Announcing Carrel

Hi! I'm Amy Wren, and I write in a bunch of places.

There's my weekly newsletter, Amy Wren Says What, which is mostly focused on television. And there's also Amy at the Matinee, my Patreon, where I post a weekly recap of the movies I've watched, as well as a long form piece on a select list of movies every other week. And of course, there's this site, Amy Knows Code, where I'll be writing about the things I create biweekly, and talking about the big ideas whenever they call to me. There's also LinkedIn, where I'm currently doing a studio tour of the Movie Zone test app that I built, as well as talking about what's up with technology. And then there's Amy Wren Presents, which is a hub for all of my pop culture writing, podcasts appearances, and whatever else happens.

Five different sites, each with their own audiences, voices, and publishing rhythms. If you write online, you get it. It's a lot, and it's a mess.

For a long time, here's how I tried to keep it all together:

If I had an idea, I might write it down. It might be a note on my phone, a line in a notebook I eventually misplaced, a Notepad file buried in my Documents folder, or added halfway down the page in a Google Doc I opened for something else. Drafts were a wall of open Docs tabs that may or may not make it into a folder on Drive. And, if I created a schedule that wasn't in my head, it would be a spreadsheet I had to remember to update as I went. Each piece was scattered and rarely, if ever, connected to each other. The notes often sat ignored, because they were on my phone and I was drafting the piece on my laptop with a different operating system. I had to keep track of everything, usually in my head. I'd do my best, but it didn't always work.

The disorganization was getting overwhelming. I had to do something about it. Since I'm a developer as well as a writer (I'm a double threat), the answer was simple. I created the thing I wished existed. And I called it Carrel.

If you're curious, a carrel is one of those desks you may have seen before tucked into the corners of a library. They are a quiet place to get the work you need to get done.

I started with the most basic case: write a piece, save it, and have it available online. From there I looked at every step of the writing process, at every point of friction I kept running into. I added a quick idea form, which could then be turned into a writing project. I added ways to manage different publications. I added research items and watch notes and even the ability to attach casts lists to the projects, so I could have a list to copy and paste the Character Name (Actor Name), rather than having to chase it down on IMDB as I'm writing. Next came a calendar, so I could see what I have scheduled for this month, next month, and on into the future.

I added a page that lets me know what's overdue, what's due today, and what's coming up tomorrow, so I'm always on top of the most urgent work.

Finally, I added a feature that would export the piece as a Markdown file, which I could share with my wife so she could copy-edit my pieces, then import it back in to create the final draft. And just like that (well, and about 300 pull requests and 1000 unit tests) I had an app that let me create something wonderful out of nothing, from idea to final draft.

And that's Carrel.

Where to Find Carrel

Carrel is in private beta right now. For the time being, I'm letting people in slowly. This is partly because I'm still sanding down the edges and polishing the fixtures, and partly because I want to give early users all of my attention as I look to get the app ready to open for the public.

So, whether you have one or a dozen writing projects, and are tired of trying to keep it all organized, this might be the app for you. If you go to the Carrel site there is a form to request access; leave your name and tell me a little about what you write, and I'll be in touch. I've been using this for my own writing for over a month at this point, and it's well and away my favorite app I've ever created. It works because I needed it, and it's there in case you need it as well.

More writing about Carrel to come, both about creating this initial build, as well as future development. This is the first application from Wendelry, my new workshop. I've got a lot of exciting plans for the future, but all I can say for now is stay tuned!

Thanks,

Amy