Inspire, encourage and create!
Written: Jul 08 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Flexibility, versatility, great for all ages
Cons: None!
The Bottom Line: Easy to use, great for all ages! Inspires and encourages free-thought and active thinking!
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| ravynwolfe's Full Review: Inspiration 7.6 Full Version for PC, Mac (IS76-US-... |
Inspiration 7.6 has been such a valuable tool for me and a great help in my writing! I never would have expected a program such as this to actually do what it promises to do. It will, as the name implies, INSPIRE you to learn, write and create by adding to your confidence and tapping into your visual learning and organization skills.
Why inspiration 7.6? I first downloaded a trial version of this software, not really expecting it to live up to the hype. I had been working on a novel for weeks and thought I knew where my story was going. After downloading the trial and punching in a few words I realized I had so much more to tell in this novel than I had been doing!
After about three hours of playing with the trial I decided I needed to purchase the full version and I’m very glad I did! Within hours of using the full version I had transferred all of my hand-written notes and outlines into the beautifully visual world of Inspiration 7.6 and saw a pattern I hadn’t seen before. With that visual representation of MY story I was able to fill in some blanks and create whole secondary stories within the novel. I truly believe this software has given me an edge, I believe it has allowed me to fully utilize the ideas in my head and be able to bring them out in a better, clearer way!
It can be used for writers, students or just anyone who wants to plan out their ideas.
What does it do? My biggest question was “What good can this program do for me?” I have been writing for years, and I have a particular style. I was worried the software would try and push a new style on me, I was worried the program would try to re-teach me or break my habits (good and bad) and leave me feeling like I had been failing all along. Once I played around with it I realized it was nothing like that at all! In fact, Inspiration will help you SEE who you are in your writing. It will help you visualize your ideas and give you a little boost in clarifying your writing.
The most interesting aspect of the program I think is the versatility. It can be personalized and changed to what YOU need it to be. If, for example, you like to see a graphic representation of your idea you can turn on the diagram mode and see your idea in a “picture”. There are icons and clipart images you can use to help solidify your idea as well. If you’re like me and need an organized hierarchical outline with numbers and letters and subheadings and details it’s just a button click away. The beauty of this is you can start out in outline mode and click one button to see it in diagram mode! I was amazed at the visual representation of my novel after I finished my outline and looked at it in diagram with all the pictures and lines leading to other pictures. I saw my plot, my subplots and my little side adventures all spread out in a beautiful spider-web of bubbles and colors.
The best way to answer the question “what does it do?” is to simply say, it helps you to see whats been in your head all along. Develop your ideas, organize your thinking in new and powerful ways. Use the graphics to design a diagram to map out what you have in your head; use the outline to organize your thoughts into a logical sequence.
Features: It could not be simpler to use. The instructions are clear and detailed, the on-screen tutorial is fantastic and easy to understand even for young users (My 8 year old followed along beautifully!) Each button is explained in detail, you know what will happen before you press it. The program is very forgiving too, if you make a mistake it’s easy to go back and fix it.
Rapidfire mode allows you to quickly type out thoughts as they flash in your head, no need to organize and outline when the program does it for you. Each new thought gets it’s own bubble, each new idea appears in your web of thoughts as you brainstorm and write. After you’re done with your brainstorm session you turn off Rapidfire and can review what you’ve done. You can see the progression of your ideas. Did you start out by saying “Blue”? It made you think of water, which made you think of your trip to the beach last summer which reminded you of the seashells you found while there.... all this will have a visual representation on your screen for you to trace back and see. It may have been in your head this whole time, but did you see the trail it took you on? Now you CAN see it.
As you type your ideas in diagram mode, the symbols will shrink and grow to fit your writing. You can type out a single word or a whole page and the symbol will adjust to fit your needs. Minimize and maximize your symbols to check on your progress.
Insert images from the web to help convey your message and your ideas. Just drag and drop or copy and paste right into your screen.
Use the link tool to connect your ideas and topics. You can rearrange the symbols by dragging them around the page without breaking the links!
Text, symbols, colors, and shapes can all be customized to fit your theme or just what you like to look at.
Hierarchical Outline mode will help students learn how a proper outline should look. It will help anyone to see relationships between ideas and topics and their subtopics. You can rearrange them with a click and drag. All subtopics will move with the original topic so no worries about losing your place!
The checklist feature allows you to plan and then check off any kind of list. Plan a detailed list of household projects to be completed, then check it off as you go. Shopping list, doctor appointments....
Develop topics into a written report using notes text. I haven’t used this feature myself so I cannot comment on it.... but I sure wish I had something like that while I was still in school!
The help system is great, it is complete and easy to understand and access. No wading through piles of irrelevant topics, you can quickly find what you need and be on your way again.
Templates help you kick-start your ideas. You can use any of the 60 pre-designed templates or even make your own! I made several templates for my fiction writing and several for my non-fiction works as well. Each one has the important topics I need to help me keep on track.
The program even has audio aspects to it for those who learn and work better in an audio environment. I have not used this function yet, so I can’t comment on it... but it’s a good idea!
There is really so much within this program I couldn’t possibly mention it all. Even if it offered only half of what it does I think it would be well worth the price. The fact is, you cannot find another program like this with the same easy to use interface, the same adaptability and the flexibility you’ll find here.
The Bad: Really the only bad thing I can see in this program is that it almost offers TOO much! I can’t possibly use all of the features, though the penny pincher in me insists I try. Things that *I’ll* never use may be just the right thing for someone else in my household though. Other than that, I can’t think of a single real complaint!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ravynwolfe
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Member: Optycal
Location: Washington
Reviews written: 89
Trusted by: 28 members
About Me:
Mother of 3 homeschooled girls, author, dog breeder. http://www.almostnakedpups.com
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