Over the last year or so, I’ve blathered on in this space about writing with a wiki. As you might have guessed, I’ve been practicing what I’ve preached and am using a wiki for a large chunk of my writing and planning.
It’s gotten to the point where my daughter no longer says “Are you going to write in OpenOffice/Google Docs?” and instead asks “Are you going to do writing on your wiki?”
During that time, I’ve talked to a few of my fellow freelancers (not just writers, either) about adding a wiki to their workflows. A couple have given it a shot — mainly with a hosted wiki called PBWiki. Some others, though, have shied away from the idea.
Why? Two reasons really stand out. One, they’ve heard too many horror stories about Wikipedia. Two, there’s a stigma among people that wikis are a tool for techies and that the average person can’t get a handle on setting up and using one.
Neither reason holds much water. You can use a wiki to plan and write — whether you’re doing it solo, or if you’re collaborating with one or more other writers.
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