Author: unkle.bonehead

Embracing the Power of a Centralized Writing App: Intial Impressions of novelWriter
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood

As a digital advocate, I’ve always been passionate about empowering individuals to retain their digital rights in a world that often prioritizes centralization. In the realm of writing, I’ve had the pleasure of exploring various tools and apps to help me stay organized and focused. While I’ve dabbled in writing podcast notes, poetry, lyrics, and blogs in various apps, including Google Docs, Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, and Obsidian, I’ve recently discovered a game-changer that has revolutionized my writing experience: novelWriter.

My friend and fellow Linux enthusiast, neigdoig, introduced me to novelWriter, and I’m forever grateful for the tip. In a matter of hours, I set up a project in the app, and my writing life has undergone a significant transformation. With novelWriter, I now have a comprehensive, bird’s eye view of my book, from the grand plot arc to the intricate details of my characters and locations. The app has allowed me to seamlessly organize my thoughts, and I’ve even experimented with multiple scenes in chapters and rewritten an entire chapter, introducing a new character with their own narrative journey.

The features that have won me over are numerous:
- A clean and elegant interface that stays out of the way, using Markdown syntax
- A comprehensive tool for tracking character descriptions, plot lines, and locations
- The ability to experiment with multiple scenes in chapters and revise with ease
- A bird’s eye view of my entire project, allowing me to visualize the larger narrative
If you’re a writer or blogger looking for a powerful, centralized tool to help you stay organized and focused, I highly recommend exploring novelWriter. Your writing life will thank you!

As a sneak peek into Echoes of Freedom, I’m excited to share the following schedule:
1. The Great Escape (Published) – A thrilling start to the series
2. The Invitation (2024/10/16) – A pivotal moment in the story
3. The Enigma (2024/10/23) – A mystery unfolds
4. The Hunt for Echo Begins (2024/10/30) – The beginning of a high-stakes adventure
5. The Watcher (2024/11/06) – A new character’s journey begins
6. Welcome to The Safe House (2024/11/13) – The longest chapter so far
7. The Web of Deception (unscheduled) – The plot thickens
8. ? (not yet finished) – The story continues to unfold
I encourage you to subscribe to neigdoig’s YouTube channel, where he shares valuable insights, great music and creative tips. Together, let’s empower ourselves and others to maintain control over our digital lives and write with freedom.
Echoes of Freedom:Chapter 1 The Great Escape

AI Generated Image.

Maya walked home from school on a crisp autumn afternoon, her backpack slung over her shoulder and her favorite hoodie pulled up against the chill. She was a 17-year-old Jewish girl living in Berlin, Germany, the city she loved for its rich history, vibrant arts scene, and eclectic mix of cultures. Her family was a typical German-Jewish one, with her parents, Rachel and David, owning a small bakery on the outskirts of the city. Maya had two younger siblings, a brother named Asher and a sister named Ava, who were both in elementary school.

Maya’s family was part of a close-knit community, with many other Jewish families and friends who shared similar values and traditions. They attended synagogue on Shabbat and celebrated Jewish holidays with gusto. Maya’s mom was a talented baker who specialized in traditional German-Jewish pastries, while her dad was a history buff who loved to teach Maya and her siblings about their heritage.

Maya’s style was a fusion of punk and preppy, reflecting her love for music, art, and rebellion. She had short, spiky black hair and piercing green eyes, and was often seen wearing black jeans, band tees, and Converse shoes. She listened to a mix of indie rock, punk, and electronic music, with her favorite bands being The Clash, Arctic Monkeys, and Daft Punk.

As she walked into the bakery, the aroma of freshly baked bagels and challah enveloped her, making her stomach growl with hunger. Her mom, Rachel, greeted her with a warm smile and a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, Schatz, how was your day?”

Maya smiled, feeling a sense of comfort and normalcy in her family’s warm and welcoming home. “It was okay, Mom. Just got out of class, and I’m starving.”

Her dad, David, chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. I think I have some fresh apple strudel waiting for you in the kitchen.”

As Maya took a seat at the kitchen table, she noticed a strange, older man sitting in the corner, sipping a cup of coffee. He was dressed in a long, black coat and a wide-brimmed hat, and seemed out of place in the cozy bakery. Maya’s instincts told her that something was off about this stranger, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Suddenly, the man stood up and approached the table, his eyes locked onto Maya. “Maya, I’ve been looking for you,” he said in a low, gravelly voice. “My name is The Architect, and I’ve been watching you online. I think you have skills that could be useful to me.”

Maya felt a shiver run down her spine as The Architect’s words sent a mix of excitement and fear through her. What did he want from her? And how did he know so much about her online activities?

As The Architect began to explain his proposal, Maya’s mind was racing with questions. But one thing was certain: her life was about to change in ways she never could have imagined.

The first chapter of Echoes of Freedom drops tomorrow!

So as it turns out writing a fiction book is a royal pain in the ass. But, man is it fun! You think you’ve got it just like you want it but then you lay down and try to go to sleep. Just as you are almost to sleep BOOM a great plot line pops into your head. And you think “I’ll write it down in the morning” only to realize you’re not going to make it to tomorrow morning before you forget it. So you hop out of bed and jot it down.

I literally just finished up chapter 6 and the story is progressing rather nicely. I dont know if any of you ever read my other fiction. I tried my hand at writing a horror scifi thing called “The Organix” back when I was driving truck. I only got 4 or 5 chapters in before I gave up on it. It was extremely cheesy and just plain dumb. I couldn’t even stand it. I still have it on a hard drive somewhere in this office. If I can find it I will put it up.

