What writing program do you use?

[stace001]

A friend of mine recently asked me what kind of writing program I use to write my novels. I think she's writing her thesis and is having difficulties with Word. She mentioned LaTeX (which I haven't heard of before) but i've only ever used Microsoft word, so thought I'd ask around for any others that more experienced writers might use.

[AdamH]

MS Word 2002. I tried the newer versions but, for some reason, it didn't seem to have the...well, lack of a better word, "flexibility" of 2002. So far it's my weapon of choice when I clack away at a story.

[BlueTexas]

I prefer Word, but I know people who swear by WordPerfect.

[Garpy]

Word.

[Beyondian]

Word

[Honey Nut Loop]

I use Word too. So that's six votes so far

[Linda Adams]

Microsoft Word 2003--and I will be beta testing the next version. I also use Excel for some things that require making lists.

[LloydBrown]

A friend of mine recently asked me what kind of writing program I use to write my novels.

I've used Word Perfect before, but I'm so spoiled on Word that I try not to use anything else.

I wonder what she needs help with that she can't resolve with a tutorial or the help search feature, or online help, or google, or...

[alleycat]

I use Word just because that was what the firm I worked for at the time choose years ago.

There are some free downloadable program I've heard of (and they seem to get high marks); I don't use them so I can't give a recommendation either way.

ac

[aadams73]

Word here too.

[MillyBecker]

Word

[Kallahan]

OpenOffice.org, keep it updated the newest version is sweet. This is most likely the free proggy you were talking about.
www.openoffice.org

[Liz]

Word 2002.
From what I remember of LaTeX, it's a Unix-based command-driven program. A friend of mine used it for his engineering PhD thesis in the mid 90's. Apparently it's very good for tweaking page layout, particularly if you need to position graphs and tables.

[Old Hack]

I use Word although I used to use Word Perfect, and preferred it--it's just that the publishing industry standard now is Word so it's easier just to give in and use it.

There are many programs which claim to help a writer produce a novel or a script: I've reviewed several of them and I found them intrusive. They do give some help with plotting, characterisation etc.--but they don't help you get words down on paper which is the thing, really, isn't it?

[zornhau]

Word XP because it's what I have and know.

CAVEAT: Never use the Master Document function of any version of Word.

[Jamesaritchie]

Word 2003 is my number one tool, though I also have WordPerfect 12, and the RC version of OpenOffice 2.0.

WordPerfect has a smaller footprint than Word 2003, and also has a much better grammar check program. It's a good deal, and I'm slowly finding myself using it more and more.

I keep OpenOffice only because I like to keep up with what's going on in the word processing world. It's Good Enough for most things, but lacks several of the tools I use with Word 2003.

Appaently, now that Google and Sun Systems have joined forces, it won't be long before all the OpenOffice tools will be available through the Google toobar.

[jen.nifer]

"W0rd"

[Torin]

Open Office, Word, Abiword, paper and pen, depending on where I am and what's available. :)

[aruna]

Word. My daughter switched to a Mac some time ago and swears it is much better once you get used to it. I did try a Mac for a while but couldn't get into it.

[mhughes]

I tend to use Word but in the past, I have also used a program called RoughDraft (http://www.rsalsbury.co.uk/rd.htm). It's a freeware program created specifically for writers. It's nice and simple. Makes it easy to just write and worry about things like spellcheck/grammar check later in the editing process. It helped a lot during Nanowrimo last year.

[Jamesaritchie]

Word XP because it's what I have and know.

CAVEAT: Never use the Master Document function of any version of Word.

I haven't had any problems at all with the Master Document function on Word 2003amd didn't with Word XP, either, once I updated that version. Before that, the Master Document function was junk. Since XP, however, I've used it routinely and haven't had a single problem. I'm not sure I trust it yet, but so far, so good. And Word 2003 makes it darned near impossible to lose a document of any sort.

[Fishmonkey]

IMO, Word has a great advantage of being common, and it comes in very handy with e-mail submissions and such. LaTex is nice if you want to put tons of formulas in, and edit your graphs as you go; for writing text, Word is perfectly adequate.

[Jamesaritchie]

The wisest thing to do is simply pick a word processor you like. I love all the editing tools Word has, the research features, and the fact that the latest version of Word lets me and an editor work on the same story at the same time, in real time. But I think WordPerfect is nearly as good in most ways, and better in some.

But Robert J. Sawyer, Roger MacBride Allen, Jeffrey A. Carver, Arthur C. Clarke, David Gerrold, Eric Kotani, Paul Levinson, George R. R. Martin, Vonda McIntyre, Jennifer Roberson, and a number of other pro writers still use WordStar for DOS. If my hands were still in good shape, I might still be using WordStar. For writing early drafts, it can't be beat.

I've met writers who still use Word 3.1, WordPerfect 5.1, and Works as their number one processor. I know several pro writers who use OpenOffice, and several who use StarOffice. Mac users have a number of word processors, and some swear by each of them. Name a word processor, and some writer is out there using it.

Fiction, as they say, is written with wetware, not software. As long as you like a word processor, and as long as it can save to Rich Text Format and/or to Word format, and as long as the program is stable, just go with what you like, what you need.

