Professionals

Justin Piasecki

Screenwriter

Justin Piasecki is a recipient of the Academy Award’s fellowship. After attending New York University for film, and having worked in advertising at MTVnetworks and Nickelodeon, Justin moved to Los Angeles and now works in commercial copywriting, original screenplays and studio rewrites.

“Films are a visual medium, and for many screenwriters, so is the writing process. To be able to step back and actually SEE how close or far apart your fights and speeches are from each other. To WATCH a relationship or crime blooming over time, it’s a perspective you don’t get when you only see the page you’re on. And with all the ways to stack decks and organize, it’s like Minecraft for story: Build it, break it, change your mind, knock it down, build again. Just watch out for Creepers.”

Kristine Arthur

Educator

Kristine Arthur has been an educator for 23 years with Valparaiso High School in Northwest Indiana. She began her career as a social studies teacher, teaching US history, world history, and world geography. Her career path changed after earning a Masters of Library Science in 2011. At that time, she began serving as Valparaiso High School’s media specialist.

“Valparaiso High School recently went 1:1 so we are always on the lookout for the best tools to support our students. Our teachers place high value on research and organizational skills. SuperNotecard has allowed our students to complete high stakes research assignments efficiently, without the worry of lost work. Our teachers are able to access and assess student work with ease due to the user friendly environment SuperNotecard offers. The technical support we have received from Mindola is second to none. We look forward to our continued partnership with Mindola.”

Ariela Katz Gugenheim

Historian

Ariela Katz Gugenheim is an historian living in Mexico City. She has published in peer reviewed scholarly journals, and has won several prizes for her research. Even though she was recognized as an expert in the field of Mexican Jewish History, she had never actually completed her doctoral dissertation. After years of research gathering documents literally all over the world, the task of making the most of more than 10,000 documents seemed impossible, until she found SuperNotecard…

“Last November I finally got my PHD. I strongly believe that without SuperNotecard it would have taken much much longer and the quality of my work would have never been the same. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mindola for developing a product that was sorely missing. I hope more researchers start using SuperNotecard, their work would benefit greatly from it”.

T. Woody Richman

Filmmaker
twitter.com/yowoody11

T. Woody Richman edited Fahrenheit 9/11, Capitalism: A Love Story, and was associate editor of Bowling for Columbine. He has cut many other documentaries, among them American Crossroads (2010), Unstrung (2007), and Odyssey in Rome (2005). Woody began his career working as an assistant editor in the cutting rooms of Nick Gomez, Spike Lee and Oliver Stone, and has cut several other independent fiction features, including Sooni Taraporevala’s Little Zizou, and Destination Unknown, winner of the Hamptons Film Festival.

“In the past we used a giant bulletin board with different colored cards representing scenes and sections to outline our film. We decided to go with SuperNotecard and computerize this process so we could play with the order of our movie without carrying a 6’x 4′ bulletin board home everyday.”

Graham Linehan

Writer/Actor/Director
http://glinner.posterous.com

Graham Linehan is a television writer, actor and director who has written or co-written a number of popular television comedies. He is most noted for his involvement in Father Ted and The IT Crowd.

“I don’t tend to write about what writing software I use, because so little of it is any good… But I’ve had such success with Supernotecard For Scriptwriting that I had to post something here.”

Stewart Brand

Writer
sb.longnow.org

Stewart Brand is an extraordinary creative force. He founded/co-founded the Trips Festival (1966), Whole Earth Catalog (1968), Hackers Conference (1984), The WELL (1984), Global Business Network (1988), and The Long Now Foundation (1996). He’s written several books including Two Cybernetic Frontiers (1974), The Media Lab (1987), How Buildings Learn (1994), The Clock of the Long Now (2000). Mr. Brand also started/co-started New Games (1973), CoEvolution Quarterly (1974), Uncommon Courtesy (1982), GBN Book Club (1988), All Species Inventory (2001), and Long Bets (2001) and Seminars About Long-term Thinking (2003).

