I am always on the lookout for interesting blog editors, and stumbled upon ScribeFire while working on a project on Chrome extensions. This one is already quite popular in its Firefox avatar, and a Safari version exists as well.

ScribeFire proved pretty simple to set up: just enter your blog’s URL and it fetches most of the technical details itself. You can add brand new posts or even work on your existing posts. One done, they can be published directly or scheduled for publication at a specific time. They can be saved as drafts or private posts as well.

ScribeFire supports categories, tags and custom fields. You can add a custom permalink as well. The only niggle is the inability to upload images from your hard disk. One hopes the developers are working to iron this out since it is a significant drawback.

~PD

Earlier this year I wrote about my rules for writing fiction. Little did I know that a few months down the line I would be breaking Rule #4: Characters without the right name have no life.

That’s right, I was convinced to change the names of major characters in The Secret of Fezar. Thus, “Kinnel” and “Tasil” took a tumble along with some key concepts and other names of people and places.

The siblings are now called Yavi and Fahe. It wasn’t as easy as doing a search and replace. These were well-know, well-fleshed characters, and changing the names was almost like saying goodbye to them and reincarnating them as new people.

Yes, Tasil and Kinnel will be missed, but I feel the change is for the better. I am liking the new names, but more significantly they fit better with my world. Also, “Tasil” was not an original name, since a Tasil exists in the Shadow in Eternity series, albeit in the background (Wahid’s wife, if anyone remembers Wahid).

All these changes were the direct result of some astute feedback from my editor. It also spurred me to work on a date and time system for the world the story is based in. More on that later.

Goodbye, Kinnel and Tasil.

~PD

Thinking of getting your own website? Not a bad idea. But here’s a really good tip — when you choose your domain name, write it down and read it. Carefully. Make other people read it. Then read it yourself again.

This can’t be stressed enough: Make really you sure your URL says exactly what you think it does. If you slip up, you could end like the following sites who dashed the expectations of their visitors:

1. Penisland.com really is only selling pens.
2. Whorepresents.com has nothing to do with the world’s oldest profession.
3. Expertsexchange.com will not help with transition surgery.
4. Speedofart.com does not sell smelly swimwear.
5. Molestationnursery.com is really safer than it sounds.
6. As is Therapistfinder.com.
7. Powergenitalia.com isn’t a site about dirty superhero stories.
8. IPanywhere.com isn’t a threat.

(This list is nicked from here, who may have a few more examples.)

No, really, what does your URL say?

~PD