RE: What is the best word processor ?

Discussion in 'Writing Software and Hardware' started by Jesse Bassett, Feb 25, 2020.

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  1. DoyenCae

    DoyenCae New Member

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    I tap out a lot of ideas on my phone (android) and for this I have found Google docs with SwiftKey keyboard to be the best. Word on the phone is a terrible mess. I prefer cloud based word processors because they have version history. I got angry with OneNote because its the only MS app that doesn't have version history and I just lost some work while trying to copy and paste it into a word processor. I would like to try Scrivener but will wait until v3 is out on Windows to check it out.
     
  2. tde44

    tde44 Member

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    Yup...usually a few chapters at a time so it doesn't feel overwhelming.

    I also do an initial edit at the same time.
     
  3. Murkie

    Murkie Active Member

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    If you'd asked me yesterday I would have said Scrivener. I had a play with Vellum today and there's a lot to be said about a clean, minimal interface and perfect formating for ebook and paperback. I can see myself using this from now on.

    I don't plan much of my writing so I don't miss not having the tools Scrivener has.
     
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  4. SlayerC79

    SlayerC79 Banned

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    One word: Scrivener.

    Scrivener 3 is taking forever to be released for Windows (not entirely sure what the delay is), but till then, Scrivener 1 is the best, by a long way.

    Scrivener is akin to having a file cabinet in your computer. If you don't want to spend hours and hours flicking through pages of Word, trying to find a specific part of your story, etc, Scrivener is a must-have.
     
  5. ISalem

    ISalem Member

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    I use scrivener. Its a fully featured software for writers. I sometimes switch to ulysses.however, I think it depends on you and what kind of writing environment you would prefer. The one fits best to your needs and you feel more comfortable with, is the one you should use.
     
  6. ISalem

    ISalem Member

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    Vellum is a beautiful environment for writing. It has a beautiful and clean interface. I was surprised that many don’t know about it.
     
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  7. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I like both of those as well.
     
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  8. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I tried Vellum a little while ago and liked it a lot, though I thought of it as more of a post-writing environment to prepare to ebook than a writing environment. Now I'll have to take another look as a writing platform.
     
  9. Amontillado

    Amontillado Senior Member

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    That was a thought I had about Vellum, too. Why not just write in it?

    You might miss some things like global search and replace. I don't think it supports quite as much flexibility as Scrivener.
     
  10. Mark Burton

    Mark Burton Fried Egghead Contributor

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    yWriter. I can use it on windows or any android tablet or even a phone. The windows version is free too. If I have a moment to write, it's there ready and waiting pretty much wherever I am. I also use Google Docs for polishing the final story.
     
  11. Alastair Woodcock

    Alastair Woodcock Active Member

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    Most of my writing I do in Libre Office (Write) as I do minutes and summaries of meetings as part of my voluntary work. Recently installed Scrivener for my writing projects and like it enough to think I'll stick with it, even though it takes some getting used to.
     
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  12. ISalem

    ISalem Member

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    The thing with Scrivener is, it has many many features. It takes time to become familiar with its writing environment and get used to its features specially when switching from another writing software.
     
  13. SlayerC79

    SlayerC79 Banned

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    There are loads of tutorials on YouTube. Generally, pick the longest video and try to absorb as much information as you can. I'd link you to my favourite tutorial, unfortunately, I don't have the link on my phone.

    One of the great things about Scrivener is that there is no right or wrong way to use it. Everyone uses it differently.
     
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  14. ISalem

    ISalem Member

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    Exactly. Everyone use it differently. There is no one way to use it and no one needs to use all of it features. However, the more we use it, the more we get to know more about its features. Even though we use the features that we just need.
     
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  15. ISalem

    ISalem Member

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    Have you ever tried 1Writer? Its a good markdown application for writing. Its powerful yet simple. It works on Mac, IPad and IPhone. I don’t know if there is a version for android and Windows or not.
     
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  16. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    If you're on Mac and want a small word processor with a good set of basic features, there is Growly Write. It's free. The download is less than 4 MB and it's about double than when installed. the switch between draft and page view and the ease of showing hidden formatting is nice. Saves in its own format, or .epub, or .rtf, but doesn't look like it can save in .doc(x) (though it says it can import Word files).

    ETA: I imported a couple of Word files. It works, but with limits. A simple doc--not a lot of heavy formatting, just paragraph indents and some basis functionality--came over just fine. I imported a more complicated document with lots of different indentation and auto-numbering. Growly imported the document over so that it looked correct, structurally, but all of the paragraph numbers were replaced with bullets. Maybe it just doesn't support automatic paragraph numbers.

    https://www.growlybird.com/write/
     
  17. Mark Burton

    Mark Burton Fried Egghead Contributor

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    Thanks for the suggestion. No, I don't have an Apple devices. Also, it looks to be a simple markdown editor. In contrast, yWriter is more like Scrivener in functionality.
     
  18. ISalem

    ISalem Member

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    It sounds interesting to me. Does Typora work only on PC? Any version for Typora on Iphone?
     
  19. Seven Crowns

    Seven Crowns Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    They have an OS X beta out, I see. I guess that's not iphone though. (?)

    I don't use Typora on my phone. I use Nebo on that. I like handwriting my stories there. Nebo does come out on iphone too, but you really have to like using a stylus. It's just good for getting words down and sorting out the paragraph. That minimalist idea again . . .

    I just think it's fun writing a paragraph out in cursive and being able to scribble words out (and they disappear) or insert words/paragraphs easily. The handwriting recognition is extremely good too. We're talking like 99.99% accurate. If it misses a word it's usually because I did something stupidly sloppy. When I write at a neat speed, not rushing, it gets everything right.

    It'll convert your handwriting to text if you want that, which is nice. But what I wish it would do is convert handwritten script to perfect computer script. Kind of like your third grade teacher and her perfect cursive. I'd love to write a whole story like that. There's something very human about it, having it handwritten, while still having the ability to edit onscreen.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2020
  20. PaulaO

    PaulaO New Member

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    LibreOffice now that OpenOffice is dead. Someone mentioned Ultra Office. I have to check that one out.

    LO saves, reads, and allows edits of documents of different formats. I use an extension that saves it as .odt and .docx at the same time.

    Word processor, spreadsheet, slide show presentation, database, and something to do with math.
     
  21. happyhacker

    happyhacker Member

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    No! Bluetooth is what we need. The only problem is the power source.
     
  22. OurJud

    OurJud Contributor Contributor

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    The best writing processor is the one that’s free, and has a word-counter and spellchecker.

    You don’t need stupid ‘writers’ software like Skrivner or whatever it’s called. They’re just another excuse for procrastination. If you have the talent, a simple pen and paper will be good enough.
     
  23. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

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    Who needs pen and paper? A bit of charcoal and a solid surface will do.
     
  24. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    A finger in the mud :D
     
  25. happyhacker

    happyhacker Member

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    Yes I use LO Writer but I tried the spreadsheet to follow the characters but found it irksome to design the layout. Looking for advice there.
     

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