Review: MindVisualizer, Mind Mapping Software
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I’ve realized the value of mind mapping software as I wrote about in my previous post. There is value in being able to encourage readers to explore your blog. With mind mapping software, I can easily brainstorm using previous topics as fodder. Photo by d’arcynorman
Usually, I use FreeMind, the open source solution. FreeMind has a fatal flaw in my mind that unfortunately may not get fixed until the next release. The program has a tendency to hang up, not an option when you’re brainstorming. Introducing MindVisualizer to the rescue.
MindVisualizer is a slick,fast application. No Java here, folks. Although it is paid software, it is cheaper than most, coming in for at $79. I liked the extensive help files that open on initial startup. Very helpful. I was up and mapping in no time.
The best part of the application for me is that it is available as a portable application. Since I use the software on more than one computer, it was important for me to work with one program, one set of files.
Of course, there are ways to make FreeMind portable. However, the necessity of Java and all its annoying update reminders puts me in a new mindset. Hear! Hear for MindVisualizer!
Picnic At Hanging Rock
A recent blog post from the Kill Zone took me back to a time when I first saw the movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock
Supposedly the movie is pure fiction, but the delicate handling of director, Peter Weir, draws the viewer so into the plot that one can scarcely believe that it’s not real. The movie is well-cast. The main character, Miranda played by Anne-Louise Lambert, is mesmerizing. The movie offers up a bit of sexual tension and Lambert delivers. She is beautiful on set and equally beautifully filmed.
I suppose another aspect of the movie that makes it so compelling is its dreamlike quality. Author, Joan Lindsay, also added to the mystery, never divulging the fiction/non-fiction elements of the story. Posthumously published, the mysterious 18th chapter
The story had the elements writers yearn for: a strong mystery, an enduring plot, memorable characters, a unique setting. I just added “Picnic At Hanging Rock” to the top of my queue at Netflix
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. I’m anxious to see how I view this movie with writer’s eyes.
Review: Police Procedure & Investigation by Lee Lofland
Today’s mystery writers face a challenge. Unlike writers of year’s past, the readership of mystery writers now consists of more educated readers. Readers of mystery novels may find themselves intrigued by crime shows. Their minds devour the grisly details and the “facts” they pick up from these programs. No longer is it feasible to describe a death by poisoning by relating how Uncle George grasped his neck and fell forward in his soup. Our readers know what really happens.
That’s why a book like Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers (Howdunit) by Lee Lofland is so useful. Written from a veteran of the law enforcement field, the reader is transported behind the scenes of cop training, tools of the trade, and arrest procedure. Perhaps especially helpful to the writer of contemporary writers are the sections on drug trafficking and DNA. For me, I enjoyed the section that debunks the CSI shows on TV today.
by Lee Lofland is so useful. Written from a veteran of the law enforcement field, the reader is transported behind the scenes of cop training, tools of the trade, and arrest procedure. Perhaps especially helpful to the writer of contemporary writers are the sections on drug trafficking and DNA. For me, I enjoyed the section that debunks the CSI shows on TV today.While there are many references out there, it’s refreshing to find one up-to-date with the latest techniques and technology. Not all of the book is meant for the squeamish. The detailed description of an autopsy and its gruesome procedure will have many pushing aside their dinner plate. What I especially found useful were all the little tidbits of day-to-day life for law enforcement. They present the kind of detail one gleans from being on the job themselves.
Overall, a nice addition to the writer’s reference shelf.
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