Plotdb fiction writer's database.

[David May]

I am pleased to announce the availability of an application developed to 
aid fiction writers on Linux.  It is called plotdb, the plot database.  It 
is designed to help track all the components of a story, including 
characters, objects, concepts and locations, and to attach them to 
chapters and scenes in a way that facilitates the story-writing component 
of authoring.  I wrote this application to scratch an itch I had for free 
(as in beer and as in freedom) novel writing software for Linux.

The pure python version of plotdb is v.0.3.  This sounds extremely low, 
like pre-alpha, but the application began existence in the early fall of 
2007 using a different database engine.  Recently, I decided to move to 
sqlite as the database back end, which is supported as a native module in 
python 2.5.x.  The first release of the version written in pure python was 
dated 4/30/2008.

I have used the original version of this software extensively since it's 
initial incarnation in August of 2007.  I have used this pure python 
version since I ported it to sqlite.  There is no real difference that I 
can see in the two versions, except the pure python version is easier to 
maintain, albeit slightly slower.  I would consider this beta quality 
software, tested somewhat in real usage but not full production yet.  I am 
currently writing a novel and use this software daily for that purpose.

I, David May, am the sole party of blame in the production of this 
application.  It was conceived and written by me from scratch.  You can 
get plotdb with my compliments at:

http://w3.cnm.edu/~dmay/plotdb.html

plotdb is released under GPL v.2.  I am willing, as time permits, to 
incorporate changes made by users into the application.  I am particularly 
interested in portability changes that allow plotdb to be used on Windows 
or Mac, since I use Linux almost exclusively.  You can contact me at

dmay at cnm dot edu

If this is not the correct forum to announce this software, please accept 
my apologies in advance.  And thanks in advance for any direction anyone 
can provide on where else this should be posted to capture the largest 
audience of interest.  I do not lurk this list, so please respond to my 
email as well as (or in lieu of) posting to the list.

Kind regards,

David F. May