“SuperNotecard is just what I needed for starting a major nonfiction book. Everything that is headed toward text, from quotes to ideas to deathless prose bits, can be shuffled and reshuffled with ease toward emerging cogency and impact. I am at last freed from boxes of 5×7 cards grouped with rubber bands and paper clips.”

Daniel Marcus

Writer
www.danielmarcus.com

Daniel Marcus has published around twenty short stories and was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and placed in the Asimov’s Readers’ Poll Top 10. His non-fiction has appeared in Wired, Boing-Boing, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. Dr. Marcus has taught in the creative writing programs at the U.C. Berkeley Extension and San Francisco’s Writing Parlor; he’s currently a member of the online faculty at Gotham Writers’ Workshop and is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers’ Workshop.

“I have tried a lot of writing software over the years. The thing I really like about SuperNotecard is that it does not impose any structural paradigm or process constraints on the user. It is very easy to use and customize, and allows me to lay down the bones of a story in a way that complements my creative process.”

Kim Barry Brunhuber

Writer/Documentary Filmmaker
www.kimbrunhuber.com

Kim Barry Brunhuber is a Toronto writer, reporter and documentary filmmaker. His first novel Kameleon Man was a finalist for several awards. His TV pieces have aired across North America and Europe, and his articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines in the U.S., Canada, and South Africa.

“I consulted other writers, read countless software reviews, and demoed every scriptwriting and outlining program available for the Mac. When I tried SuperNotecard I finally found what I was looking for. And as a documentary producer, it didn’t take me long to realize how valuable it could be for plotting an hour-long piece in a way that would allow me to see the program holistically and rearrange every scene and clip easily according to its colour and deck. And as an added bonus, the support team responded quickly to every question I had, and even took suggestions for its next upgrades. My advice: demo everything out there to see what works best for you. But if you’re looking for an easy-to-use, visually oriented plotting program, SuperNotecard will probably be the last one you ever will try.”

Greg Derochie

Writer/Director
www.formationfilms.com

Mr. Derochie’s writing experience includes the feature film TIME RUNNER, produced by North American Pictures. His digital effects work is showcased in the Oscar nominated films SPIDERMAN, SPIDERMAN 2, STUART LITTLE, HOLLOWMAN, and THE LION THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE. Mr. Derochie has recently signed a production deal to direct the feature film SOLITARY based on his own script. His full credits can be viewed at www.formationfilms.com.

“SuperNotecard for Scriptwriting is fantastic for brainstorming and structuring screenplays. A simple but powerful digital version of the tried and true 3×5 card system used by writers of all kinds. Others have tried, but SuperNotecard succeeds.”

Daniel Schwabauer

Writer/Speaker
www.danschwabauer.com

Daniel Schwabauer is a novelist, playwright and speaker. His professional work includes radio scripts, short stories, newspaper columns, comic books, stage plays, non-fiction ghost writing, and scripting for the PBS animated series Auto-B-Good. His young adult novel Runt the Brave received the 2005 Ben Franklin Award for Best New Voice in Children’s Literature.

“I’ve tried many outlining programs. SuperNotecard for Scriptwriting is the best. I use it extensively during the creative process on everything from brainstorming and outlining to writing first drafts. Its simple, visual interface provides a big picture view of your plot and never gets in the way. A powerful, intuitive, and truly useful program.””

Alan Shapiro

Writer/Director
www.lakewalloon.com

Alan Shapiro has been making movies since he was 12, began his formal education at New York University Film School, and launched his career after winning Best Student Film at Cannes. Alan has written and/or directed numerous programs for television including: TIGER TOWN, CROSSING THE MOB, THE BLUE YONDER, and S.E. Hinton’s THE OUTSIDERS. Shapiro also wrote/directed the feature film, FLIPPER, starring Elijah Wood & Paul Hogan, and another for Warner Brothers starring Alicia Silverstone called THE CRUSH.

“I’ve always been primitive about the tools of writing. Because it’s not about the hardware or software. It’s about a good story. Period. However you get there. I type on a 1926 Smith-Corona, flesh out scenes on a legal pad, and structure my story with 3×5 cards on a corkboard.

