Whiteboard Apps

Whiteboard apps

There are a number of apps and websites these days that offer white boarding capabilities.  Among them are Canva, Miro, Lucid to name a few popular ones.  However, I prefer Scrintal and Mindmup for my white boarding activities because of the easy of use both apps provide.

Scrintal can be found here: Scrintal.com and Mindmup here: Mindmup.com

Whiteboards require arrows to depict flow and relationships.  With Canva and others, first the arrow must be selected from a group of them in the left sideboard then manually placed and manipulated to the proper orientation.

Inevitably, there comes a time when you have to rearrange the boxes to make room for more boxes or to make the whiteboard more understandable..  With the apps like Canvas and Miro, the arrows don’t adapt to show connections in the rearranged whiteboard.  The arrows are static and have to be deleted and replaced.  This is an onerous task that I refuse to take on.

Hence, my preference for Scrintal and Mindmup.  With these two apps, adding an arrow is as simple as selecting the starting box then selecting the ending box and the two are connected by an arrow.  The arrow’s direction can be changed or modified to show arrow heads at both ends.

In these apps whenever you rearrange the diagram, the arrows adapt to stay connected.

While these differences may seem small at first, the can make a huge difference when the whiteboard is large and complex. An example of this is my Book Business Concept Map: https://atlas.mindmup.com/hanque/book_business_concept_map/index.html

Another large whiteboard example is my Why are Your Unpublished? https://atlas.mindmup.com/hanque/unpublished_writers/index.html

Taking a cursory glance at these whiteboards, you can see the advantage of the arrow features in Scrintal and Mindmup apps.

I’m in the process of creating a number of new whiteboards.  You can find links to all of them here. https://www.hankquense.online/s-projects-side-by-side

Another New Website? (just what the world needs!)

So what’s up with this new one?

Well, I’ve been writing stories since the last century.  My first two books were put out by a small publisher in 2009. Since then I’ve self-published my books.  Over this lengthy period of time I’ve created a wealth of content that will interest fiction writers, self-publishing authors and authors seeking to market their books or learning how to run their book business.

Much of this content has been spread over the internet and I designed this new website to provide a single (and unique) place where writers and authors can access this material.

Besides the usual books (both fiction and nonfiction), articles and classes and other material already developed, I’ve been using whiteboards as a vehicle to map ideas and content in a graphical format. These whiteboards allow me to bundle my content into an easy-to-follow and easy-to-access format.

So far, the competed whiteboards are:

* Book Business Concept Map: a map of the book business depicting the interrelationships of the various components. Hint: this map is a bit complex.

* Fiction Writing Workshop For Kids: This one shows middle schoolers how to go about creating a story.  The theme is: Your pet has superpowers.

You can find links to these whiteboards here.

Below is a list of whiteboards under consideration or development.

* Why Are You Unpublished: a look at various reasons writers choose not to submit or publish their work.

* Writing Humor: self-explanatory

* Designing a character: also self-explanatory

* Creating A Story Concept Map: an unusual approach to story writing

* What’s the problem? A look at common problems associated with a number of writing and author business topics.*

* and more. (I keep getting crazy ideas for new whiteboards)

So, check out the new website at hankquense.online.  Book market it or better yet, subscribe to learn when you new content is published.

Creating Your First Novel: A New Review

My latest book received a great review from the prestigious Indie Reader site. This is part of the review:

Hank Quense’s book stands as a beacon of guidance for individuals standing at the crossroads of their writing journey. It’s a comprehensive and insightful roadmap that offers the necessary tools to navigate the intricate landscape of novel creation. While the book may not be an exhaustive resource for seasoned authors, its value lies in its ability to illuminate the multiple aspects of fiction for those taking their first steps into that intimidating world.

In CREATING YOUR FIRST NOVEL, Hank Quense discusses fiction beyond the prose and gives helpful lessons based on his extensive publishing experience. This is an essential companion for the novice writer, demystifying the multifaceted nature of the creative journey.

~Bonface Landi for IndieReader

You can read the entire review here.

To learn more about the book, use this link.