Writers - What computer software are you using to write?

another question · 12-08-2013 10:57am #1

I personally hate MS Office for writing. It blocks all my creativity. I bought the Scrivener package for $40 about 18 months ago and I didn't like that either. At first, I thought I was impressed but I lost interest in it pretty quickly.

What software (free or paid for) do ye find works best for ye and why?

Also, does anyone use any of the free Office type software for writing like LibreOffice or OpenOffice, I haven't tried either and would be interested in any of yer views on it.

Gamayun · 12-08-2013 12:54pm

I use LibreOffice Writer simply because my main OS is Linux Mint and it comes pre-installed. There is also a portable version which can be run on Windows PCs from a USB stick meaning you can keep your writing environment whilst on other PCs.

OpenOffice is no longer being developed AFAIK so LibreOffice is your best bet of the two.

You can save your works in the OpenDocument Format (.ODT) which is supported by all the main popular Word Processors including MS Office 2007 SP2 and later (MS Office 2003 and MS Office 2007 SP1 require a plugin). Though you can of course export your work as a PDF if you are E-Mailing it or whatever (and want it Read-Only).

I personally haven't had any compatibility issues as I write just plain text, however I have heard of instances of tables and images going askew when opened in different Word Processors.

Another piece of software I've seen which looks interesting is FocusWriter. It's free and multi-format, I haven't tried it yet but it's worth a look. There's a portable version for Windows if you want to try it without installing anything.

EileenG · 12-08-2013 3:04pm

Word.

Not because I like it but because it's the one publishers like. Open Office and other programs often do weird things when they go to print.

echo beach · 12-08-2013 7:10pm

another question wrote: »

I personally hate MS Office for writing. It blocks all my creativity.

Is it not a bit harsh to put the blame on the software? A computer package can't stop you being creative any more than it can make you creative.

hcass · 12-08-2013 8:30pm

A bad workman blames his tools.

Open Office is almost identical to Word so if you have Word issues - you'll more than likely have OpenOffice issues.

There is something really irritating about the sentence "It blocks my creativity." It conjures up images of a dude with a calligraphy pen and note paper, listening to Chopin while brandishing a beret.

maringo · 12-08-2013 8:35pm

Not a writer but I use NeoOffice - its a free office suite and I find it fine. Might be worth a try just do a web search if you want to try it.

Das Kitty · 12-08-2013 8:43pm

I can get how Word could block you a bit. There are all these formatting options!

Sometimes I'll just write in notepad and then bring it across to Word. It can be a pretty good way to avoid the distractions (and the squiggly green and red underlines). Then when you paste it across you can look at the squiggles and decide if you're going to ignore them or not.

I'm taking a look at StoryMill at the moment. I tried Scriviner, but I didn't really like it too much. I'm looking for something mainly just to keep all the background information and character description and maps and stuff in one place for my untidy novel. A lot of this stuff is only together in my head. I feel I need to pin it down.

maringo · 12-08-2013 10:12pm

If you turn off the spell checker it wont be a distraction. search how "turn off spell checker" in the help menu search box and follow the instructions. You can always turn it back on again.

maccored · 12-08-2013 10:49pm

a normal text app or if it needs to be typeset, a quark document.

ScottStorm · 13-08-2013 8:47am

If you are concerned about distractions I use Pyroom on linux occasionally, just a green text on black screen programme similar to a programme called dark room (I think) on macs. Sadly it doesn't eliminate the rest of the room but does make it a lot more awkward to jump on twitter etc.

I also have snowflake pro for my alleged novel but it has some issues on Linux.

another question · 13-08-2013 8:51am

Das Kitty wrote: »

I can get how Word could block you a bit. There are all these formatting options!

Sometimes I'll just write in notepad and then bring it across to Word. It can be a pretty good way to avoid the distractions (and the squiggly green and red underlines). Then when you paste it across you can look at the squiggles and decide if you're going to ignore them or not.

I'm taking a look at StoryMill at the moment. I tried Scriviner, but I didn't really like it too much. I'm looking for something mainly just to keep all the background information and character description and maps and stuff in one place for my untidy novel. A lot of this stuff is only together in my head. I feel I need to pin it down.

Ah, thanks for understanding, I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable there because of my choice of sentence. Although, I will edit slightly and say Word 'blocks some of my creativity' not 'all' as I previously stated.

I do exactly as you do. I use a notepad and pen and write down all my ideas, characters, paragraphs, locations and then I have another notepad for a rough outline of each chapter and then I move it over to Word but as you said it's all the squiggly lines and maybe it's there but I cannot find a full-screen option for actually writing that blocks out everything else (similar to the function that Scrivener had). I can 'read' in full-screen mode no problem.

