strange-worlds-publishing

Why I dropped the all-in-one productivity apps

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:50:10 GMT

I've tried just about every productivity app available,

specifically all-in-one productivity apps such as Notion, Monday and many more.I tried some of them several times in attempts to organize my writing projects. In the end, I dumped them all because I working on several projects at a time and bounce around depending on my whims.I’ll also go off on a tangent to explore some new and interesting idea. My work is rarely scheduled: a task is done when it's done. An approach like this is called Messy Thinking.

This article is about how I use a few apps to manage my projects instead of the all-in-one apps that aren’t geared for this unfocused style of work. The all-in-one apps demand attention and constant updating.I've lost countless hours trying to get these productivity apps to match my style of work. I finally gave up and moved on. Typically, my projects are new books, a lecture, a workshop or any other activity that holds my attention. To manage these projects, I use a toolkit of mismatched apps that bend to how my mind actually moves.

There are six apps in my 'portfolio' of productivity. So, what apps do I use? Well, I do use a set of ordinary apps — documents, spreadsheets and presentation apps — and I use them quite a bit, but they aren't exactly productivity apps. To replace the all-in-one productivity apps, I use a combination of six mismatched apps:

Perplexity: for research, exploration, and AI assistance
Freeform: for visual thinking and arranging ideas
Workflowy: for lists, outlines, and project organization
Simplemind Pro: forcstructured mind mapping
Recall: for saving and retrieving useful knowledge
Ellipsus: for drafting and developing written material

Here is how my Messy Thinking works. Whenever I get an idea that I consider worth exploring ,I write a query in Perplexity to expand the idea and provide possible novel approaches. Before or after using the AI, I scribble on Freeform to record the idea for later on. At this point, I often move away from the idea, but if it keeps popping up in my mind when I'm trying to work on a different project (which often happens), I realize I have to go back and follow that idea where ever it's going. That happens to be great fun.

The mind-map above illustrates the entire process and it consists of eight separate steps. As you might expect, this graphic is a Simplemind Pro mind-map.
I can hear some of you saying, "Hey! Wait a minute. If you can mind-map the process then it isn't really messy!"

This is an astute observation but it assumes I follow the eight step process. The reality is that I rarely, if ever, follow this entire step-by-step plan. A typical procedure for me would be step 1 followed by step 3 followed by step 6 until I run out of material. Then it's back to step 2 or it can even get dropped for a while as I jump to a different project. Thus, true messiness reigns despite the mind-map.

Notice two apps are absent from the mind-map: Simplemind Pro and Recall. During the eight step process, I'll stop and use Simplemind if I get confused and/or if the work seems to be gibberish. This last often occurs because of messy thinking in which ideas are tripping over each other or overlap. In these cases, mind-mapping will often provide clues on how to get the project back on track. I'll also use a mind-map to develop a plan for promoting whatever the project resulted in: book, a lecture, a workshop, whatever.

Recall is used in two situations. One is to produce (or recall) material that can be used in the project and the second is to add the final product to the database to increase its depth of knowledge.

Now, a word about my apps and your way of messy thinking. Your way most likely is different from my way and these apps may not not fit your way. Indeed, you may already use Obsidian or prefer to use paper and pencil for your mind-maps. So, try my apps out and see if they’ll work for you. If not find the apps that will work with your messy thinking.

And that is how I broke away from all-in-one productivity apps and built a toolkit for my messy thinking.

This material was taken from my just released book: Beginner's Guide to Productivity for Messy Thinkers .

You can see the entire Beginner's Guide series here.

Blurred Vision release

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:43:11 GMT

A new detective novel is now available

My friend and fellow author Susan Rosenbluth has written an intense novel. Here is the blurb for the book:

A Jersey Shore cult lures a Holocaust survivor's daughter, sparking a collision between a Jewish teenage runaway and a violent messianic leader who'll kill to reclaim him. An African American detective and his trauma-haunted Jewish partner race to stop him. Grounded in true stories from decades of cult reporting, Blurred Vision is unforgettable .

