Writing Software.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I found a list of writing software online. I don't endorse any of it. I searched for two hours making lists of what I believe to be great writing software. Most require a few dollars. Remember, you don't need any writing software to write a great book. Any word processor will do, or a typewriter, pen, and paper, or crayons -- if they don't allow you to have sharp objects :-).
When I first started to get serious (10 or 17) I used a broken down, sticky-key, cracked casing typewriter (it cost me $50 back in the day when we could still rent beta tapes of the latest movies lol), then I moved on to Word Perfect (back in the day it didn't have a good Word import/export. Looks like it does now and has some great features as well), after that, I used MS Word, followed by yWriter, PowerWriter, Q10, and in 2011 I bought a Mac and Scrivener. I was hooked on PowerWriter at first. I wrote Resurrection Child on it and a host of short stories. It’s a good but dated piece of software. Scrivener blew it out of the water.
Below is some other writing software that I found online and researched BUT DID NOT, and I repeat did not, test more than the free demo when one was available. I cannot and will not recommend any of the software below. Ones that I have used in the past may have a comment.
The below-mentioned software contains some links to the products. Non-affiliate.
The following link will take you a site where most of these alternative versions of Word can be downloaded. This is a legal site. Nothing dodgy.
https://alternativeto.net/software/bibisco/
This is a great site.
OmniOutliner 5 (Mac) -- A minimal, focused outlining experience for Mac. Welcome to the world of structured writing. Looks a bit complicated for this writer.
https://www.omnigroup.com/omnioutliner
Q10 (love this) (Win)
A tad dated but awesome. 32-bit Windows
Storyist (Mac) - very similar to Scrivener and I mean very similar. Almost identical bar the name. A higher cost though.
https://www.storyist.com
Apache OpenOffice Writer (Win, Mac)
https://www.openoffice.org/product/writer.html
LibreOffice Writer (Win and Mac, FreeBSD and Linux). New version out 7.2
https://www.libreoffice.org
Bean (Mac) I use bean for short stories and articles that don't require outlining or tons of notes. (Can’t find it on Mac any longer and the program icon vanished from my Macbook. It has been discontinued. Pity. I liked it a lot.)
Mariner Write (Mac) -- Elegantly efficient and powerful, Mariner Write has everything you will need to turn out great-looking documents. https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/1095/mariner-write UPDATE: Mariner Write is 32-bit ABANDONWARE. No updates ever. If you run a 32-bit machine. It works fine. 64-bit and it won’t run. This is a workaround. But pointless.
Story Mill (Mac) -- Writing a great novel doesn't just happen, it is designed. It is thought out. It takes a writer who has discipline, creativity, and open-mindedness. This is also a 32-bit ABANDONWARE. If you run a 32-bit machine. It works fine. 64-bit and it won’t run. This is a workaround. But pointless.
Celtx (popular. I used to use this). Now cloud-based, it has an option called STORY DEVELOPMENT but I have never used it. There is a 15-day free trial. https://www.celtx.com/index.html
Sigil (Win and publish straight to eBook) -- Sigil is a free, open-source, multi-platform ebook editor.
https://sigil.en.softonic.com/download
Trelby (Win and Linux) -- A free, multiplatform, feature-rich screenwriting program! Trelby is simple, fast and elegantly laid out to make screenwriting simple. It is infinitely configurable.
https://www.trelby.org
oStorybook is a Libre Software for writers, essayists, and authors. oStorybook helps you to structure your work. The management of characters, locations, scenes, items, tags, and ideas takes place in a single and coherent whole. A simple interface allows you to define each element and each scene while maintaining a permanent overview of your work through understandable and practical tools. With Memoria each element can be connected to other elements in each stage.
https://ostorybook.tuxfamily.org/v5/index.php?lng=en
Freemind (great for outlining/plotting) (Win, Mac, Linux)
https://freemind.en.softonic.com/?ex=BB-1857.0
SmartEdit (word add-on. Looks neat.) -- first-pass-editing software for novel and short story writers. Improve your writing by catching those mistakes early. Will cost a few dollars. SmartEdit is Windows software. It will run on all recent versions of Windows: 10, 8.1, and 7. There is no MAC version of either app, and there are no plans to build Mac versions at this term. SmartEdit for Word requires Microsoft Word (2019, 2016, 2013 or 2010). SmartEdit Writer is free. The other two versions are $77 and $139 respectively.
https://www.smart-edit.com
WriteItNow - same as Scrivener but with an excellent character tab. Win and Mac.
yWriter (Win/Mac/Linux, free) I used this as well: a word processor which breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping you keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create.
iA Writer. Get focused. iA Writer offers a unique writing experience that lets you concentrate and clarify your message. Used by half a million people worldwide, its powerful interface is crafted to cut out noise, let you focus on what you want to say, and help you structure and trim your text. Available for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android. https://ia.net/writer
Google docs -- Docs.