The latest version of Word saves me time on the final draft, and lets me work with most editors easier, but it's hardly necessary.

Most writers do use Word, and by a wide margin. But this is largely because Word is what they have available. WordPerfect is also popular, and very cheap, if you buy the Family Pack version.

But any word processor that lets you get the words down, and that doesn't crash constantly, is probably the one you should be using.

[scarletpeaches]

MS Word 2000 Professional. For no other reason than my ex was able to lay his hands on the software and gave it to me. Before that, it was Word '97. I don't see much difference. As James said, it's written with wetware not software, so as long as it gets the words on screen/paper. Before '97 I used pen and paper. I have to tell myself not to be distracted by shiny things and up-to-date features. Just write the book!

[NicoleJLeBoeuf]

I've met writers who still use Word 3.1, WordPerfect 5.1, and Works as their number one processor.[Raises hand and waves it about wildly]

Me me me!

I'm a WordPerfect 5.1 user. I got used to it in high school, when I borrowed my brother's tutor's startup disks. At the time, compatibility was a big issue--the computer at home was running Windows, but all the school computers ran Mac. WP51 format was the most portable thing I could get my hands on. The Macs could read it and save to it without losing my formatting.

Still seems like WP51 is a commonly convertible format. I'm used to all its F# keys, and I like the way a DOS word processor doesn't have any WYSIWYG nonsense to distract me from the words. It prints out basic manuscript format without any problems, too.

If I need to email a copy to people who maybe don't have the conversion files installed, I open it up in MS Word and save it as "Word 97-2003 & 6.0/95 RTF", and that'll open on pretty much any version of Word on Windows or Mac. And it's RTF, so that's OK.

[azbikergirl]

Another Word user here.

[PhosphurBurnedEyes]

Depending on what it's for I use either Notepad, QuarkXpress or Final Draft. The latters a new purchase which I'm just getting to grips with but I'm very impressed so far.

[Danger Jane]

MS Word like, XP or something. Student/teacher edition. My writing computer isn't hooked up to the internet, so I guess I don't use all the features (I can't, if it isn't hooked up), but the thesaurus works, and it isn't as if I don't have a dictionary.

[jules]

OpenOffice.

I used to use LaTeX a few years back, but in the end I figured I'd be better off with something where I could change formats more easily.

Prior to that, I used Windows Write (which is now called WordPad).

[Jamesaritchie]

[Raises hand and waves it about wildly]

Me me me!

I'm a WordPerfect 5.1 user. I got used to it in high school, when I borrowed my brother's tutor's startup disks. At the time, compatibility was a big issue--the computer at home was running Windows, but all the school computers ran Mac. WP51 format was the most portable thing I could get my hands on. The Macs could read it and save to it without losing my formatting.

Still seems like WP51 is a commonly convertible format. I'm used to all its F# keys, and I like the way a DOS word processor doesn't have any WYSIWYG nonsense to distract me from the words. It prints out basic manuscript format without any problems, too.

If I need to email a copy to people who maybe don't have the conversion files installed, I open it up in MS Word and save it as "Word 97-2003 & 6.0/95 RTF", and that'll open on pretty much any version of Word on Windows or Mac. And it's RTF, so that's OK.

I have WordPerfect 12, but it allows a user to set it to 5.1 style, and that's how I use it. Nice, simple, easy shortcut keys, and all you need to write text.

[Jamesaritchie]

I don't know very much about it, but it occurred to me there is a word processor that supposed to be for scholars, which means it might be great for writing a thesis. It also has a demo available for download. It's called Nota Bene, and it can be found here: http://www.notabene.com/

[Button]

I'm a Word user. I've tried Rough Draft and other programs for assistance, but in the end, I found it wasn't the program I used.

It was my procrastination that stopped me from writing my best.

Looking for 'something else' - whether it be a book, program or software, in the end, it's all just a bunch of excuses. You only need on menthod. Pen and paper or computer or whatever. It's a matter of sitting down, writing it out.

Nothing will be perfect, but it won't be completed if weeks later you're still looking for just the right software to use.

So ignore that nagging for a 'better' program and just start writing.

[Avalon]

Word '97 on the laptop and Word '03 on the big computer.

About eight hundred and seven years ago I was a diehard WordPerfect user, and spent a lot of hours whining about having to learn Word, which seemed at the time to be way more complicated than I needed. I'm used to it now, though, and find it easy.

[cwfgal]

I started using Works but for the past 10 years I've been using Word.

I've had and used WordPerfect but found it cumbersome.

Beth

[Jamesaritchie]

I started using Works but for the past 10 years I've been using Word.

I've had and used WordPerfect but found it cumbersome.

Beth

That's interesting. Most people use WordPerfect because they find Word cumbersome. I prefer Word, marginally, but I find WordPerfect much more user friendly.

[Danger Jane]

I checked the box. I think what I use is Word Office 2003.

[mamabear]

Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 pens (YES, I'm that exacting. I can't write with out them) and black engineer notebooks.

Anything works to put it on the computer. I use either Word or Roughdraft, but I'm not fussy about which one.

[Diana Hignutt]

WordPerfect 9

[scarletpeaches]

I think after this year's NaNo I will go back to pen and paper for the first draft and use my precious (Gollum!) MS Word for edits. For now, I need a quick word count feature for NaNo, after which I will try a different medium to refresh my writing.

