Storymind Writing Software/Jarvis Method

[Hermit]

Has anyone used this program? I purchased it last week and have used it a bit. I kind-of like it but would be interested in other's opinions - good, bad, or indifferent. Have you found a better writing program? What's your opinion on the Jarvis Method generally?

[Richard]

Not used that one specifically, but it looks very much like one of those "Avoid Writing A Book In 30 Days" style packages that spends so much time worrying about the trivial details that you never actually get to the part where you fire up a word processor and start typing.

[Jamesaritchie]

Has anyone used this program? I purchased it last week and have used it a bit. I kind-of like it but would be interested in other's opinions - good, bad, or indifferent. Have you found a better writing program? What's your opinion on the Jarvis Method generally?

Whatever works for you is what you shoudl use, but I think the best writing software by far is just a good word processor. Most of the programs out there are much better at separating writers from their money than they are for writing novels.

[Zane Curtis]

I know that some writers work best if they approach writing in a systematic way (I'm one of them). If the Jarvis Method gives you a base to work from, so you can develop your own method, then go for it. But I still think your goal should be to develop your own method.

The reason why people complain about "formula" fiction is not so much that people write to a rule, but that so many people write to the same rule, and the fiction they produce is all a bit samey. So you should look to change the method and add to it to suit yourself. Otherwise, it's not really you -- only a paint by numbers replication of someone else's work. And if it's not you, well, what would be the point of writing at all?

[Jamesaritchie]

I know that some writers work best if they approach writing in a systematic way (I'm one of them). If the Jarvis Method gives you a base to work from, so you can develop your own method, then go for it. But I still think your goal should be to develop your own method.

The reason why people complain about "formula" fiction is not so much that people write to a rule, but that so many people write to the same rule, and the fiction they produce is all a bit samey. So you should look to change the method and add to it to suit yourself. Otherwise, it's not really you -- only a paint by numbers replication of someone else's work. And if it's not you, well, what would be the point of writing at all?

I think you've made some excellent points. Good fiction usually comes from the uniqueness of the writer. This doesn't get done with programs. There are dozens and dozens of software programs and methods out there, but by and large they're used by new writers, not by selling writers.

If you can't write good fiction without such programs and methods, you almost certainly can't write good fiction with them.