Anyone use writing software?

I've reviewed a few different programmes like that over the years and none have really helped. They give some assistance in structuring a standard script but you don't need to use the programmes to do that. All I now use is Word and Scrivener.

I'm in the middle of trial runs with Dramatica, Scrivener, and Novel Factory. None really do the heavy grunt work of writing - having an idea, creating a story, writing the story and editing/revising the story.

I've looked at Dramatic twice and each time come away with the thought, "What good does this trial do me if I can't save, print, export, or create a usable file for tomorrow?" Basically an overpriced workbook based on the textbook of the same name. Minimal dictionary, and other technical resources when compared to Word. Huge learning curve, but it does contain a lot of lesson to help a writer learn the ins and out of writing. Off my list.

I actually bought Scrivener four or five years ago, but they no longer recognize my license, so when my last box died and I tried to re-register, Literature and Latte basically told me to take a hike. The index cards are the best feature - places to put short blurbs about characters, locations, ideas, etc. The actual word processor is clunky, and the dictionary, etc., are minimal. Does not provide any editing beyond some basic spelling. It is an excellent tool for organizing, what with tree format, index cards, and split screen writing. Strongest point is it's visual presentation. Beats all the others hands down. It does not handle exporting to non-native files types, such as .pdf, .rtf, .docx, etc., well - every export contains errors that must be found and corrected before sending on to Kindle or other platforms. Scrivener was created for Mac, though, and the Windows versions might be the reason for the problems I've encountered. I think it is fairly priced at $45.00, but fair price doesn't make it a good tool. Maybe I just haven't figure out how to use it. Plus, the loss of license on their end does not give me warm fuzzies. Or even cold ones.

Novel Factory seems, at first glance, to be a toy. Simple screens, limited editing, and just doesn't have much 'bite' to it. Until the writer starts using it as a tool and not a machine for mass transit. Has a logical, step by step approach to writing the story and is helpful in planning and organizing. Exports to non-native files (as mentioned above) is simple and accurate. But, like Scrivener, one can write scenes and keep them organized, even move them around if you've a mind.

I've been using MS Word since its first release and that might be clouding my opinion, but it is a full-featured word processor - probably the best, and it is the most used by writers, editors, and publishers - with some nice editing features (huge dictionary for spell check, grammar, etc.) and the review feature is top notch. Not very helpful for organizing all the notes and character sketches, and other goodies a writer uses as reminders. Not even in split screen.

For me the ideal writing tool would be Word with a hybrid of Scrivener and Novel factory add-in for better organizing and visual presentation.

MS WORD

Cindyt said:

MS WORD

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+1.

I'm working on my first book using Word - I know it well, and it's ubiquitous. As I look ahead, though, it would be nice to find a tool to track characters, world-building details, maps, and genealogies in my multi-book series. I am using OneNote for this today, but it is too free-form for my liking. I plan to evaluate Scrivener to see how it works for this. I've also intrigued by Aeon Timeline for timeline management.

Being locked into proprietary file formats concerns me, also. (I realize MS' formats are also proprietary, but...well...it's Microsoft World.)

I'm a PC guy. As I move more into the creative world, I am bugged by the feature gap between PC and Mac versions. This makes me less inclined to buy a tool since I know it's not feature complete.

Cindyt said:

MS WORD

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Yup. MS Word rullz. In my case, as a non-native English writer, I also use Grammarly add-on.

SarahGallgher said:

Does anyone here use writing software to help formulate stories before starting to write them? Such as Dramatica Pro? If so, how helpful are they and in what ways?

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I think you're asking about software as a plotting tool as opposed to as a writing tool, is that right?

I was offered a discount on Dramatica (not Pro, I don't think) at one point because I had bought Screenwriter for work, so I bought it earlier this year. I just started using it within the last few weeks to help me plot out my next novel. I'm one of the people who finds structure incredibly difficult, so I thought I'd give Dramatica a try. The look of the software is really dated, and they're not kidding about the steep learning curve. I found I couldn't use the software intuitively until I got the book out and read through it while I was working the software. It's not quick, but I am actually finding it really helpful. I'm not sure I'll end up incorporating all of the elements of Dramatica's "Grand Argument Theory" or whatever, but I feel the outline I'm building is much more solid than anything I've done previously. And when I branch off and spitball ideas, I often find they match up with the structure that Dramatica 'predicted', for whatever that's worth.

I do find the dated interface limiting, though, and I'm using other word processors as a place to noodle with ideas and store extra tidbits before I go back and plug a more concise version into Dramatica.

Have you had any experience with plotting software? Is there another one you would recommend?

I like Scrivener, but it is hardly a tool to help writers formulate stories.

Personally, I think Scrivener is worth checking out for how it helps writers to organise projects. I found it so much better than working in MS Word. There's a generous free trial period if you are interested.

I use Word exclusively. I've tried many of the others, but the learning curve on them was just too much. Mostly because with many of them, like Scrivener, are designed to be used by writers who already story board their stories. I don't. I write organically from start to finish without any outlining, 5x3 cards, or what have you. So aside from having to learn a new program, I would have had to learn a new way to write.