[mdin]

Word. My daughter switched to a Mac some time ago and swears it is much better once you get used to it. I did try a Mac for a while but couldn't get into it.

I use Word on a Mac at work, and Word on a PC at home.

[TeddyG]

I don't know very much about it, but it occurred to me there is a word processor that supposed to be for scholars, which means it might be great for writing a thesis. It also has a demo available for download. It's called Nota Bene, and it can be found here: http://www.notabene.com/

NoteBene has been around for years and is great for scholars, PHD candidates and the like. Otherwise with most other WP software you have to have an open Chicago Manual of Style or Elements of Style and fairly memorize how to do a proper bibliography and correct footnote notation.

For scholars it is great, and even when I was in High Tech and producing specialized documents as a CTO I used it once or twice to get the document correct.

It used to have special pricing for students, though I have no clue what their policy is today. Additionally, it handles Latin, Greek and Hebrew flawlessly which is a boon for the real scholarly writers.

Big Point though..It does have a significant learning curve. So that would have to be considered in regard to the paper(s) one is trying to produce.

I gave up fighting the system a long time ago. Word is fine for most needs and if you compliment it with some free scripts and things like WordWeb etc. it does the job well. Besides the format .doc or .rtf are almost universally acceptable today. (Though I will admit I still think the old WordStar, the Grandpappy of all WP programs was the best. But then again that dates me wayyyyyy back!)

Teddy

[Jamesaritchie]

NoteBene has been around for years and is great for scholars, PHD candidates and the like. Otherwise with most other WP software you have to have an open Chicago Manual of Style or Elements of Style and fairly memorize how to do a proper bibliography and correct footnote notation.

For scholars it is great, and even when I was in High Tech and producing specialized documents as a CTO I used it once or twice to get the document correct.

It used to have special pricing for students, though I have no clue what their policy is today. Additionally, it handles Latin, Greek and Hebrew flawlessly which is a boon for the real scholarly writers.

Big Point though..It does have a significant learning curve. So that would have to be considered in regard to the paper(s) one is trying to produce.

I gave up fighting the system a long time ago. Word is fine for most needs and if you compliment it with some free scripts and things like WordWeb etc. it does the job well. Besides the format .doc or .rtf are almost universally acceptable today. (Though I will admit I still think the old WordStar, the Grandpappy of all WP programs was the best. But then again that dates me wayyyyyy back!)

Teddy



Thanks for the info. I'll have to try the demo of Nota Bene. Word handles everything I do, but it would be nice to have a WP handy that handles Greek and Latin without the need to jump through hoops, an occasional need of mine.

I date myself all the time. WordStar had just been released when I first used it in college. It may not have been much by today's standards, but it was miles ahead of the typewriters we used in journalism class. I'd never even heard of a word processor, and had never seen a computer, when we were told we had to learn how to use them because the dean thought they were "the wave of the future."

WordStar was the big boy on the block for years after that. Then WordPerfect took over, and then Word.

[pconsidine]

It really is a matter of context. For scholarly writing, there are usually programs much more user-friendly than Word. In fact, I pretty much detest Word's cross-reference function, but it's tough to get around it when everyone else I deal with is using it.

I have Final Draft and Word both and I tend to do more work in Word, just for portability reasons.

[LloydBrown]

WordStar, ah, the memories. I remember when having four colors was fancy, and I thought a mouse was an extravagant but needless tool.

Yes, I've used that, too.

Now my boss at work is an extravagant and needless tool. Oh, wait--I'm self-employed.

[TeddyG]

WordStar, ah, the memories. I remember when having four colors was fancy, and I thought a mouse was an extravagant but needless tool.

Yes, I've used that, too.

Now my boss at work is an extravagant and needless tool. Oh, wait--I'm self-employed.

Mouse? 4 Colors? bah humbug.
I remember WordStar and SuperCalc and dBase II when they came free on Osborne computers, which used the CPM operating system..that got beat out by DOS. Wordstar became famous cause of the Wordstar Keyboard Diamond. And I still say it was the best!

Hah..back then a mouse was just that...an animal that ate cheese.

[batgirl]

I miss WordStar. And DOShell.
The only things I like about Word are Find and the Comment function. Find is very useful for those words I over-use, and Comment is handy for editing. But I really really hate not being able to set markers at the beginning and end of large chunks of text that I want to select, and having to mouse-scroll down forever and forever instead.
There may be a better way of doing this, but I've never found Help screens to be very helpful.

[Jamesaritchie]

But I really really hate not being able to set markers at the beginning and end of large chunks of text that I want to select, and having to mouse-scroll down forever and forever instead.
There may be a better way of doing this, but I've never found Help screens to be very helpful.

Man, do I agree. I don't for the life of me understand why other word processors don't use this system.

Anyone who really wants to know more about WordStar, and why so many writers still use it, should read Robert J. Sawyer's article about it.

http://www.sfwriter.com/wordstar.htm

[Slimjim]

I use Word 2003.

I find the outline view great for er... outlining. Using the different heading styles for characters, places, event, notes etc. and when viewing in normal or print layout the documen map helps navigate. You can also insert images such as maps or pictures of places and characters.