But The Organix did have did have one thing that this one doesn’t have yet. Art work. I still need to find something to use for the artwork. I might go for something AI generated but I dont really want to go that route. AI art just has that “look” to it. So I hope you are subscribed to the RSS feed. Chapter 1 hits tomorrow at 5am EST. Then a new chapter posts every Wednesday following that. If I get any farther ahead than what I am now I will start dropping them every 3 days.

If you run across any artwork that is creative commons licensed that you think would fit the story please let me know at email at unklebonehead dot x y z.

I’m loving this story and where it’s going.

So, I started writing a fiction book

Photo by cottonbro studio

I started writing a fiction book. Why? Because it sounded like a fun thing to do and it’s something I can do in my free time as the creative moments hit me. Which isn’t as often as they used to be anymore. I have the story mostly fleshed out and it’s heavily inspired by The Diary of Anne Franke. It’s set in modern times and is about a 17 year old German-Jewish girl’s path to online Freedom and what she does to liberate the internet from centralized corporations and authoritarian governments.

I did not choose to make the protagonist as a German Jew for any other reason than to pay homage to the inspiration of Anne Franke. There is no religion, sex or diversity of any kind in the book. My goal with it is to entertain the reader without pushing social agenda’s while showcasing the strength and resiliency of the human spirit.

Story Tidbits

So far I have 9 characters, a prologue and the first 3 chapters complete. The characters are:

Our protagonist is Maya aka Sara – a brilliant 17 yr old Jewish hacker and coding whiz, known only by her online alias, “Echo” who always felt like an outsider in her own world.

Her father and mother are David & Rachel. Her siblings are in elementary school and named Asher & Ava.

The Architect – creator and operator of The Safe House which is a hidden online forum inside Virtual Reality. It’s something much bigger than a simple online community. Its a movement, a collective of individuals united in their quest for digital liberation.

I also have 3 more characters I will be introducing somewhere around chapter 5. They are current members of The Safe House.

Jax, a former whistleblower who had risked everything to expose corporate corruption.

Leila, a brilliant hacker who had been persecuted by the authorities for her activism.

Marcus, a young artist who used his talents to create subversive digital art that challenged the status quo.

When will they be published? I honestly havent decided yet. But you can read the prologue and decide if it sounds interesting to you or not. You can read it here.
I’m currently considering dropping a chapter each Wednesday morning. Since I will be fleshing out the story more as I go I should be able to stay 3 – 4 weeks ahead of you all reading it.

From what I have in the first 3 chapters I think this is a good foundation for a series. Im thinking of calling it The Safe House Series with each book being from the point of view of the different characters. The same events in all of them but told from their respective point of views.

For some disclosure

I am writing this with the assistance of an open source AI desktop app called Jan. It is not writing the story for me but it is rewriting it into a grammatically correct flow and form for me. Since I talk like a truck driver I write like one as well. In fact most of the posts on this site have been rewritten with AI to make them look and sound somewhat more professional. Most of what I’ve done with AI so far has been with the desktop app Msty, which is not open source, or OpenWebUi. I really like OpenWebUI but it requires you to manage Ollama on your own. Which means you have to maintain two apps. Ollama and OpenWebUI. Where as using Jan its all in one app. If I uninstall Jan the whole thing is gone and I dont have to chase down a bunch of configs for 2 apps.

Check out the story and let me know what you think. If it gets popular enough I might do some live streams when I’m writing it and let the audience write it. Lol. That would be interesting.

Echoes of Freedom:Prologue

In the heart of the city, where skyscrapers pierced the sky and social media dominated every aspect of life, 17-year-old Maya lived a life of virtual anonymity. She was a brilliant hacker and coding whiz, known only by her online alias, “Echo.” Maya’s real name was Sarah, and she had always felt like an outsider in her own world.

As a Jewish teenager, Sarah had grown up with the constant fear of online harassment and cyberbullying. Her parents, both activists, had taught her to be vigilant and protect her online presence. But in a world where online freedom was being increasingly curtailed, Sarah felt like she was losing her sense of identity.

One day, while sitting in her families bakery a strange man told her of a hidden online forum called “The Safe House.” It was a secret community of like-minded individuals who shared her passion for freedom and resistance against online oppression. The forum was run by a mysterious figure known only as “The Architect,” who promised to provide a safe haven for those seeking refuge from the prying eyes of the digital authorities.

Intrigued, Sarah decided to join the forum and discovered that The Safe House was a virtual reality created by The Architect, a brilliant coder and activist who had managed to evade the all-seeing eyes of the digital authorities. The virtual world was a labyrinth of encrypted chat rooms, hidden servers, and secret messaging apps, where individuals could communicate freely without fear of surveillance.

As Sarah delved deeper into The Safe House, she met others who shared her desire for online freedom. There was Jax, a former whistleblower who had risked everything to expose corporate corruption; Leila, a brilliant hacker who had been persecuted by the authorities for her activism; and Marcus, a young artist who used his talents to create subversive digital art that challenged the status quo.

As Sarah became more involved with The Safe House, she began to realize that she had stumbled upon something much bigger than a simple online community. She had found a movement, a collective of individuals united in their quest for digital liberation.

But little did Sarah know, The Safe House was not just a virtual sanctuary – it was also a target for those who sought to control the online landscape. The authorities were closing in, and The Architect had a daring plan to ensure not only the survival of their community but the freedom of the entire internet.

The question was, would Sarah and her fellow members of The Safe House be able to outsmart their pursuers and create a new, decentralized internet, or would they become the latest victims of the digital authorities?