Until now. With “SuperNotecard for Scriptwriting”, I can have my low-tech cake and eat it too. I can get my corkboard just right — and email it to the producer. Save different versions. And so on. It’s simple, elegant, powerful. I get to keep a foot in both centuries. For me, that’s progress. “

Wayne Thomas Batson

Writer
http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com

Wayne Thomas Batson is the Bestselling author of five adventure novels including the fantasy-themed Door Within Trilogy and the pirate duology Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire. His books The Final Storm and Isle of Swords reached Number 2 on the Young Adult Bestseller List. Batson believes his books appeal to so many kids and adults because, at a deep level, we all long to do something that matters, and we all dream of another world.

“When my first book took me thirteen years to write, I realized (the hard way) that Seat-Of-Your-Pants writing just wasn’t for me. Since then, I learned to outline my novels first, and my average is 3-5 months PER BOOK!! But paper and pen outlining is messy and disorganized. Plot elements get lost, pages get put in the wrong file, discarded scenes that suddenly might work after all are gone with the wind, and WHERE WAS THAT FOOTNOTE WITH THE COOL DIALOGUE?! So, as I begin an epic seven-book fantasy series, I knew I needed help. A few well-placed prayers and queries later, I discover SuperNotecard. Now I can outline multiple books at the same time and NEVER lose anything again. SNC has a cool, ultra-intuitive labeling, filing, and retrieving system that just can’t be beat. SuperNotecard rocks because writers need to see the big picture, as well as, the gritty details.”

Jenny Diski

Writer
http://www.jennydiski.co.uk

Jenny Diski is a regular contributor to The Observer and the London Review of Books. Her first novel, Nothing Natural, the story of a single parent locked in an abusive relationship, was published in 1986. Subsequent novels include Rainforest (1987), Then Again (1990), Happily Ever After (1991), and The Dream Mistress (1996). The Vanishing Princess (1995) is a collection of short stories. More recently Diski has written an autobiography, a book of essays, two television plays and a non-fiction work entitled, On Trying to Keep Still (2006).

“Writing, for me, is about getting the shape and structure of what I want to do straight. The words come later. Anything, like Supernotecard, which lets me play around with and organise ideas in a visual way, is an enormous help.”

Nancy Hayfield Birnes

Writer/Publisher/Editor
www.ufomag.com

Nancy Hayfield Birnes founded Shadow Lawn Press and cofounded Filament Books, a growing ebook publisher and electronic book club in partnership with eBook Technologies, Inc. and Premier Radio. She is the editor of two editions of the McGraw-Hill Personal Computer Programming Encyclopedia, and has written two cookbooks: Cheaper and Better and Zapcraft. Her first novel, Cleaning House, has been translated into six foreign languages and has been published in nine countries. She is currently a director and the editor-in-chief of UFO Magazine, an international monthly publication devoted to the study of things that go unidentified in the night.

“I was in a comp-lit class at Princeton my senior year, staring down the barrel of my thesis, hardly listening to the lecture, when suddenly the professor went off on a tangent about Vladimir Nabokov’s love of index cards. Index cards! In that instant, my life changed forever. I organized my thesis, which became my novel, and I was in bliss for a couple of years until 1981 when the computer and it’s endless scroll of a text field complicated things all over again. But wait! In 1984 the Mac and HyperCard put things back into sensible order and life was fine until very recently. HyperCard is gone, but SuperNoteCard is here and there is great hope and rejoicing in the land of the organized! If Nabokov were here, he’d neglect Dolores and play with this program instead.”

Jonathan Gornall

Writer
www.jonathangornall.com

Jonathan Gornall is a freelance UK journalist, author and former feature writer and columnist for The Times of London. Microwave Man, his laughable semi-autobiographic memoir of a newly single fortysomething male (which for legal reasons he prefers to call a comic novel) was published by Penguin in 2006 and continues to bottom-feed in the Amazon ocean of sunken dreams. Jonathan also works as an investigative journalist specialising in medical and social issues, about which he has written for various UK publications including The Times, the Guardian and the British Medical Journal.

