- you specify column mode in org mode in prsentation
- THANKS
## How to enable column mode in org mode
- M-x org-columns (C-c C-x C-c)
- Or use speed selection in Org-mode.
- Thanks
# Notes
- Write a novel about a Scrabble-obsessed grandmother
- Novel is still not published
- Snowflake method + Tony Ballantyne (sp?) — <https://tonyballantyne.com/EmacsWritingTips.html>
- The talk was made by org-re-reveal
- Column-view and plotpoints per story arc, 2ndary characters augment the main character
- <https://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/>
- Uses pandoc to export from org
- Author of Karmic Design Thinking (<https://dt.balaramadurai.net/>)
- Uses Spacemacs
<a name="transcript-questions"></a>
# Transcript (questions)
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:00.000" text="I have the pad open. So, I can start."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:05.333" text="Do you have occasions to use Emacs for multilingual text composition?"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:11.333" text="How do you deal with spell-checking?"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:15.333" text="I have written only in English. For English, Emacs works great."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:15.333" text="Spell-check works great."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:23.767" text="I have not used it for any other languages."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:29.300" text="I have indeed tried local South Indian language, but only the script"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:40.333" text="I could get, but not the spell-checker, really. I've not really figured it out."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:47.567" text="So that was my trial to answer the first question."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:51.067" text="The second question is: "is it possible to align the subcolumns"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:57.031" text="and headings and subheadings?""]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:00:59.967" text="Oh boy. That's a good one. I actually felt the lack of having the..."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:04.967" text="The theme I had was great for... It looked like a novel"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:11.100" text="when I'm typing on the novel itself,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:14.533" text="but when I expand into the subtrees,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:19.800" text="it sort of goes haywire. It's a bit hacky."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:22.233" text="You can probably switch to a monospace font,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:24.900" text="and that works better than"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:27.133" text="the font that I have demoed it."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:30.967" text="You can perhaps try monospace font"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:36.033" text="and it should work, I think,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:37.700" text="as far as I know."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:39.600" text="So, that's the second question."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:42.667" text="The third question is maybe there should be an Emacs for Writing"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:47.600" text="mailing list, an online writer's workshop?"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:50.433" text="This is a great one."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:51.300" text="I have conducted an online writer's workshop"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:54.433" text="here in India. Of course, it wasn't"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:01:58.000" text="an Emacs-focused workshop. We used Notion as the tool. It worked pretty good."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:05.467" text="for people who are not aware of Emacs and how to use Emacs, the keystrokes,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:12.633" text="the fact that I wasn't using the mouse unnerved them."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:16.200" text="It was a scary experience for most people."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:19.267" text="I had to switch to Notion."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:22.333" text="People used that as a template"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:23.567" text="and then they could type it out."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:28.233" text="It wasn't my perfect experience. I liked the Emacs Org Mode experience much better."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:33.633" text="The next question is, "How do you share drafts of your novel?"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:41.300" text="If you use pandoc to export to Word, etc., how do you incorporate feedback"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:44.867" text="on the document back into Org?""]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:46.867" text="Thank you for the kind words."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:50.767" text="Yes, it is a problem."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:02:53.100" text="This is my ??, and I have a dedication to Spacemacs also and the Emacs Org Mode"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:02.033" text="community in there. I don't know if you can see it."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:04.433" text="Probably not."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:05.467" text="I did export it to Word."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:10.600" text="My editor did complain that there were a whole bunch of things,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:13.333" text="that it wasn't convenient for her."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:16.633" text="So I tried having the raw Org Mode itself in a DOC embedded,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:20.933" text="and I will do a copy and paste."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:26.067" text="Didn't work so well either."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:27.867" text="So I'm still on the edge on how do I do this."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:31.267" text="Should I train my editor to use Org Mode"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:34.933" text="in Gitlab or one of those"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:37.167" text="other tools, which is not a great experience?"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:39.833" text="But... I don't know. It could be tricky for working with people"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:47.633" text="who are not well-versed with Emacs."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:03:50.867" text="Pandoc is very, very useful in converting it to PDF"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:02.000" text="and integrating it with LaTeX, the styling, formatting into e-reader,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:02.000" text="EPUB format. For all that, Pandoc works great. You can customize it"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:13.133" text="and of course there's a lot of support in the community"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:16.233" text="for any style changes that you want to make, any images that you want to add."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:20.133" text="It works great."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:22.967" text="That was my trial to answer the pandoc question."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:28.367" text=""Can you show exported PDF of any of your novels?""]