u/Fabulous_Exit168

I wrote a dystopian/speculative fiction novel last year and submitted it to some competitions, but It didn't stick anywhere, perhaps because it was bleak and tough to read (hell, there were lengthy footnotes ever 3 pages). In hindsight I did not make it easy for the judges. A writing mentor of mine suggested rewriting parts, in not all of the book (for example changing it from 95% first person, to roughly 20%), changing the tone from dense and serious to light and funny. And I feel like those changes could make the "medicine", which I believe would benefit being spread into the world at this historical juncture, more palatable. Writers out there who've managed to accomplish a similar feat, what's the best way to go about starting?

Despite enduring 10 million ads an episode and 50 thousand "subtle" pieces of product/market placement per episode, despite enduring the absolutely delightful and essential presence of Danu, and watching the judges ask inane and obvious questions from contestants while they were having mental breakdowns, despite the hoity toity airs of the Colombo types, despite the haphazard and inconsistent editing, despite it all... I'm glad I watched Masterchef Sri Lanka season 1 because I got to watch Manoj, the most consistently creative and, arguably, deserving contestant win. I hope this is a sign that we've collectively reentered an era of merit over identity. That is all from me today. Good night.

As a technically illiterate person, I wrote my last novel on MS Word, then shared it incrementally with my own account on WhatsApp (that way I'd have a backup on my phone and macbook). When I went to uni I had the Google cloud app installed and used that as a backup, but due to privacy reasons I removed that app from my macbook last year.

About a month back I saw my access to MS Word had been revoked, so I've been using Pages, but since Pages files can't be opened on my Samsung phone I've been looking for an alternative. Maybe Notion or Google Docs.

As writers and authors, what programs do you all use when drafting and editing your work, in a way that's easy to use, can be backed up and easily accessible on your phone and macbook? Any tips would be appreciated!