[aka eraser]

I just installed WordPerfect Office 12 last week after several years of using WP 2000. I'm still at the circling-it-warily stage.

[MadScientistMatt]

Another OpenOffice user here. I hadn't realized they have a 2.0 version out yet - I'll have to check it out.

[tjwriter]

I have both Word and WordPerfect. I am also messing with a program called Writer's Cafe (http://www.writerscafe.co.uk/index.htm) which allows you to do a number of different thing. The main premise is to use electronic index cards to sort scenes (or whatever you may do) for your story. It also has a notebook, journal, and writing prompts. I installed it today, and thought I might use it for my outlining of my NaNo novel as a test run. You can download a free version or pay for a registered version. We'll see how it goes.

[henriette]

batgirl- control + a will highlight all the text in the document.

might save you a little bit of time :)

[Jamesaritchie]

Another OpenOffice user here. I hadn't realized they have a 2.0 version out yet - I'll have to check it out.

The 2.0 version is the RC version, meaning it probably still has a few bugs, though I haven't found any. So far, it works perfectly, and is faster than the 1.1.5 that's the latest stable release.

[azbikergirl]

batgirl- control + a will highlight all the text in the document.

might save you a little bit of time :)
Or, if it's not the entire text you want to select, <Shift><PgDn> will select chunks at a time, making it easier and faster to select large pieces in the middle. To select from cursor position to the end, use <Ctrl><Shift><End>.

[My-Immortal]

Word Perfect 10 here...it does what I need so far. I sit in my chair for thousands of hours and type and it records it all nicely into my computer. :)

[zeprosnepsid]

I always liked Word Perfect but I haven't used it in a long time.

Anyway, when my computer crashed like 2 years ago I lost Microsoft Word and I don't know what I did with the disc. So I've been doing all my writing in Final Draft (the screenwriting program) because it's the only word processing program I have. It's not bad though. I don't ask a lot of my word processors.

[cwfgal]

That's interesting. Most people use WordPerfect because they find Word cumbersome. I prefer Word, marginally, but I find WordPerfect much more user friendly.

To clarify a bit, when I'm just writing and not messing with fancy formatting, tables, and that kind of stuff, Word is far easier for me. But some of the functions in WP, such as table creation, are superior. And it's always been easier to find hinky formatting codes in WP. But since I don't use hinky codes in my writing, I prefer Word. And to be fair, when I quit using WP, it still required a lot of keystrokes to initiate things, as opposed to a toolbar. I find I'm a toolbar kind of gal.

Beth

[Jamesaritchie]

And to be fair, when I quit using WP, it still required a lot of keystrokes to initiate things, as opposed to a toolbar. I find I'm a toolbar kind of gal.

Beth

I suspect keystrokes may be the reason some love WordPerfect, and I know it's why many still love WordStar. I think there probably are two kinds of users, keystroke and toolbar.

If you learn all the keystrokes, you can do everything a word processor can do without ever going near the mouse or seeing a toolbar. I'm more of a keystroke person. I like being able to do everything without moving my hands around and reaching for the mouse.

But if you are a toolbar user, WordPerfect now lets you choose between WordPerfect command setup, WordPerfect 5.1 setup, or Word command setup. In other words, you can now use WordPerfect, but have all the toolbars and like setup just as if you were using Word.

[batgirl]

Or, if it's not the entire text you want to select, <Shift><PgDn> will select chunks at a time, making it easier and faster to select large pieces in the middle. To select from cursor position to the end, use <Ctrl><Shift><End>.

Thanks! This is precisely the problem, when I want to do something like cut & paste 2 chapters from the middle of a 15 chapter work, and put them in a separate document to send to someone.
It was so easy to block out text with WordStar. Alas, again. Though I suppose I would find it frustrating in other ways now.
-Barbara

[naimas]

Wordperfect

Once someone came up behind me and jabbed me in the sides while I was working on WORD. I hit a key and it totally reformatted my script, deleted most of it and then saved and shut down.

Too cumbersome. I am actually precise when working on the computer. I did not like how Word was doing things I did not choose.

I find that happening with Wordperfect but much less.

I wish I liked Word but I dont.

[brinkett]

Once someone came up behind me and jabbed me in the sides while I was working on WORD. I hit a key and it totally reformatted my script, deleted most of it and then saved and shut down.

This is why I don't like my cats walking across the keyboard when I'm writing.

[HConn]

I did not like how Word was doing things I did not choose.


I find that Word does very little of this, but WP was reformatting things all the time.

I'm sure it's just that I've been using Word in one form or another for ten years, but I wouldn't want to switch now (unless it was to go back to Wordstar. :))

[My-Immortal]

This is why I don't like my cats walking across the keyboard when I'm writing.

I don't have cats but I have a two year old little boy that loves to imitate daddy and when he sees daddy at the keyboard all he wants to do is hit the keys too....which is why I now have a baby gate/fence all the way around my desk! LOL

[stace001]

WordStar, ah, the memories. I remember when having four colors was fancy, and I thought a mouse was an extravagant but needless tool.

Yes, I've used that, too.

Now my boss at work is an extravagant and needless tool. Oh, wait--I'm self-employed.