“I kick myself for not discovering SNC before I wrote my last book, but the next one—a non-fiction medical mystery—is shaping up nicely under the auspices of this gem of a program. I have also started using it to compile the notes for the articles I write, squirreling away quotes, facts, references, interview transcripts and so on before they are lost forever in the bowels of my Mac. Finally, the moment comes when the fun research has to end and the dull business of writing can be avoided no longer. And yet SNC makes even writing fun! Each paragraph sits on a separate card and editing a long, complex piece that might spread over ten or more pages of a Word document is a piece of cake when I can see all parts simultaneously in a single view.”

Edward Savio

Writer/Director
http://www.edwardsavio.com

Edward Savio a screenwriter, novelist and director with over half a dozen script sales to major Hollywood studios, including SWISS FAMILY RUBINSTEIN, THE ROYAL PAIN, and BOOK ‘EM. His books include “Idiots in the Machine” and the “The Velvet Sledgehammer”. Edward is completing a feature length documentary entitled “Get a Job!” about his attempts to find the best job in the world.

“Over the years I’ve tried many products to help keep my creative wheels on track. These programs were either foolishly complex, bare bones useless, or assumed all writers wrote the same way. What writers, filmmakers, ad people, anyone who takes piles of disjointed notes and turns them into brilliance need is SIMPLICITY and FLEXIBILITY in a powerful, easy-to-use package. With SuperNotecard I found that. Now I can focus on the writing instead of the program.”

Christopher Hopper

Writer/Recording Artist
http://www.christopherhopper.com

Christopher Hopper is a published author, recording artist, record producer, motivational speaker, and pastor. His books include “Rise of The Dibor” and “The Lion Vrie” and he has 9 record albums to his name. His various business and academic interests take him around the globe, perpetuating his desire to have a positive impact on world culture and inspiring people to lead meaningful lives.

“SuperNotecard is like a microwave: after you live with it for only a few weeks you don’t know what you ever did without it. It has streamlined my workflow, kept my outlandish plethora of characters, places, and descriptions organized, and saved me from the dreaded ‘stack-o-napkin-scribbles syndrome.’ I’m incredibly grateful to the creators for providing a true tool, not just a good idea. I’m still trying to figure out how I wrote my first three epic adventure novels without it. An absolute must for any serious writer.”

Hyan Thiboutot

Scriptdoctor/Screenwriter
https://twitter.com/scriptwriteruk

Hyan Thiboutot is a professional scriptdoctor for production companies around the world. Cutting his screenwriting teeth in the studio system of North America, he is the “Go To” guy for all things screenwriting.

“SuperNotecard is a Godsend for any writer who has to manage the complex lives of 7-12 characters in 3-4 acts, broken into 8-15 sequences, generating 30-60 scenes. Long gone are the illegibly scribbled notes. SuperNotecard is an outliner on steroids!”

Bill Henderson

Writer
http://truevoice-blog.com

Bill Henderson is a novelist, veteran teacher, and internet-based fiction writing coach. His work includes the novels “I Killed Hemingway” and “Stark Raving Elvis.” He maintains the professional fiction writing blog, “Write a Better Novel”.

“As a teacher I’ve always advocated using scene cards, a technique I learned as a screenwriter. SuperNotecards allows you to import the scene card technique to the computer, which for me is ideal, because it’s the environment I do nearly all my work in these days.”

Jason Block

Programmer
www.mindola.com

While I don’t belong on this page, I have a little story to tell about how this notecard program was born. In 2004 I had a terrible time keeping track of a plot and all the juicy details surrounding my then masterpiece about a kid with the ability to move small things like mugs and socks an inch in an hour.

So I skipped the masterpiece and began work on a program to help organize unwieldy writing projects. I called it Miss Lonelynotes in honor of Nathanael West’s Miss Lonelyhearts. Later, with more features and a user-base as interested in researching molecular biology as they were in writing about fictional uncaring advice columnists, I settled on the program’s current name, SuperNotecard.

Thanks to all of the writers, and particularly those on this page, that have shared their ideas and encouraging feedback.