Anyone using a writing software.

I began writing my book on Word, but one day surfing the net i began reading abut writing software. I thought i would try one out. I down loaded one which was free and started working with it. I have now written about 15,000 words. It was a bit hard in the beginning, getting used to the set up and so on, but now i quiet enjoy using it. Its simple. You type in the chapter you are working on, then you choose a scen. You type out the scen and then save it into the chapter. as a option you can type in one or more charachters that are in that scen, for easy reference later. I have only used some of the options so far. The only thing i dont like is, its spell checker does not give you any option. It highlights the word which is spellt wrong, but then you have to look it up elsewere.

Anyone else using writing software, opinions?

 

I use Word for prose, and Movie Magic Screenwriter for scripts. I tried Final Draft but couldn't get used to their shortcutting, so stuck with MMS due to familiarity. MMS allows for all sorts of scene breakdowns, dialogue breakdowns, character charting, and a plethora of other tools. It can also be used to write novels and stage plays but I never have.

I haven't really felt the need to investigate prose writing software any further. Word does the trick.

 

And again, this site does not permit advertising or product endorsements.

 

Which neither of us posted. Simply naming software isn't an 'endorsement.' the same as naming all those books in the book discussion forums isn't an 'endorsement.'

 

I use Word or Jarta.

 

I started using one, possibly the one the op is talking about. It worked fine but eventually it just became simpler to use MS word and then Google docs to keep notes.

 

I use OpenOffice for writing and Evernote for backup and notes. When I stop being cheap, I'm going to buy Word. One day.

 

Definitely use Scrivener - you can have a thirty-day free trial (thirty days of use) and it has everything you listed there. It's quite cheap if you want to buy it too.

 

We mix and match then.

 

I use Scrivener to plan my work and then once I have a rough draft I move it to OpenOffice.

 

I had installed Notepad++ to write programming code in,
and then I used it to write my diary when Word started seeming too flamboyant for mere text.

I just added a few plugins and viola! It's done.

I would personally rather not use specialized software.
Too distracting.

 

I write in Word 2013.

 

I use WriteMonkey (free) for short stories, because it's about as close to bar bones typing as I've found on the PC. I LOVE it.

For longer stories or if I have to lay out a more complicated plot I use Scrivener.

If I'm just sitting around twiddling my thumbs and can't think of what to write about I use the first few sections of Contour to quickly come up with useable ideas (albeit more formulaic ones).

 

I just use Word to write prose, Celtx for screenwriting.

 

I have tried writing software before aside from word and I have never been happy. I am the type of person that likes to jump into writing and everything that I plan is in my head. I did not have the patience to fill out a form about a character or about the setting. If I do not have access to word, I use notepad on my phone or the traditional pencil and paper.

I find them to be a waste of time and $$$. Every writer that I have spoken with told me, "Just write, it is not rocket science! Just imagine doing it on a type writer."

 

I use Word for finished copy. For drafts, I use Word or pen and paper, whichever is convenient at the time. Sometimes I kinda hate Word and go into my bedroom, shut the door, and go at it with pen and paper, because it's so quiet and satisfying to work that way.

 

Ugh, I can't write anything on paper. I never write cursive, all my letters are capitals, and I get an unbearable pain in my wrist after two sentences.

Here's my handwriting:



See? LOL

~ J. J.

 

Did I mention that my normal free handwriting is nigh unintelligible?

Sometimes I struggle to understand it myself.
I just have too much to write and the limitations of the human writing system methods are too inefficient.

 

People shouldn't be proud of having illegible handwriting. It doesn't mean human writing systems are too inefficient; it means the writer can't write by hand well enough. Practice. It'll come to you.

Many great writers, and prolific writers, lived in an age before computers and before typewriters. They got a whole lot of writing done by hand. Think of Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoyevski, Mark Twain (who tried a typewriter and rejected it, saying it was ruining his morals).

 

I wonder how skilled those authors were at carving words into stone with a chisel.

 

For us who are dyslexic, word processors are great. We can actually read what we wrote the next day..

 

I use Pages for everything. Its outline function allows me to keep sections under collapsable headings, that way I can easily access loads of different information in one place. I also love the thesaurus function. I wouldn't consider software that actually "writes" for me because I actually enjoy the writing process.

 

Touche. I also love the wordcount functions in modern software.
And the search features. Search and replace if I may add.

The instant copies? The faster notes? The backups?


Wow, using a chisel does seem better now, doesn't it?

 

Well I physically can't write with pen and paper, so computers are wonderful. ;-)

 

I tried a writing package a few years ago which was designed around separating out the plot, characters and actual prose, (I have difficulty setting the plot and thought it might help); however, I found it far too prescriptive and went back to MS Word.