Lloyd, you really made me laugh. Thanks to all for your tips and pointers. I'll pass them on. :)

[williemeikle]

I use MS Word on my laptop, but also use the GRAFITTI handwriting recognition tool on a PDA, and I'm getting to like it more and more.... it almost feels like using a pen and paper, but with all the bonuses of word processing.

Willie
http://www.willie.meikle.btinternet.co.uk (http://www.willie.meikle.btinternet.co.uk/)

[spacejock2]

Word, OpenOffice and yWriter ("http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter.html)

I write scenes in a regular word processor, usually on my laptop, then transfer the text into yWriter as I build my novel. At the end of the editing and rewriting process - when it's structurally complete - I export the book to a single file and import into Word (or OO). That's when I start printing draft copies of the whole thing so I can scribble with red pen.

When I'm ready, the doc file goes to my editor by email, and from then on we work electronically with 'track changes' enabled, plus we both add comments.

(Disclaimer - I wrote yWriter.)

Cheers
Simon

[inanna]

I have Microsoft Works on my desktop, and Word (2002?) on my laptop. I've stopped using Works because the damn thing crashes on me now. Many times, I've lost an entire session's worth of writing because I got so into it I forgot to save.

Word has autosave, and a lot of other features I'm only beginning to utilize--I'd been used to Works and it's utter lameness, so it took me awhile to realize a word processing program could actually help me beyond just search and find.

[Jamesaritchie]

I have Microsoft Works on my desktop, and Word (2002?) on my laptop. I've stopped using Works because the damn thing crashes on me now. Many times, I've lost an entire session's worth of writing because I got so into it I forgot to save.

Word has autosave, and a lot of other features I'm only beginning to utilize--I'd been used to Works and it's utter lameness, so it took me awhile to realize a word processing program could actually help me beyond just search and find.

I have Works 7.0, and while I know a couple of writers who use it exclusively, I really and truly hate it.

But I have found the Works Task Launcher extremely handy. I can access Word directly through it, along with Calendar and Encarta, and the task lanucher lets me keep all my writing projects on one page, and lets me keep notes for each project, and associate documents with thhese notes.

I can also link online Britannica to the Works Task Launcher.

So this part of Works is something I love and use all the time. But the Works word process is abut as bad as they come, in my opinion.

[TLHines]

I'm pretty sure I'll be the only one in this thread replying as an AppleWorks user. AppleWorks is clean, easy, and it does what I need it to do--when I need to send something for submission, I save a copy to rtf and pull it into Word to save a "doc" file.

[Jamesaritchie]

I have a friend who has been raving about a writing program for a few weeks now. It's called Liquid Story Binder, and is supposed to be designed with writers in mind. I doownloaded a trial copy a few days back, and while I'm not sure it's my cup of tea, I can see where it would be very useful for any writer who is big on organization.

Anyone who wants to take a look at it can find teh trial download site here: http://www.shareup.com/Liquid_Story_Binder-download-26526.html

[Dario D.]

Using 'Book Writer' here (and couldn't live without it).

Edit: What is that horrid stench? [looks around for a second] OH NO, I just resurrected a thread from 2005!! (hides)

[arkady]

I've used Word for years, but I'm slowly transitioning over to NeoOffice (the native OS X version of OpenOffice).

[ccarver30]

Word. I didn't know there was anything else.

[scarletpeaches]

I just love to hear all these white boyeez say "Word!"

[Raphee]

Word. Have tried ywriter but in the end it all comes down to writing. I do tend to get distracted by ywriter but it has helped with characters and scene development.
The writing that beast is yet to be tamed.

[Jaws]

Academic and serious nonfiction: Word 2000 (I don't have a choice — formatting really matters in these things; see, e.g., this article (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=921610))

Legal writing: Word 2000 or WordPerfect 10, depending on what cocounsel has/prefers if that's an issue

Fiction: Initial writing in either QuickWord on the Palm or NoteTab on the PC; formatting, editorial, etc. on Word 2000

Production work: PageMaker 7 (I'm too cheap to upgrade to InDesign, as I don't use it often enough to justify the several hundred bucks)

My point: There isn't a satisfactory one-size-fits-all writing program.

[Elektra]

Pencil and paper, mostly. I only type it into Word at the end, and it's used mostly for printing.

[Brammy]

My corporate work I use Word.

Fiction/Research I use Scrivener.

Personal stuff that I need something that loads fast: Pages.

[abemorgantis]

Academic and serious nonfiction: Word 2000 (I don't have a choice — formatting really matters in these things; see, e.g., this article (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=921610))

Legal writing: Word 2000 or WordPerfect 10, depending on what cocounsel has/prefers if that's an issue

Fiction: Initial writing in either QuickWord on the Palm or NoteTab on the PC; formatting, editorial, etc. on Word 2000

Production work: PageMaker 7 (I'm too cheap to upgrade to InDesign, as I don't use it often enough to justify the several hundred bucks)

My point: There isn't a satisfactory one-size-fits-all writing program.

You should try FrameMaker from Adobe..there is a free demo online. It does formatting, tables, etc. Great for long works, academia and scientific writing.