Available now from Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Walmart , and Red Adept Publishing .

Why and how should writers use AI as an assistant

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 18:34:50 GMT

You really should use an AI writing assistant!

A uthor Note: I uploaded my books and articles on using AI as a writing assistant into Recall, a knowledge app and research tool with an AI feature. I asked that AI to summarize everything into one piece. What follows is that summary, lightly edited by me. Consider it Exhibit A for the whole argument about AI writing assistants — I used AI to condense my own writing about using AI.

Writers should use AI as a tireless, literal assistant to offload "donkey work," allowing them to focus more on the creative aspects of their stories . By treating AI as a "writing buddy" or a highly efficient intern, writers can enhance productivity, overcome creative blocks, and streamline the research and editing process.

Why Writers Should Use AI Assistants

- Efficiency and Productivity: AI can rapidly generate ideas, outlines, and research reports, saving significant time.

- Overcoming Writer's Block: It provides continuous prompts and lists of ideas that can "shove your brain into gear" when you are stuck .

- Enhanced Research: AI can scan vast amounts of data, summarize main points, and organize facts into instant reports.

- Objective Feedback: You can instruct AI to act as a "brutal" editor or a specific persona (like a Cold War-era Russian judge) to get exacting feedback on your work.

How to Use AI Effectively

The key to successful AI collaboration is moving beyond "amateur" generic queries to specific, professional prompts

1. Brainstorming and Development

- Story Elements: Use AI to generate book ideas, plotlines, and "What-If" scenarios.

- Character Building: Query AI about famous characters to identify traits you can adapt for your own unique characters . For example, asking "What makes Ted Lasso a great character?" can provide a detailed list of traits to draw from.

- World Building: Use digital "spaces" to organize research, notes, and drafts in one place, then ask the AI to summarize specific elements like fantasy tropes or world-building notes.

2. Advanced Prompting Techniques

- Role-Based Prompting: Assign the AI a specific role, such as an "experienced marketing strategist" or a "developmental editor," and provide clear constraints and formatting requirements.

- Reverse Prompting: Ask the AI to tell you what information it needs before it starts a task. This prevents the model from making up facts or numbers.

- Iterative Feedback: Engage in a feedback loop where you continuously refine ideas based on the AI's suggestions.

3. Editing and Revision

- Concise Queries: Use simple instructions like "Edit the following piece: " or "Highlight your changes" to see exactly what was modified.

- Style Adjustments: Ask the AI to rewrite sections in a different style or spot inconsistencies in your manuscript.

Critical Drawbacks and Risks

- Lack of Originality: AI-generated content can be formulaic and predictable because it relies on existing patterns . It often lacks the unique emotional depth and "creative spark" of human writing.

- The "Generic" Trap: Generic queries produce generic responses that contain information you likely already know.

- Accuracy Issues: AI can produce factual errors or nonsensical content, especially with complex subjects .

- Loss of Voice: Over-reliance can lead to "insipid stories" with repetitive sentence structures that turn off readers.

The Writer's Responsibility

You must remain the final editor, picking and choosing what to use from AI responses while discarding the rest. To keep your work human, use surprising language, personal details from your own life, and unique turns of phrase that AI cannot easily replicate.

Beginner's Guide Starter Kit: free download.

News on the Beginner's Guides

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:26:44 GMT

The Beginner's Guide series has expanded (again!)

The Beginner's Guide to Mind-mapping a Novel is now available

https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Mind-mapping-Novel-Guides-ebook/dp/B0HDS98YVY/?

