Software for writing

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I'm wondering if I can conduct some sort of straw poll here.

The question is:
Do you use any special computer programs to help you when writing?

I'm not talking about word processors!

It seems that there is a variety of 'other' software (besides word processors) which some authors use as part of their writing process. For example:

So, I'd like to know if (aside from word processors), there is any writing software (commercial or shareware/freeware) which you would consider:

  • essential (you can't write without it)
  • nice to have (occasionally useful)

MTIA for any contributions you are able to make.

Potential Scribe

Scrivener 4 Windows?

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Email news from the producers of Scrivener:

Scrivener for Windows is on its way.

If you have forgotten entirely what Scrivener even is, well, it's a writing program that allows you to split up a long text into lots of small chunks, to edit them independently or together as one long document, to rearrange them on a corkboard or in an outliner, to view other documents - such as images and PDF files - alongside your text, and then to compile your manuscript into one long document for exporting to a word processor such as Microsoft Word, or for printing. I designed it to help me with my own writing as a wannabe novelist and someone who had to write a long dissertation. The Mac version is used by best-selling novelists, academics, lawyers, scriptwriters and many other writers. (You can read some of the testimonials of published writers at http://www.literatureandlatte.com/testimonials.html, but I'm not writing with the intention of giving you the hard sell.)

Enough preamble - onto the news:

• Scrivener for Windows has in fact been in development for the past two years.

• We hope to have it on sale early next year, in late January or February.

• We will be releasing a public beta late next month (around 25th October), so you will be able to download and try it very soon - in time for National Novel Writing Month ( http://www.nanowrimo.org ). (For those who have never used a beta before, a beta version is an early version that is mostly feature-complete but which hasn't been extensively tested yet. This means that there will be bugs we haven't found and it may crash occasionally. The idea of a public beta is that users who are intrepid and don't mind putting up with bugs can use it early to help us find the worst problems before it goes on sale to a wider user-base. Obviously therefore you should only use the beta if you are happy to put up with problems and back up regularly, but we'll give free copies to those who spend significant time and effort helping us track down bugs.) We'll release more news about where and how to download next month.

• When Scrivener for Windows goes on sale early next year it will cost $40 for the regular licence and $35 for the education licence.

• Scrivener for Windows will run on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

• Anyone who participates in NaNoWriMo this year and achieves their 50,000 words (and has them validated) will get a 50% discount coupon which they will be able to use when Scrivener for Windows is released next year.

• To whet your appetite, we have put together a small teaser video, which you can view here, along with more information:

http://www.scrivenerforwindows.com

We are aware that in the past year or two several Scrivener clones have appeared on Windows, but we really hope that you will try out Scrivener for Windows and that, if you were one of the many who have been telling us you wished we produced a version for Windows, you will be as excited as I am about this. The chief Windows developer is an Australian guy called Lee and he has done an amazing job in turning the version of Scrivener I designed for the Mac into a fully-native Windows application.

Thanks again for your interest in Scrivener. If you have any questions, please drop David a line at [email protected] and he'll be happy to answer them, and please feel free to drop by the user forums at http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forums too.

Possible Software

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Scrivener and Dropbox

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erin's picture

Over the last year or so I have gotten into the habit of using Scrivener and Dropbox for almost everything I write.

Scrivener is easy to use and almost intuitive. Writing with Scrivener is as easy as it gets, pretty much. A PC version of Scrivener for only $40 is a bargain. I've paid more for writing software I've ended up never using.

Dropbox makes it an invisible process to write, revise and edit on any of my computers, at home, at the office or on the road. You can even share files with collaborators on Dropbox and the basic service is free. Plus, if you sign up through my link here, you and I each get a bonus 1/4 Gig free space. :) It's even easier to use than Google Docs, though you can't do simultaneous edit like you can with GD.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

My results with Dropbox and

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My results with Dropbox and Scrivener (Version 1, Mac) files was that dropbox would somehow mangle the files up something good. I think I tried it with copies at first to see how the syncing would affect the packages. I haven't tried it with 2.0 yet (which I still need to upgrade to, using my discount from winning NaNoWriMo...) I eventuallly ended up using Sugarsync as it kept the files intact between syncs...

Now if I could come up with a simple reliable way to work off of a desktop and laptop and have everything in sync, I'd be happy...

Kayla

In this I am in league with the evil one

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By which of course I mean Microsoft.

I don't know if it exists, but would massively value wither a word processor/text editor which could highlight frequently used words and phrases, especially if they are in close proximity. Any ideas/suggestions??

Maeryn Lamonte, the girl inside

Frequently used phrases (FUP?)

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Pagefour does this. There's a trial version available at www.softwareforwriting.com:

The Smart-Edit feature of PageFour, introduced in version 1.50, is the first attempt at incorporating editing functionality into the product. It does not correct or improve your writing, but it does act as a starting point when you begin to edit your work. Smart-Edit enables you to quickly identify over used words and phrases, and provides an instant mechanism for jumping to the portions of your text that may need to be modified.