[Kristin Landon]

I do copyediting in acedemia/science/medicine, and let me say that a file that is not in Word is usually a problem for the publisher. It's really become the standard (unfortunately). The exception would be LaTeX for math-intensive manuscripts, because Word's equation editor stinks to high heaven.

[Anya Smith]

I use Word.

[deltasierra]

I'm on a Mac, but I've found that Word (for Mac) is still what I end up using, despite my love-hate relationship with it.

For strict copy-paste .rtf stuff, I use TextEdit.

If I'm just writing a novel-length piece with few frills, but I want to keep some notes alongside it, I use Jer's Novel Writer (http://jerssoftwarehut.com/) (sorry, only available for Mac -- OS 10.4 or higher, unless you can live with the quirks using it in 10.3.9).

I really want Pages from iWork, but I will have to save up my pennies for that, because I really want a newer version of OSX, first. And I have all those gas and rent expenses taking up my pennies . . . :Shrug:

[thepainpasses]

Papel. Great for organizing. And free.

[The Grift]

Word, 2003 on the laptop. Pocketword on the Mobilepro.

Before that, it was some other version of Microsoft Word on the Mac G3 powerbook. And before that I used to use WriteNow. I loved that program for some reason, but it wasn't compatible with anything.

[Layla Nahar]

apple textedit

[skelly]

PageFour for rough draft...Word for final copy.

[blacbird]

yellowlegalpad.exe

caw

[scully931]

Here's what I don't understand. Why am I on Works and the rest of the world is on Word? I mean, it's not a choice on my part. My computers (and there have been many because I tend to have freak accidents with them) have all come with Works. I can't open things people send me in Word, etc. Believe me, this has been a pain in my side for years. I like Works! But, I have so much trouble transfering files. So, did everyone's computer come with Word except mine? Or did you purchase it? What writing program came on your computer? And why have I received the only four computers in the world without Word? This has been bothering me for years and now seems like a good time to ask.
:Hammer:

[blacbird]

And why have I received the only four computers in the world without Word? This has been bothering me for years and now seems like a good time to ask.


God doesn't like you.

caw

[RLB]

I use Word for writing and Excel to keep track of agent info and such. The "Response" column of my agent spreadsheet is depressing!

Scully- Usually you have to buy Microsoft Office- and it can be pricey, depending on where you get it and what version you buy- or borrow a friend's and install it on your computer. Occasionally it comes pre-installed, like on rehabbed computers and such.

Or maybe God doesn't like you...

[Raphee]

Do we call Bill Gates, God already. Yikes I am behind the times.

[blacbird]

Scully,

Serious note: Download OpenOffice. It's free. The word-processor doesn't have all the whistles/bells of MS-Word, but for standard writing and manuscript preparation, you won't need those, anyway. It will transparently handle standard Word .doc and .rtf files just fine. Eschew Works, which doesn't, and approaches being useless for file transfers, etc.

caw

[arkady]

Scully,

Serious note: Download OpenOffice. It's free. The word-processor doesn't have all the whistles/bells of MS-Word, but for standard writing and manuscript preparation, you won't need those, anyway. It will transparently handle standard Word .doc and .rtf files just fine. Eschew Works, which doesn't, and approaches being useless for file transfers, etc.

caw

Blacbird speaks truth. OpenOffice (and its Mac incarnation, NeoOffice) are very good products, and for free, you absolutely can't beat them.

NeoOffice will also read/write Microsoft's new .docx format, in addition to over 20 other formats.

If you're an OS X user, note that although OO is available for that platform, it runs under X11 and isn't really very appealing. I strongly recommend the native OS X version, NeoOffice, if you have a Mac.

http://www.openoffice.org/

http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php

[Jaws]

There is one thing that OpenOffice won't do "correctly": Translate change-tracked files back and forth while preserving character formatting. Otherwise, I'd abandon Word like the feature-bloated monster that it is.

Those of you with any experience in dealing with heavily formatted serious nonfiction (especially academic and professional nonfiction) understand exactly what I mean.

[Tirjasdyn]

ywriter

:)

[Kristin Landon]

If you're a student or a teacher, or have one in your household, it's possible at least for Macintosh to buy "education editions" of Office and Word at about a third the price. You get three installs for that. The drawback is that there's no upgrade path.

I agree with everyone that Word is evil, bloated, frustrating, and over-featured (while still managing to stink at page layout, incorporation of graphics, and plain old WYSIWYG). But many of us are doomed to using it, because so much of the publishing industry has swallowed the Kool-Aid.

[Oliveman]

I have a journal for writing notes and sketches, a sketch pad for more extensive drawings or charts, and I use MS Word for all else. I find that word, contrary to what many people say, is versatile and constantly useful. To me, the other programs I've run into seem far more bloated, although I by no means think that Word is the end all and be all. I use Publisher for all style-heavy projects.

[Kristin Landon]

I do a couple of newsletters on a volunteer basis, for organizations that can't afford to buy me anything like Publisher (and I can't afford to buy it myself for just this). So I collide more with Word than I would if I simply wrote and copyedited with it. (Medical/scientific copy is also a problem; Word is often sure that I didn't mean to type what I just typed and helpfully fixes it, introducing an error that I then can't catch with spell-check.)

[scully931]

Thank you for the advice! I will do as you all suggested. From what I've seen, I really prefer Works. If only the rest of the world would go along with me, dangit.