The Beginners Guide Starter Kit has been reissued because of a large update. It now includes a master index of all the topics covered in each book in the series. Get your free download here: https://hankquenseauthor.org/beginner-s-guide-series6b9a9e79

The only title left of the original ten is the Beginner's Guide to Author Business which I've started writing. However, I'm adding three more titles into the series:

Beginner's Guide to Writing Humor and Satire
Beginner's Guide to Writing Craft: Dialog, Themes, World- building
Beginner's Guide to Planning and Organizing a nonfiction book

Finally, if you have problems with fiction writing, publishing or book marketing, you'll find the answers here: https://hankquenseauthor.org/real-problems--real-solutions

Writers' Problems and Solutions

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:46:13 GMT

New tools for writers and authors

In the past few weeks, I've expanded my website to add a few new features that address recurring issues and problems that afflict writers and authors. The first is called Author Resources and the second is titled, Real Problems , Real Solutions.

In Author Resources, you'll find permanent articles of value to authors. Currently there are three of them.

The second website addition contains a series of common problems/issues and my solutions to them:

Over time, these pages will grow as I solve more issues.

Why not check out these webpages and bookmark a few?

AI Writing Assistants

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:18:04 GMT

You need an AI Writing assistant

You may not realize it (yet) but you really do need a writing assistant. My Beginner's Guide to using an AI Writing Assistant is now available and shows how to use the writng assissant across all five phases of book creation: plannng, wriiting, publishing, marketing and business .

You can get a copy here and you can see the entire B eginner's Guide series here.

Another Beginner's Guide published!

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:29:16 GMT

My Beginner’s Guides series just grew

I published the Beginner’s Guide to Storytelling and that makes seven titles in the series with three more left to write.

Planning: https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Planning-Story-Guides-ebook/dp/B0H1D3D7QM?

Characters: https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Creating-Genuine-Characters-Guides-ebook/dp/B0DF69DWPV/?

Plots: https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Developing-Plot-Guides-ebook/dp/B0CZTN42PN/?

Scenes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4R94SHX?r

Storytelling: https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Storytelling-Guides-Book-ebook/dp/B0H6TZKQ8T

Publishing: https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Publishing-Book-Guides-ebook/dp/B0DKFVSJZJ/?

Book marketing: https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Basic-Marketing-Guides-ebook/dp/B0DNB5W2Q9/?

Starter Kit: https://hankquenseauthor.org/beginner-s-guide-series6b9a9e79

My biggest need right now is reviews for these books. If you have an interest in any one of the titles,contact me and I’ll send you a review copy.

And don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide Starter Kit, a free download

Who are the Beginner's Guides for?

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:22:53 GMT

This post will explain who needs each book

Who are these books for?

Beginner's Guide to planning a novel

This book is for anyone who wants to develop a story idea into a full-blown plan.

Beginner's Guide to creating genuine characters

This one shows how writers can develop characters that aren’t cardboard cutouts of a real character.

Beginner's Guide to developing a plot

Any writer who has difficulty developing a plot needs this book

Beginner's Guide to designing scenes

Scenes are the building blocks of stories. This book describes how to build them

Beginner’s Guide to storytelling

If your stories don’t hold a reader’s interest, they won’t read the story.This book tells you how tell the story to hold the reader’s interest.

Beginner's Guide to publishing a book

Once your manuscript is completed, you should read this book before starting your publishing journey

B eginner's Guide to book marketing

This book can save you time and money and increase your success rate with readers

Beginner's Guide to author business

Once you publish a book, you own a company. If you don’t know what this means, you need this book

Beginner’s Guide to mind-mapping a novel

Mind-mapping allows the author to control consistency and continuity

Beginner's Guide to using an AI writing assistant

You may not know it (yet), but you need a writing assistant

Looking of a summer read?

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:50:27 GMT

Here are a few suggestions

If you like to read humorous fantasy and scifi like the books of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, here are a few you may like. You can find all of these on Amazon .

Meet the new Beginner's Guide series for writers and authors

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:49:09 GMT

Over the years I’ve seen the same pattern with new writers: tons of enthusiasm, then frustration when the story stalls, the plot won’t cooperate, or the whole publishing and marketing side feels like a maze.

