Inspiration software was recently upgraded and after thinking it over for a few days, I spent the money and got Inspiration v8. I like the changes they’ve made just to the main window. I just got it today so I’ve not had much of a chance to play with it yet.
Inspiration is, basically, a brainstorming program. It uses an outline, images, ‘thought bubbles’, and any combination therein. I wrote about it over at the main site. I’ll update that page as soon as I get around to it.
I use this program for when things get stuck in a manuscript or when there seems to be a lot of loose ends. I am VERY visually oriented and this helps tremendously. I can lay out the book and get an idea of where things are (and aren’t). It also helps me to get a grip on time frames.
My main gripe with Insp. is that it is geared toward mainly kids. There’s Kidspiration, for kids in grade school and there’s Inspiration, for middle and high school. On the one hand, it makes it easy to learn due to the age group, but on the other hand, most of the images are useless to me. Version 8 has the option of making your own which may come in handy. I guess it’s not really a gripe, since that is who they made it for. That’s kind of like visiting an online UK store and complaining that all the prices are in british pounds.
