I've been looking for a specific software and came here to see if anyone knows what I need to 3 months ago I started writing my book but it does not give me very well with the already word that is very heavy for my notebook in addition to its design also (yes my notebook is a junk). after looking at all as deep the internet I found the GVim software that is not good to write a book however has a great design: simple, quiet, fast and totally protected from distractions moreover can change the writing style such as : change the background to black and white letters (I love that). anyway I seek such a unique software to Gvim however it has been done just to write and with the same things. Note: already tested: Q10, WriteMonkey and among others of the kind, I also already thought and use the wordstar however I think it would be too much work)
Have you tried Scrivener? Everybody seems to love it, if they're a writer. It's not free, but apparently you get a trial period, where you can download the entire programme for nothing and see if it suits you. Then you can buy it, if you like it. I think here in the UK it costs around £45. I don't use it myself, but it seems to be the go-to programme for writers.
Muito depende do que você está procurando, e seu processo de escrita. A lot depends on what you are looking for and your writing process. Eu uso Scrivener. Jamais voltará a usar o MS Word para meus projetos pessoais. I use Scrivener. I would never go back to using MS Word for my personal projects.
I just use a text editor, and write in Markdown/HTML. I like Notepad++. But I'm a nerd. Word processors like MS Word put all kinds of junk in the formatting.
You use a programming text editor for writing? That would be a pain, in my opinion. I'm a freelance programmer and I can't imagine doing my creative writing in Notepad++ (I don't use it anymore, but I have in the past) Anyways, I currently use LibreOffice but upon reading this thread I am downloading the trial for Scrivener. I looked it up and it seems to exceed anything I've seen in other word processors. I'm happy I found this thread!
I'm not sure there is a "best" wordprocessor. For many, Word is supreme for its features, but it costs. I've used OpenOffice/LibreOffice for years, even thought its user interface is a clunky, antiquated thing that should have been superannuated out long ago. I would classify Scrivener as a writing tool rather than a wordprocessor, because it seems to me it is set up to do specific tasks and it has some useful features. That said, I no longer use it because the UI is a mess, obliging Windows users at the very least, to hunt down various tools, adapt/adopt Apple-isms and generally spend a huge amount of time looking for things in the wrong places. That is, if the feature is available in the Win version. If you're after a lightweight writing tool for longer works, yWriter has a lot of pros, not least that it's free. I use WriteItNow for my novels, but that takes a bit of time to load. For lightweight wordprocessors, Abi word is good, and so too is the free version of Kingsoft Office. I suggest you try the demos, and pick the one you like most.
Wordpad. It does everything I need for writing fiction, formatting-wise, and it doesn't try to do too much. If you use Windows, you already have it.
Having come from a screenwriting background, I tend to write in Final Draft. Now, even though I'm writing prose, I still use it because I can change the background and text colour to a colour that doesn't make my eyes tired (like black text on white does). The biggest pain is later transferring everything I've written to Word and correcting pagination so that it can be published as an eBook. I appreciate the OP is looking for a particular software. I'm afraid I can't help with that I just thought I would leave my own method here in case anyone wanted to use any part of it.
MS Word and a physical pad for me, but mainly out of familiarity. I tried Scrivener a few years ago and just got a sledgehammer/nut feeling from it, that and constantly navigating between windows was a pain.
I say LibreOffice Writer, but that's mainly because I like free software, and because Word decided to completely ruin their interface by doing away with nice traditional toolbars and drop-down menus. No! No no no no no no no no! One thousand times NO! I can assure you, there is a reason why every decent website in existence uses black text on white backgrounds (or so close to white as to make no difference). White text on black background looks really cool at first, but it very quickly becomes eye assault.
White on black isn't the only alternative, but if it works it works. Everyone is different. When I'm programming I use a dark background with brighter text because it's so much easier on my eyes. Spoiler: Dark background As long as the book isn't published with an unusual colour scheme there it's no reason not to use it while working (if it helps the person in question).
To reply to the OP: I personally find Scrivener to be the best program for me to use. It's clean (not a bazillion features you never use), made for writing and has a good system for organising everything from short stories to whole novels within the same project. It's also possible to write using whatever font, text colour, background, margins, etc. that you feel comfortable with and then a single button press compiles the project into a properly formatted manuscript ready for submission.
I do, too--bbEdit. I'm trying to break the habit, but everything else just annoys me with too many features.
I use focus writer: http://gottcode.org/focuswriter/ It allows you to work in full screen, just text and no distractions. You can also customize the colour scheme. For example:
Yes, at the moment Pages is what I'm using, although if the rumours are true about the changes made to the newest version, I may drop it and move to Scrivener. (Auto-Save...grrrr. Scrivener has it too, but at least it can apparently be turned off. That function can't be turned off in the new Pages, and I've checked this with the folks who run MacFormat magazine and do reviews.) The great thing about Pages is you have all the editing tools you need—certainly everything Word offers the fiction writer—BUT these tools are not right in your face. AND you can export any document in several different formats (including Word), which makes it publishable on Kindle and the other eReader formats. Just click export, choose the format you want, and bob's your uncle, as they say in these parts. All those years I spent converting to TextEdit to get RTF ...when I could have just done a straight export. A skoosh.
Tastes differ. I can say that the best word processor is Windows Notepad, but it's ridiculous A prefer using Write! because it gives me the environment for concentration and tools for easy editing.
I'll second focus writer. I love that it's fullscreen and incredibly customizable. I never really like the themes that come with these programs. totally black background with white or green text tends to be a little harsh on my eyes, so I tend to prefer grays. although I understand that some people like to have more features than focus writer offers. it has some cool tools like daily goals but being feature-packed isn't really its purpose. but it does use .rtf, unlike some other similar programs that just use .txt. that's about as much as I need as far as features (plus word count, I guess). gotta have my italics
Actually I have recently switched to Word, mostly because now that I am to the point of submitting manuscripts, it's too much work to reformat everything after I've written it.
Wow, that is almost as bad as Staring at the flickering screen on my Kaypro II, which, being really broke, I used back in the 90s for my writing, daisy wheel printer and all.