So I finally pulled everything I teach and coach about into a set of short, focused “Beginner’s Guide” ebooks.[

Each guide tackles one piece of the journey:

Beginners Guide to Planning a Story – taking a loose idea and turning it into a workable plan: characters, plot, setting, and overall storyline.
Beginner's Guide to Creating Genuine Characters : how to ensure your characters don't bore the reader.
Beginners Guide to Developing a Plot – building believable plots, from inciting incident through climax, plus character and emotional arcs.
Beginners Guide to Publishing a Book (and Not Getting Screwed) – a straight‑talk tour of today’s publishing options, including how to avoid the predators.
Beginners Guide to Basic Book Marketing – the essentials of book marketing for first‑time authors: landing pages, blurbs, keywords, and building a simple author platform.

They’re deliberately short, practical, and meant to be used. Read it in an evening and apply your new knowledge the next day.

I have several more Beginner's Guides under development: on scene design, business, mind-mapping and AI assistants.

There is also a free Beginner's Guide Starter Kit: it contains material from each guide including the ones under development. You can download a copy here.

You need an AI writing assistant!

Sat, 16 May 2026 14:03:15 GMT

Yeah, you really do!

I've been using an AI assistant for almost 2 years now and I'm convinced that all writers and authors should have one also. Why? Because my writing assistant relieves me of repetitive and tedious donkey work and that leaves me more time to be creative.

Over the last two years, I've created a number of resources you can use to learn more about AI writing assistants.

A series of ten articles that you can read for free on Medium
T he Author's AI Toolkit
A Udemy course: the AI Sidekick

I think it's interesting to know that an AI assistant can be used across all five phases of creating a book: planning, writing, publishing, marketing and business

f you want to test your knowledge on AI writing assistants, h ere is free quiz you can take .

If you questions about using AI, I'm available to discuss them with you. Just reply to this email.

AI writing assistant quiz

Fri, 15 May 2026 11:38:38 GMT

Want to test your knowledge on AI Writing Assistants?

I just discovered this cool feature on an app called Recall. I generated a test on using an AI writing assistant. You can take the test (it's free!) and see your score on a leaderboard.

https://app.recall.it/c/203e8e95-559b-54f0-a564-248dd714c342

Tired of Thick How-To Books?

Wed, 13 May 2026 12:00:52 GMT

Beginner’s Guides Make Learning Feel Easy Again

My series of short, focused ebooks for beginning writers and authors has grown. The Beginner's Guide to Planning a Story is now available.

It joins the four other Beginner's Guide already available:

* Beginner's Guide to Creating Genuine Characters

* Beginner's Guide to Developing a Plot

* Beginner's Guide to Publishing a Book

* Beginner's Guide to Basic Book Marketing

The series will soon grow even more when two new ebooks join up. These two new ones are:

* Beginner's Guide to Scene Design

* Beginner's Guide to Author Business

These ebooks will become available before the end of the summer.

Why bother with the Beginner's Guides?

Beginner’s Guides stay tightly focused on one skill at a time, so the writer isn’t distracted or overwhelmed by a dozen other topics at different levels of detail.

Because they cover a single subject, it’s easier for writers to remember and apply what they learn, instead of skimming past lots of information they don’t need right now.

Writers can pick exactly the guide that matches their immediate problem or goal, which saves time compared with buying or searching through a big, multi-topic book to find the few relevant sections

Don’t let information overload slow you down—choose the Beginner’s Guide that solves one problem, follow it step by step, and see results in your next draft

New Review: self-publishing a book in 10 steps

Tue, 05 May 2026 11:10:30 GMT

This review just showed up on Goodreads

S elf-publish a Book in 10 Steps (Author Blueprint #6) by Hank Quense is a practical and straightforward guide designed to help aspiring authors navigate the self-publishing process with clarity and structure.

The book breaks down publishing into a step-by-step framework, making what can often feel like a complex journey more manageable and organized.

What stands out in this book is its simplicity and focus on actionable steps. Rather than overwhelming the reader with theory, it emphasizes a clear path forward, covering the essential stages of bringing a book from concept to publication. This makes it especially useful for first-time authors or those looking for a structured approach to self-publishing.