[Steve W]

Hi,

I use Word.

LaTex is more of a layout programme than a fully fledged writing programme like Word or Wordperfect. As far as I'm aware, most people use a word processor to write their ms, than stick it in something like Tex to set the ms in a layout suitable for publication. It's more for book design than writing.

Cheers,
Steve

[Kristin Landon]

Quite true, Steve W; I tend to think of the ms. as being "written in" LaTeX because that's what I see at my stage of the game, which is copyediting.

I feel sure that if the math books I edit are actually composed in Word, the equations aren't. I recall the author of a really math-heavy book saying he'd done it in LaTeX from the start. But that was the kind of book where the entire English text on a given page might be:

If we assume

then

which gives

and

Similarly,

[aspiringwriter]

Word 2003

[Anthony Ravenscroft]

I would agree in a heartbeat that the TEX family is ideal for equation-heavy work -- if I had to do it in Word, I'd simply gnaw my arm off & solve the problem. Or, okay, write it out by hand & import it.

I prefer the rickety Word 5.1a on my ancient Mac PowerBook to the Word 2000 on my PC.

PCs do come loaded with Works, & I like it because it's such a stripped-down retarded version of Word... but then I got spoiled on the Styles ability of Word, dammit, which allows me to send stuff to my editor that's fast to format & gets me all sorts of brownie points.

I use both Quark Xpress & PageMaker for layout, but the idea of doing writing with them (though I know some swear by this) makes my eyeballs rattle.

My PC desktop is littered with Word & Works WP files, but half are Notepad -- it loads instantly, it's stupid & reliable, it forces me to write without artificialities like bold & ital, & it's never crashed Windows. I also use it to strip formatting from stuff I copy off websites for my reference notebook.

[Sean D. Schaffer]

I just got myself the OpenOffice word processor. I had it on one of my old machines, and I liked it a bundle. Since I'm about to put a full-length novel onto my machine, I thought it would be helpful to have a full-sized word processor instead of using Jarte for such a big project.

I did have to change quite a few of the default settings, though. I don't like Times New Roman font and wanted to be able to save in Rich Text Format automatically instead of in OpenOffice's own special format.

I look forward to using it again. It worked for me before and did an excellent job.

[paprikapink]

I mucked around with Jer's Novel Writer and OpenOffice and Word and found them all frustrating. Not cuz I don't know how to deal with software -- I wrote technical books in nroff and Interleaf and Framemaker in my other, big computer, life, which is over now. But these personal computer/mac programs, they are just so...so...homey! I hate the "Normal" paragraph style -- i wish it had never been invented!

Right now I'm writing in Google Docs and Spreadsheets. It's just the simplest word processor; its fanciest whistle is that it gives a word count. And you can embed comments if you want to make editorial notes to yourself. And you can collaborate online with someone if that floats your boat. But I haven't gone all the way with it yet. Like, written a book and printed it. You don't really know a word processor till you've done that.

[arkady]

There is one thing that OpenOffice won't do "correctly": Translate change-tracked files back and forth while preserving character formatting. Otherwise, I'd abandon Word like the feature-bloated monster that it is.

Jaws, I'd suggest you email the OO developer team and mention this issue to them.

[johnzakour]

Word X for the Mac. I am anxiously awaiting the new dual core version. Yes I am a geek....

[Tachyon]

OpenOffice.org all the way. ^_^ Word is a very good product for something that came from Microsoft. However, it has icky aspects.

My novel is over a megabyte in Word Document format; in Open Document format it's just under 250 KB. :D

[johnzakour]

OpenOffice.org all the way. ^_^ Word is a very good product for something that came from Microsoft. However, it has icky aspects.

My novel is over a megabyte in Word Document format; in Open Document format it's just under 250 KB. :D

OpenOffice is cool, but it can be a memory hog. Still, can't beat the price.

[huggy4ever]

I use word. OpenOffice is another one that I use. I like them both.

[Chasing the Horizon]

I use Appleworks exclusively. I've been using that program since the early versions of Clarisworks. Literally everything I've ever written has been with one version or another of Appleworks/Clarisworks.

I've tried using Word several times (just for short business notes). Once I spent an hour trying to figure out how to get a blank page, the second time I hit a button and all the text just disappeared, I never did figure out where it went. Both times I gave up and either hand wrote the note or wrote it when I got home to my Mac.

I have Word for Mac, but I only use it to open Word docs so I can copy and paste them into Appleworks.

Probably the reason I don't like Word is because of the amount of features it has. The only features I need or use are spell check, word count, various fonts, bold, and italic. I'm sure Word has these features . . . somewhere.

Appleworks has a lot of features, but they all default to 'off', meaning you get a blank sheet of paper and can just start typing. Plus I just find the entire layout of the program absolutely ideal, and have all the keyboard shortcuts memorized.

[Adam Israel]

On a Mac here. I use Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html) for the day-to-day writing and Word occasionally for formatting.

[Plot Device]

(The following post represents a rude interruption from an uninvited movie scriptwriter who's currently crashing this sub-forum.)

When writing a script, you have to write some "preliminary documents" other than the script itself.

