MacDirectory Magazine

Summer-Fall 2008 (#38)

MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.

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56 MacDirectory PROFILE MASTERWRITER > WRITER'S BLOCK IS A THING OF THE PAST Everyone who writes knows the supreme frustration that can come with knowing exactly what you want to say, but not how to say it. Barry DeVorzon, CEO of MasterWriter, experienced that frustration more than most in his 30-plus year career as a successful songwriter. Never one to let a problem go unsolved, however, DeVorzon eventually channeled his frustration with writer's block into MasterWriter. MasterWriter was originally a songwriting tool that combined a collection of reference dictionaries with an audio feature. Introduced at the 2003 MacWorld Expo, MasterWriter was an immediate hit, taking home the coveted Best of Show prize. Never one to rest on his laurels, and realizing that songwriters "were a small niche in the market," DeVorzon decided to expand MasterWriter, evolving it into what he describes as " the ultimate tool for creative writers." He got the idea when he noticed that, "Society is becoming more and more visual and people do not read the way they used to. The result is a very limited vocabulary of descriptive words since all they are exposed to is dialogue." Descriptive words are no problem for MasterWriter. An example of this is out- lined in MasterWriter's brochure, which explains, "If a writer is looking for a dif- ferent way to describe a hot sun, obvious choices might be blazing, blistering, fiery or burning. The "Word Families" feature of MasterWriter will include all those, but will take it to a more creative level by sug- gesting an angry sun, a punishing sun, a merciless or glaring sun. A phrase like "The angry sun had no mercy" will never come from a traditional thesaurus." "Parts of Speech," meanwhile, enables users to search for descriptive words using various filters, such as moderate or intense, positive or negative. There is even a filter for alliterations. Going far beyond songwriting, however, MasterWriter serves all writers. "Scriptwriters, journalists, advertising executives – anyone who writes can use this," emphasized DeVorzon, "This is a unique, useful software tool." Compatible with both Mac and PC, MasterWriter is currently available at . And for those who still aren't convinced, you can also sign up for a free 30-day trial. WORDS BY JONE DEVLIN

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