Novel Writing Software

[Dennis Leppanen]

What software are you using? After my computer crashed in December, I've been using Word 2007, and it is driving me nuts. I hate it. It's just not set for novel writing.

What's out there that combines writing, easy formatting, inserting outside copy into your new copy, etc.

Thanks,
den

[John Dishon]

There's

OpenOffice.org
yWriter
Celtx
Adobe InCopy
AbiWord
Word Perfect

InCopy probably has the best formatting options since it is designed to integrate with Indesign, but word processors aren't really the best solution for formatting anyway.

it might be easier to suggest something if you told us what it is about Word that you don't like, or what features you wish it had.

[Dennis Leppanen]

I loved Word Perfect. It allowed me to insert text I had written prior, painfully and easily. Word it back to copy/paste.

Numbering is an issue. I want to send a PDF copy from word, and start numbering as page 1, the actual page 9.

I know a lot of my troubles center around Windows Vista, which has sent me back to the dark ages of computer literacy, man, I miss XP.

[John Dishon]

Check out OpenOffice.org. You can download it here: http://download.openoffice.org/index.html. It's an entire office suite meant to rival Microsoft Office, but you can choose to just install Writer, the word processing program. It has all the functionality of Word.

It's free, so if you don't like it, you're not out anything.

[Dennis Leppanen]

Thanks John,

I have heard of others that use it. I'll give it a whirl.

[Dennis Leppanen]

That is a big plus, Linton.

[Bill Crider]

I still have XP and don't want to change. I started out using WordPerfect back with one of the very earliest versions, and I'm up to version 12 or something now. I don't want to learn another program.

[Dennis Leppanen]

I don't blame you, Bill. If mine hadn't crashed, I'd still be using it.

[I. J. Parker]

I'm used to XP. Changing would probably drive me batty.

[Jessie Estevao]

I use Liquid Story Binder. It has a lot of different ways to organize all the timelines and thoughts you gather together before actual writing begins. It is easy to search for things I misplace because you build all the files for a manuscript, regardless of their format (timeline, dossier, outline, note), in one larger book file. You can replace name changes etc... that way as well. I have found it easy to use and I am not the sort of person who feels at ease with most computer programs. I like the way it looks and it provides extras like dossiers that allow image importing for writers who like visuals to stir the imagination. The last I knew they offered a 30 day trial of the program that was fully functional. I believe the price is somewhere around $50 USD. Good luck.

[John Dishon]

That program looks interesting. I'd heard of it before but never checked it out. It looks like yWriter on steroids. Also, there's a special Winter sale going on now. Liquid Story Binder now only costs $22.95. I'm definitely going to download the free trial.

Thanks for the info.

[Dennis Leppanen]

Me, also, John. A thirty day trial plus a cheap cost. I'm going to try it.

[John Dishon]

Check out ywriter too. It's free, and they're pretty similar. Liquid Story Binder is cool and all, but I think there's just too many features for me. I get distracted easily as it is. LSB does have about every feature you could want for planning though.