I use ywriter, and by use I mean I can not function without ywriter. It makes organizing things so, so much easier. Before I found it I was swamped with folders full of folders full of documents and if I needed to find one single part of one story I had to hope I knew which file, in which folder, the scene I wanted was in. Now, with ywriter, I can find anything I need easy as pie. I will not ever write again without it. It lets you organize everything then you can select a scene in a chapter and right click it to edit it live in your default word processor then when you save the changes right click again and tell it you are done with the editor to refresh the changes. It's like a God's eye view of your entire work instead of having everything spread out into files. Once you get use to this, or a program like it, you will never look back. I am so much more productive using it. I just can not recommend it or something like it enough to writers.
I use an application called IA Writer. Not sure if there's a windows version, though, but it's very elegant, distraction free and supports markdown: http://www.iawriter.com/mac/
As Marshall McLuhan said, "The media is the message." Then again, in a postmodern vein, it could say what you didn't say.
Scrivener is the bee's knees. organisation, compiling, note taking, flow management and changing flow management. I tried several before landing on it.
Yeh, I find I can load it up to the ceiling with piles of research and actually find what I'm looking for. It won't write the project for me though.
well, I use Word and Google docs, but I have warning. Don't trust the Microsoft onedrive with your documents. I have had it lose work several times. If you use Word then save your documents on Google drive. I have never had any sync issues there.
I like to use Word plainly as the processor that I am most familiar with. I keep a copy of my work online on Google Docs like a couple of others have. It's handy as it allows my proof readers to add comments to any grammatical or spelling mistakes straight away
No offence, honest, but I'd go to pen and paper, no, to quill, parchement and berry juice, before I used WORD.
I'm going to assume you're not published, at least not with a commercial publisher? It's industry standard. If commercial publication is a goal of yours, you probably want to get over your distaste. I don't think many editors are going to want to send revisions back and forth using parchment and berry juice.
Word may well be industry standard, but that doesn't make it a must. When it comes to software pretty much any writing program these days can export in .doc, .docx or .pdf format. There are also writers that still write on type writers and similarly publishers that still accept printed manuscripts. Though I must agree that berry juice and parchment may be a tad old-fashioned...
It's not the exporting, it's the editing. 'Track Changes' in Word doesn't tend to translate without glitches, at least in my experience. So if you and your editor are sending versions back and forth using 'Track Changes', as every editor I've ever worked with expects, you can't really afford to have the translation issues.
If it comes down to needing to do the final edit on Word, is that really a problem for anyone? Honestly, it's a word processor, not a fighter jet. It's how you have to spend your time with your portagonists for months on end that matters as far as I can see and after having used WORD for decades, for regualr business activity, I just can't see writing a novel in it. Other programs provide a much better organizational interface.
In making this ... somewhat ... overbearing post, to be kind about it, you seem to be completely unaware that many other writing applications that are NOT Word allow the user when finished, to output their work in Word format. So when you question people's experience of using Word based on their work with a 'commercial publisher' you might check on your own experience of writing software first.
I thought it was a problem for YOU, with all the 'parchment and berry juice' business. But, no, I certainly can't see how it would be a problem for anyone. I use Word all the time with no issues.
So, someone would write with whatever software they want, export into Word, and then do all the edits in Word. That makes sense. But it's not really the same as someone saying they'd rather write with berry juice than use Word. At some point, commercially published writers are going to have a very hard time avoiding Word. It's got nothing to do with my knowledge of different writing software.
That would tongue-in-cheek, Wikipedia's definintion is as good as any: Tongue-in-cheek is a figure of speech used to imply that a statement or other production is humorously or otherwise not seriously intended, and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort.[1] In the past, it may also have indicated contempt, but that is no longer common. I guess you couldn't see my facial expression but naturally assumed you understood the latter part of the definition. I certainly didn't mean to take a poke at your manhood or whatever I upset. I won't make the mistake of trying to be humorous with you again.
I don't understand why this is getting hostile. Obviously I didn't take your initial post completely literally, but I assumed there was some level of truth in it. Like, you never, never want to use Word. Right? I said that aversion would make commercial publication difficult. Which is just true. So... what is it you're objecting to?
I object to the cost of MS Office, when there are other free options equally as suited to the task and, as was noted above, can save work to Word file types. I guess I don't understand why using, say, Open Office and saving to Word file types would make commercial publication difficult.
I agree about the cost - it's outrageous. But... Do you ever use 'Track Changes'? That's how all the editors I know do their editing these days - instead of sending back a marked up paper MS, they make changes, suggestions, notes, etc. on the digital MS, with Track Changes turned on in Word. Then the author makes some of the changes, writes notes back about others, etc. So by the end of it all, the MS is a red and purple and crossed-out and underlined mess, with a whole slew of comments bubbled in along the margins. In my experience, there are problems with translating the 'Track Changes' markups into different software. And editing is already such an intense (and sometimes frustrating!) time that neither writers nor editors want to be fighting with software glitches at the same time. If someone's had luck with making that work, they can correct me, but I know I've tried and it hasn't been successful.
Bayview, can you not spend the 12 months writing your MS on anything that pleases you, then IF you must deal with the editing in WORD, export it to Word and carry on?
