The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
Summer 2013 is here! Except where Winter 2013 has now begun. Either way, I hope you get to fully enjoy the season. =)
There is a new update of The Journal 6 available. Along with a handful of bugfixes and minor improvements, this update includes a translation of the menus and user interface to Armenian. See “The Journal New” below for more information.
This month tip tells you how to get a total word count for a batch of entries, and we have two new writing prompts.
Thank you for choosing The Journal!
The Journal News
The Journal 7 is the current release.
To see if you have the latest version of The Journal:
- Click on the “Help” menu in The Journal.
- Choose “Check for Update of The Journal”.
If you are using The Journal 6 (or an earlier version):
Tips & Tricks
TIP: Word Counts for Multiple Entries
Since earlier this year, The Journal has two new word count commands, both of them on the Tools menu:
* Count Words in Entry + Sub-Entries…
* Count Words in Selected Entries…
Both of these commands have been so useful to me that I’m not sure why I didn’t think of them long ago. Here’s how you can use them too.
“Count Words in Entry + Sub-Entries…”
Hot-Key: Ctrl+Shift+W
With this new word count command on the Tools menu you can get the total # of words, paragraphs, and even characters (with and without spaces) for the current entry *plus* all of the sub-entries below it (and their sub-entries, as well). This command can be used in calendar categories (like Daily Journal) and loose-leaf categories (like Notebook).
I use this command in my writing projects. I have a master manuscript draft entry that has sub-entries for each chapter. Like this:
+ Manuscript
—+ Draft 1
——+ Chapter 1
——+ Chapter 2
——+ …
To count the accumulated words for the entire project, I click on the “Draft 1” entry to select it. Then press Ctrl+Shift+W.
I’ve also used this new command to count all the words I typed in my DavidRM Software calendar category for the year 2012 (63,035) and my Daily Journal calendar during the 1990’s (108,761). All you have to do is click on the year or month in the entry tree, then press Ctrl+Shift+W.
“Count Words in Selected Entries…”
This command, also on the Tools menu, counts the words in the entries you have selected in the entry tree. Press the Ctrl key while clicking on entries in the entry tree to select multiple entries.
The Ctrl+Shift+W hot-key also works with this command. In this case, though, it only counts the words in the selected entries. Sub-entries aren’t counted unless they are also selected.
I use this command less frequently than “Count Words in Entry + Sub-Entries…”, but sometimes I only want to tally the words in specific chapters. For example, to count all the words for a particular point-of-view character.
Writing Prompts
Free Writing Prompt – Write for 20 minutes using the following as your starter/inspiration: “Baby Steps”
Free Writing Prompt – Write for 20 minutes using the following as your starter/inspiration: “A Toddler’s Vocabulary”
Submission Information
If you would like to contribute to the “How I Use The Journal”, “Writing Exercises”, or “Tips & Tricks” sections, or would like to submit an article about journaling, writing, or another The Journal-related topic, we would love to hear from you.
Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to: support@davidrm.com
If you are submitting for a particular section, please indicate which one. Try to limit your submissions to 500-1000 words. Submissions may be edited for length and content.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, please state this in the email. Otherwise your name (but not your email) will be used in the article heading.
As always, if you have any suggestions for, or bug reports about, The Journal, please feel free to email them. Both are always welcome.