New Novelist (Win) -- a Windows program that helps people who want to write a novel.
https://www.newnovelist.com
Writer's Cafe (Win, Mac, Linux) -- a powerful but fun writer's environment that includes the StoryLines structuring tool, a notebook, a journal, and writing.
http://www.writerscafe.co.uk
Bibisco -- Bibisco is a free and open source software for writing novels. With Bibisco you can organize chapters and scenes, manage revisions, export novel in pdf or rtf, and more. (Win, Mac, Linux)
Apparently, this is very popular. I’m thinking I might give it a try. I have just finished watching several videos about the software, and it looks pretty good.
https://bibisco.com
Manuskript -- an open source tool for writers. With outliner, character management, plot development, distraction-free editor, etc. (Win, Mac, Linus) Includes Novel Assistant using the 'Snow Flake' method. https://www.theologeek.ch/manuskript/
Storybook -- Storybook is a free, open source novel-writing software for creative writers, novelists, and authors which will help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines while... (Win, Mac, Linux)
https://storybook.en.softonic.com/
True Novelist -- (Online) True Novelist provides a way for authors to write their novels online, organize their stories, view statistics about their projects and writing habits, set goals, keep track of related research, and more.
https://www.truenovelist.com
Write -- No-distraction writing tool for your productivity. (Win, Mac, Linux)
FocusWriter -- (Win, Mac, Linux). Looks good as well. https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/
iWork - Pages -- Pages is a streamlined word processor and an easy-to-use page layout tool for the Mac. (Found of your device)
Omm Pad -- Write on the screen and then copy to a text editor.
https://ommwriter.com
Desk -- (Only Mac) an award-winning & beloved desktop publishing client, exclusively for OS X.
Dark Room / ZenPen / JDarkRoom / ZenWriter (https://zenwriter.app)/ Q10 / Typora ( https://typora.io) / WriteRoom (MAC ONLY https://www.bitsdujour.com/software/writeroom ) / Worst Draft (http://www.worstdraft.com )/ uFocus (Mac Store) / CreaWriter (https://www.creawriter.com)
-- All these are full screen, you and the text only. I used Q10 and Dark room on my Win machines before the switch to Mac for writing.
TheRightMargin is an online smart writing tool. TheRightMargin Unfortunately, they shut down TheRightMargin effective Dec. 20th. If you were a user of TheRightMargin, thank you for trying us out. Best of luck on your writing journey.
Today, while editing this ‘How to’ book, I stumbled across another piece of software. It actually looks darn good. I will test it with a short story I plan to write.
Reedsy Book Editor -- A beautiful interface built for distraction-free writing. Our style guide toolbar keeps you in control of your formatting, as you write. When it comes to typesetting, consistency is key. Learn more about how to format your book with the Reedsy Book Editor. This is an online tool. Just hand over your email address and Bob’s your uncle. (This also seems to be a book formatting and editing tool as well.) This time I will give you a link as it is not that easy to find: https://reedsy.com/write-a-book. Start writing today for free, forever. They also have an online community of 50,000, according to their site. https://reedsy.com/write-a-book (You can sign in with Facebook or Google) They also have a marketplace where you can find an editor.
I would just like to add a word of warning. Be careful when using an online writing site and BACK UP your work, copy and paste it into a word processor file. Online sites tend to disappear. If that happens, all your work will be gone, with possibly no way to retrieve it. It is always best to back up, even when using your desktop or laptop. It is a good habit to get into. I back up after every session when I shut down Scrivener, at work, at a cafe, on the bus, train, or at home. I use a flash drive, usually 2 GB, but now that I add images to character sketches and want a back of them, I have also started buying 8 or 16 GB.
Warning. Some flash drives are formatted only for Windows OS, so make sure, if you are using a Mac, it says Win / Mac, and you're all good. I use Toshiba flash drives because they are shorter and cheaper than most other top brands.
I'm not a brand guy. I am a cost-conscious guy (except when it comes to watches). I have a cheap USB flash drive (flash stick) I bought a few years ago. It's 2 GB and from a no-name manufacturer. After a few months, the casing broke off and it is now taped together. Still, works.
Another good way to back up your work is to email it to yourself. This is great if you have a Gmail account. They offer 15 GB free space. However, this is best if you are writing on a file or software on your machine and can save it. If you use Scrivener, you will get a file saved as: DarnGreatBook.scriv and it is easy to email that file to yourself.
Get into the habit. It may save frustration down the line. I say to back up every time, even if you only penned five words or a hundred thousand words that session.
Back in the day, I lost several files due to HD corruption or in one case, a dead motherboard. I knew very little about the inner workings of computers back then (1991) and when the computer shop said, everything was lost, I was like: Okay. Shit. The guy had no reason to lie to me, so maybe in the late 80's, and early 90's, hard drives were hard-wired, and not plug-and-play like today. I don't know, but the point I am trying to get across is that you should back up via email and flash drive, just to be on the safe side.
Subscribe for free below or flick me a couple of bucks: paypal.me/thrillerNZ
There are two others I know:
Manuskript and NovelWriter
My journey with software started with AtariWriter in 1984, moving to STWriter in 1988, Word in 1992, YWriter in 2016, Manuskript in 2019 (a brief stint back in 2023), then to NovelWriter in 2020.