1) The Log line

2) The Elevator Pitch

3) The Outline

4) The Synopsis

5) The Treatment (A treatment is like a novelization of the script where you suggest the story's tone, demonstrate where the tension and focus should be concentrated, give background information, and even reveal interior thoughts of various characters. The late Robert Altman, whenever he directed a movie, almost never bothered to read the actual scripts and only ever went by the treatments. Altman had a reputation for sitting in his director's chair before a scene was about to start and asking "Who here has lines in this scene anyway?")

and THEN you can finally write the script itself.

I use Word for everything BUT the script (the script I write in Final Draft 7). And when a complicated plot situation arises. I will sometimes resort to Excel Spreadsheets to graph things out. I have also done my own storyboards in Paint Brush.

[kiplet]

I still use Tex-Edit (http://www.tex-edit.com/), which is light and nimble and everything Word isn’t. I used Tex-Edit because most of my writing was for the web and because Dean Allen (http://textism.com/) wrote some lovely Apple Scripts that went along with it and did all sorts of clean HTML and Unicode formatting for you without you having to think about it. Invaluable. (The scripts are no longer available, but you get some of the same functionality—what a ghastly word—from Textile (http://textism.com/tools/textile/).)

I say “still” because I’ve just begun what promises to be a long twitterpation with Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html). My hidebound process has already shifted into something richer and stranger because of it, with little pain on my part. —Words are written with wetware, not software, as someone pointed out earlier, and I certainly wouldn’t want to enable the sort of procrastination encouraged by endlessly tinkering with new toys, looking for that impossible perfect fit—but what tools you use can't help but shape the work you do. Otherwise, there’d be no problem demolishing the master’s house.

[loiterer]

I've grown frustrated with Word and its limitations to novel writers. No longer do I wish to write my entire story in one file, but would like to have chapters in separate files that I can switch between, search amongst easily, and compile together with no fussing, and I want to be able to see at a glance all of my chapters listed in a menu that remains 'on top' instead of hidden under a 'file' command. Specific novel writing software, it seemed to me, should be the key.


So far I've tried RoughDraft, yWriter2&3, Liquid Story Binder (not the beta version), PageFour, and even NoteBox Disorganiser. Some others such as the Writer's Cafe one I didn't bother trialling because its features were aimed at newer writers who need plot prompts and extraneous stuff not useful to me.

Unfortunately I can't find all the features I want in one program. yWriter3 comes closest, but its major fault is that it names all its files with a string of numbers so that you can't tell which files you want to back up (also the export doesn't work correctly).

Scrivener looks like the sort of program I want, but unfortunately I don't have a Mac.

So for now I am staying with Word.

[dub]

MAC - word

[Jordygirl]

I use MSWord. It's what I've always used... when I got my new computer I was stuck with another program for a while. I forget what it was, but it was awful... I actually love MSWord.

[Norton]

I use Q10 (http://baara.com/q10/).
I don't know why, but I like this simple text processor.
+
pen & notebook
+ Word 2003 for final text-formatting

[Roanoke]

yWriter 4 works for me.

[sadron]

Microssoft works and Word.

[Deccydiva]

Microsoft Word 2003. Oh, and my brain, whatever is left of it these days ;)

[Telstar]

Word 2007. OneNote for notes and background material.
And Excel for progression spreadsheet.

[Telstar]

I use Q10 (http://baara.com/q10/).
I don't know why, but I like this simple text processor.


It's interesting but that full screen interface without menu... ghh
But mostly i hate the sound.

[Chops]

Pages for Mac. Easy to start off with, but has the potential for more serious stuff once your start digging around in it.

[Rae22]

I use OpenOffice myself, which does the trick well enough.

[Norton]

It's interesting but that full screen interface without menu... ghh
But mostly i hate the sound.
Yeah...there's no menu...but if you push F1 you'll see all the shortcuts.
About the sound - I like this "old typewriter" sound very much.
But most of all I like all these "set alarm","global target" functions ... They're very useful for me.:Thumbs:
I don't care about full screen interface because I really tired of MS Word interface and all its countless buttons.:Hammer:

[Debs]

Scrivener on my Mac. I love it. Never have liked word and works and all that stuff. Can't stand the complicated toolbar thing. Everything seems to take such a long time to find. I have word on my mac but never use it unless I have to.

[Telstar]

About the sound - I like this "old typewriter" sound very much.


I have a mechanical keyboard which does a much better sound, so i don't really need the fake one with about half second delay. :)

[FOTSGreg]

I've used everything from paper & pencil to a Royal manual typewriter to a MiCom 2000 dedicated word processor (infamous for its greenscreen monitor, 64k of memory, and 5-1/4" floppy disks), a first issue Mac (the little boxy thing with a tiny b&w monitor) running Ready-Set-Go (a really great little graphic design program that I think still stands head & shoulders above anything else I've ever used), WordPerfect, Works, and currently use Word 2003. I'm experimenting with yWriter4 and Liquid Story Binder and have experimented with Final Draft (hated it at the time).

Word can be annoying for reformatting images embedded in text, but it does the main job nicely which is putting text on the screen. Everything else is more or less secondary.

I've been exchanging Open Office xls and Excel files seamlessly with people over the net for many years. Excel macros even run Open Office files fine and I've never had a problem with them.