The tone is instructional and supportive, offering guidance that encourages readers to take consistent action rather than getting stuck in planning or uncertainty. It serves as a practical roadmap rather than a deeply theoretical discussion of publishing.

Overall, it is a helpful and accessible guide for authors who want a clear, step-by-step process for successfully self-publishing their work.

Available on Amazon

Otter wants to know

Mon, 04 May 2026 12:05:46 GMT

Does anyone know . . .

where I can get a paw-friendly keyboard. It'll make me a lot more efficient

AI Boom Unleashes Scammer Onslaught on Authors

Fri, 01 May 2026 13:07:31 GMT

One result from the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence is an unexpected explosion in the number of scam artists contacting authors.

It should be obvious to all authors that scamming is a growth field. For that to happen, it must be lucrative and that means authors must be falling for hoaxes and that is regrettable.

In my case, I used to get a few scam emails every week, but that has dramatically risen to a several per day now. Some of them are quite sophisticated. Many of them are identical to others as if they are all using the same AI app and writing identical queries. Or perhaps some master scam site develops new scams and sells them to others. Maybe, it's a subscription service.

Let's's take a look at the scams that are prevalent at the moment.

Book clubs

This is a popular scam these days. The introductory email says the club wants to put your book in front of its members. If you respond, additional emails will inform you that the members love to write reviews and it is customary to 'tip' each reviewer $50.

A curated publication on Medium (whatever that means)

This is another annoying email that always starts off with the identical opening line. "I almost kept scrolling, but something in your writing made me stop—and I’m genuinely glad it did."

There are many others of this ilk that have one commonality: they never mention the title of a book indicating they have only my email address and nothing else.

Agency queries

The scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated in their approach. I got one claiming that a European agency want the film rights for one of my novels. I checked the agency name and the agent name. Both are real. What wasn't real was the email of the "agent" who contacted me: it was a gmail account. If the email came from a real agent, the email would have come from an agency email server, not gmail.

Phony celebrity endorsements .

How thrilling! Stephen King will promote my books for only $100. So will a dozen other best-selling authors. Please! Give me a break. This one isn't even creative. It's dumb.

Get more reviews

This one offers to get you a set number of reviews for a fixed price. Once you sign up for X reviews (and pay), the scammer will take your book description from Amazon, feed it into an AI app and tell it create X reviews. The AI all will happily do that in a few seconds.

Have you come across a new scam? if so, please write a quick description here.

Otter Wants To Know

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:20:16 GMT

My editorial assistant . . .

wants to know who likes humorous scifi?

Like Zaftan Entrepreneurs and Zaftan Miscreants?

How to idenfiy scammers

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:26:37 GMT

Scammers are getting ever more sophisticated

Scammers are getting ever more sophisticated these days. Now they come up with excellent imitations of agencies and publishing companies to try to suck money out of authors and writers. I’ve witnessed two of these scams recently. One used at the names of an agency and one of its executives to try and get me to bite. The second used a similar ploy using a publishing company and the name of its acquisition editor, In both cases if you searched for the agency/publisher name and the person, you’d get responses that said both company and person are the real deal.

The tip off that you received a scam is the email address used. Typically, the address is from Gmail or AOL and companies don't use commercial emails accounts. They have their own internal email servers.

This is the email I received from an “agency” (I removed the person’s name): name.agency.book.film@gmail.com . the email said “name” was a member of the Pontas Agency. The legitimate business email for this guy is name@pontas.com . Notice the differences in addresses.

For the publishing company, I received an email from skyhorse.publishing@aol.com . The email said it was from the acquisition manager and gave her name. A search reveled the publishing company is real and so is the name of acquisition manager. But Skyhorse publishing does not have a public email address. If it did, it would look like name@skyhorse.com

It should be noted that the initial emails contain very realistic imitations of the cooperate logos.