And that's exactly it, the need to pin everything in your head down to one place where it looks tidy, is well organized and everything is within easy location.

As for StoryMill, I had never heard of it so I'm going to give it a look right now. Thanks.

another question · 13-08-2013 8:54am

maringo wrote: »

If you turn off the spell checker it wont be a distraction. search how "turn off spell checker" in the help menu search box and follow the instructions. You can always turn it back on again.

Cool. Didn't know you could do that maringo, thanks. And to quote the poster above I'm not 'a workman blaming his tools', with Word a lot of 'what word can do' isn't obvious to me for example what maringo pointed out there, so yes, it is distracting to have to go looking for different formatting options and different buttons to strip down everything.

Scrivener has the right idea of what writers are looking for from a word processor but in my opinion, I think it was over-developed.

another question · 13-08-2013 8:55am

maccored wrote: »

a normal text app or if it needs to be typeset, a quark document.

Thanks for the suggestion, you wouldn't by any chance have any examples of these? I have no idea what a quark document is, although I will probably Google it once I finish here.

another question · 13-08-2013 8:56am

ScottStorm wrote: »

If you are concerned about distractions I use Pyroom on linux occasionally, just a green text on black screen programme similar to a programme called dark room (I think) on macs. Sadly it doesn't eliminate the rest of the room but does make it a lot more awkward to jump on twitter etc.

I also have snowflake pro for my alleged novel but it has some issues on Linux.

I will definitely take a look at these, thanks for the suggestions.

PrzemoF · 13-08-2013 9:07am

Check out vim. There is a very steep learning curve, but once you get there you can do anything without taking your hands off the keyboard.

This is not a text editor but if you want to get a high quality output get familiar with LaTeX (or here)

Das Kitty · 13-08-2013 9:49am

maringo wrote: »

If you turn off the spell checker it wont be a distraction. search how "turn off spell checker" in the help menu search box and follow the instructions. You can always turn it back on again.

There are still a lot of settings, like auto complete and format that can be annoying even if they can be swtiched off. Sometimes it's just easier to blast away in a plain text editor. I know that if I'm procrastinating I'll be there fiddling with a document stylesheet rather than writing.

Does anyone here use Scriviner? I'm not sure I gave it a fair shot when I tested it out. It just felt a lot like programs I would have used in college in the 90s.

FouxDaFaFa · 15-08-2013 9:46am

another question wrote: »

I do exactly as you do. I use a notepad and pen and write down all my ideas, characters, paragraphs, locations and then I have another notepad for a rough outline of each chapter and then I move it over to Word but as you said it's all the squiggly lines and maybe it's there but I cannot find a full-screen option for actually writing that blocks out everything else (similar to the function that Scrivener had).

I think she meant Notepad, the text editor, rather than a paper notepad.

I'm using CeltX at the moment because I'm doing scripts. It has a "novel" setting but I've never used it. If I'm writing normal prose I would usually just use Word or Notepad.

The Glass Key · 15-08-2013 10:09am

I'm not a writer but I do have a problem remembering and organizing things so I use My Notes Keeper http://www.mynoteskeeper.com/ ($30) which allows you to write notepad type notes and connect them together. Not a bad way of replacing paper notes - also can be set up to make a back up as you go along and keep multiple levels of backup so you don't loose any good ideas. Nearest thing I can think its like is Microsofts One Note but its much simpler and usable.

Just gone back now and had a look at the companies website as I wondered if I was making a really daft suggestion and was pleased to see that it is a suggested solution to this problem "How can I write a book in outline much more efficiently than a standard Word Processor?"

maccored · 15-08-2013 3:39pm

Quark (Xpress) is a typesetting application used to typeset magazines and books etc. its the defacto standard for most print houses. Its not always needed - my present publishers take a standard text file and do the rest themselves so in cases like that I use a program called BBEdit.

another question wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestion, you wouldn't by any chance have any examples of these? I have no idea what a quark document is, although I will probably Google it once I finish here.

davyjose · 26-08-2013 3:22pm

I genuinely have no idea how it makes a difference what software you use. I'm using google docs for everything (blog, novel, notes, etc.), because I have a chromebook that I bring everywhere.

When I edit, I use word. As Eileen said, word is the standard, but stop making excuses. Just write.

who_me · 26-08-2013 3:27pm

I often use OmmWriter (for Mac, but I assume there are several similar apps).

It's a full-screen editor with just a background image (no menus as such), and has optional background sounds.. I find it very relaxing to use.

partnership · 26-08-2013 10:43pm

anyone tried story book. It is quite good in terms of organising

Writers - What computer software are you using to write?

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