The decision as to what to do, or if indeed anything needs to be done, is always down to the writer. Smart-Edit should be treated as a tool, and used in the same way you might use a spell checker or grammar checker. These tools are automated and have no artistic merit, so should never be taken as definitive signs that something is 'wrong' with your writing.

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HTH

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My writing tools

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bobbie-c's picture

Cheater apps for writers are a dime a dozen, like the ones that can fake storyline skeletons, create basic characters from stereotypes et cetera. I've seen some and they are all crap. For fakers i.e. those few who want to make boilerplate stories - they can easily speed up creating their cliche "sweatshop-style" creativity-devoid stories without actually resorting to stealing other writers' stuff. So these writers can at least create their knockoff stories without literally stealing and end up getting their plagiarized stories removed, and end up being barred from sites (you know who you are). Sorry - I guess I don't really believe in these apps.

However, if you are REALLY writing, I am sure the classic pen-and-paper tried-and-true index card method will work for anyone. David Gerrold, of Star Trek fame (who is also gay), explained the method well - (1) get a set of index cards, write each major event of your main storyline on a card. Number them in order. These cards make up your "main storyline." (2) for subplots, you do the same thing (write an event per card and number them). (3) You make as many subplots as you like. (4) You then randomly (or according, to your whim) shuffle in the subplot index cards into the main storyline cards. After you have done 1, 2, 3 and 4, the deck you end up with would be the complete outline of your story.

As for characters, use index cards again: write all the details of a character on a card, like her name, her life-background details, the name of her friends (these other characters may need their own character cards), and how she is connected to other characters (like Jane Smith is the daughter of Mary Smith, sister of Joanna Smith, the best friend of Kenny Rogers, et cetera). You then refer to each character card when you have problems recalling a character's details.

You can then start writing your story for real (fleshing out the story is another thing altogether, and I suppose that can be tackled in another post), and you can refer to your storyline deck and your character cards when you need to. Mr, Gerrold gives a tip - as you flesh out the story, you can't help but think up more details, especially in character development. Be sure to add each new detail to your character cards.

For me, I usually forgo the actual cards and I just write out a "card" on Note - one file per card (the equivalent in Windows is Notepad; Note is the iPad's version of Notepad), My wordprocessor of choice is either Pages from IWorks, or DocsToGo. MS Office is coming to the iPad soon, and as soon as it does, I will be switching to MS Word.

However... I recently got an app called "A Novel Idea" and it essentially automates Mr. Gerrold's index card system, which makes things so much easier. You might want to take a look at this app.

The beauty is that DocsToGo, Note, Pages, iWorks and A Novel Idea are all available on the iPhone, too, so you can work on your story anywhere and anytime.

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Something specific

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Hi everyone,
I'm not really happy with my MS-Word processor I'm using right now. I'd like a function where I can put character information and backround information as well as the plotline into other tabs or something and tag them to names.
So if I use the name "Walter" or "Welma" in my text it links to the note where I've written the characterisation.

Is there a programm like that, or at least a mod or something for word?

Thanks,
Beyogi

yWrite5

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Apologies for re-awaking this old post.

I would just like to point out that yWrite5 is still being maintained with a latest release made in May and Beta in June of this year.

I downloaded it yesterday to play with and quite like the 'Don't do it all now' approach to structuring a story.

No promises, but I might just start writing again!

I have been using LibreOffice

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I have been using LibreOffice for most purposes. I have a bunch of old story notebooks, from before transition, and a bunch of just about every kind of notebooks. I can't type them up, because chronic pain and illness. I have a bunch of ideas for stories, too, and a vaguely-developed space-opera setting, mostly in my head.

I think something to get organized would be very helpful. I wonder if other gamers have found creating game versions of characters, challenges, etc. helpful or harmful when writing.

P.S. I have tried index cards. I end up with a bunch of index cards to sort through. I don't know Note, etc. but I take it I would end up with even more files to sort through...?

Hitting The Books

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Jennifer Cross's picture

This will probably make me sound like the compleat Luddite :-)

I don’t use any software as a writing-aid outside of a word-processing application. What I *did* do was make myself take a deep-dive back in time and review several texts and audio-books on creative writing (I’m currently reviewing proper grammer , but I may be hopeless on that one).

I currently have the Audible version of “Writing Great Fiction - Storytelling Tips and techniques” by Professor James Hynes and a couple of Kindle’s such as “Writing Ficton For Dummies” by PeterEconomy & Randy Ingermanson.

Neither one is the be-all and end-all of literary knowledge, but they have really served to jump-start my recall of that I was taught in school, back in the dinosaur days.

Both have provided me with plenty of “ah-ha” moments - so evidently I’m far enough from my formal education to make the texts very useful!

-Jenn

Wow. Thread Necromancy.

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Wow. Thread Necromancy.

Even after all this time, I still think that the same programs I listed before are good :)

I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Thread CPR

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Jennifer Cross's picture

Hi! I think of it as Thread CPR.... I arrived late to the party, but this board is a LOT more interesting to me than some plain-old vanilla writer’s forum. I hope to have the chance to bounce ideas off whomever is about the place as things move along!

-Jenn

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