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:35.100" text="Unfortunately, it's still not published, so I'm..."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:38.600" text="I will put it and share it on the community,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:42.067" text="or part of this in the schedule itself. Thank you for the question."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:48.067" text="Unfortunately, it's not yet published, so I'm unable to publish the exported PDF."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:04:55.000" text="But I'll make a test of an open-source novel that I'm working on"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:01.300" text="I will definitely publish that so that you can see"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:05.767" text="how it works also."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:10.433" text="Can you text-wrap in the columns?"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:13.167" text="I have not found a way to do text-wrap in the columns."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:19.667" text="That only shows my limitation in config setup,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:23.633" text="but I'm sure people can figure this out"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:27.033" text="That's a good one. I would have loved to have it."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:29.900" text="Every time I want to write more on the headline,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:34.000" text="I would get out of the column-view mode and I would do the typing and expand it,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:42.467" text="and then come back into the column view when I want to set the other meta parameters."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:46.700" text="So that's how I manage without the text-wrapping feature built into column."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:54.133" text="But I think it's a great idea to have text wrap."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:05:58.000" text="Did I leave out any questions? I don't think so."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:05.333" text="Amin: I think there's at least one question on IRC,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:10.600" text="which I shall read to you."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:14.500" text="Bala: Please, can you do that? Thank you."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:17.300" text="Amin: So they asked, "How do you collaborate with others while writing your novel?"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:21.278" text="For example, sharing your file and getting feedback.""]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:28.100" text="Okay. Good question. So far, I have used... Let's see..."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:37.100" text="What did I use... This is a crazy hack."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:40.833" text="But it's a long-winded way of..."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:44.667" text="Right now we're working on an e-book for sustainability"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:50.300" text="and kids contribute their stories into this long Org Mode file"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:06:57.767" text="and I want my editors to see it"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:00.233" text="so what we have done, actually, is with the tags and all that, I have actually"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:05.333" text="pasted it into Google Docs"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:08.167" text="so that my collaborators and"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:11.833" text="editors can see it."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:14.000" text="That's my current solution. It's not elegant."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:16.667" text="I'm trying to see if I can use Python code to make the copy and paste work,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:23.900" text="but it's not so elegant for now."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:26.900" text="I don't know how to work this out,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:28.933" text="but this is my hack. That is,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:31.100" text="the entire Org Mode text, I would paste it into"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:34.300" text="Google Docs"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:35.433" text="so that my collaborators and editors"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:37.700" text="can see it. Whenever they edit it, I ask them not to make any changes"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:41.667" text="to the Org Mode tags."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:43.500" text="So just copy the entire text"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:45.633" text="and put it back into my Org Mode file"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:51.167" text="and export it using Pandoc into a PDF"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:53.300" text="and since it's synced to Google Drive"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:56.000" text="it shows up in the Google Drive"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:07:58.600" text="and then the collaborators can see the PDF/EPUB"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:03.633" text="if they want to open it up"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:05.333" text="in their own space."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:06.200" text="It's very very hacky and I think primitive, Stone Age sort of solution."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:11.467" text="I did see a Python solution."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:15.567" text="to at least help me with the copying and paste."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:18.967" text="I'm still working on how do I convert this."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:21.574" text="Interconvertability is driving me nuts."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:24.300" text="I think most of the questions"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:26.533" text="are around interconvertability."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:29.333" text="This is sort of what I have right now."]]
[[!template new="1" id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:34.767" text="Any other questions, Amin,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:37.567" text="on IRC or not?"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:40.233" text="Amin: Let's see. I think that's about it."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:46.433" text="Bala: Okay. Cool. That was fun."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:50.033" text="Thank you so much to"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:51.833" text="the organizers of Emacs conference,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:54.577" text="and the community at large,"]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:08:57.100" text="the Org Mode community and the Emacs community for helping me out."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:09:01.303" text="Thank you so much."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:09:02.900" text="Thanks for the opportunity as well."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:09:05.233" text="Amin: And thank you, Bala, for your awesome talk."]]
[[!template id=subtitle video="qnaVideo" start="00:09:07.300" text="Bala: Thanks. Thanks a lot, Amin."]]