Now WordPerfect 4.2. Ahh. That was a word processor.

I don't storyboard or outline, and I find Scrivener a dream. I love the capability to rearrange an entire project's order with a simple click 'n' drag or how I can have an entire manuscript in one file and print off just the bits I need and quickly flip through chapters to find information I need without opening files one by one by one. YMMV.

I've tried Writer's Dreamkit, which is a scaled-down version of Dramatica, and it helped me realize I'm better at pantsing than I am plotting.

And when I was waaaaaaaay back at Mac OS 9.x, I had one of the last versions of WordPerfect released for that platform. Damn, I miss that.

I use Scrivener for part of my process. I would not call it a plotting program, more of an organizational underlay. Is it vital? It definitely helps with anything requiring multiple little files. So say, editing. Or keeping track of a bunch of blog posts for a single project. Or organizing hundreds and thousands of tiny developmental vignettes. Is there a learning curve? Yes. Not a huge one, so if you're a Mac user I'd look into it. Buying a PLOTTING program? Nah. Everything you need is free online; use Scrivener to organize it if you want.

Or don't, that's fine too.

I also use Focus Writer, a themable full screen writing program, for when I'm trying to WRITE, not edit.

Those expensive plotting programs are just organizing information that can be readily gained, and should be gained, by learning it instead of having a machine hold your hand through it. It's not the structure that will sell your novel, but the emotion underneath.

I'm a plantser (mostly pantser, with spurts of plotting when I feel the need). I use Scrivener -- I especially like the corkboard, tags drop-down (I use it to show POV), status and all the metadata settings tweaked the way I want.

Before Scrivener, I used yWriter, which is free. Like Scrivener, yWriter tends to favour a scene-based approach to writing, and makes it easy to rearrange scenes and chapters. There are differences between the two. Scrivener works better for me, but that's down to personal preference.

I think we're having two different conversations here, although both of them are super useful!

I, too, use Scrivener, and I love it because it also allows me to keep all my notes, research, photos, etc. in the same file as my manuscript, which makes referencing them much easier while I'm writing. I also use MS Word, and sometimes even Notepad. One of my tricks when I'm blocked is to start writing the next scene in an entirely different program, which often helps me to clear my headspace a little. Then, once I'm flowing again, I can copy it all back to wherever the main document is. I've been reading about yWriter in this thread, though, and I might go and poke it with a stick, just to see what it's like. Especially since it's free! Having another option for when I get stuck could always be helpful.

Dramatica, though, is not a word processor of any kind. It is purely a tool for assisting a writer with building an outline - or, possibly for analyzing the structure of a completed work that requires revision. I had used something similar, though both less complicated and less useful, called StoryCraft probably twenty years ago. It's not for everyone, I know, but I'm currently finding it useful as a learning tool.

Story formulation is highly complex. It requires a lot of research and time. Stories come differently for people. Of course, one needs to know of things like the three act structure, outlining, Gustav Freytag's dramatic structure, and many, other things. This is part of the learning/research process. You need to have the pieces in front of you, and turned upright, or you cannot begin working such a puzzle.

Did you mean something other than formulate; maybe organize?

Enlightened said:

Story formulation is highly complex. It requires a lot of research and time. Stories come differently for people. Of course, one needs to know of things like the three act structure, outlining, Gustav Freytag's dramatic structure, and many, other things. This is part of the learning/research process. You need to have the pieces in front of you, and turned upright, or you cannot begin working such a puzzle.

Did you mean something other than formulate; maybe organize?

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Plot, perhaps.

But you don't need to know all that stuff before you write.

DanielSTJ said:

+1.

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+another1

I've tried HiveWord and MindMeister. HiveWord seems like a useful tool, but it just didn't click for me. MindMeister is a convenient visual mapping tool, which I think could be helpful for some people. Ultimately neither worked out for me. I found that I'm a good ol' pencil and paper gal when it comes to planning. I always use blank paper, not lined. I find it helps quite a lot with creativity, actually. For the actual writing/editing I use MS Word or Google Docs on my Chromebook.

Google Docs, which is alright, or just recently LibreOffice. I don't want to pay for a subscription to MS Office right now. Docs is nice for the anywhere convenience, and sharing it with people so they can make comments or edit. It lacks organization options though.

I'd rather use paper and pen or pencil for other writing. I enjoy the feeling of writing on paper more than typing.

I can't afford MS Word, so I use a program called FocusWriter. It's pretty nice, but fairly basic (it lets you do things like prevent yourself from editing until you finish your draft, hide words you've already written so you don't get stuck rereading, and so on). I use LibreOffice for formatting, which took some getting used to, but made perfect sense once I worked it out. I would love to get Word, though. It would be so much easier to deal with.

Devan Isra said:

I can't afford MS Word, so I use a program called FocusWriter. It's pretty nice, but fairly basic (it lets you do things like prevent yourself from editing until you finish your draft, hide words you've already written so you don't get stuck rereading, and so on). I use LibreOffice for formatting, which took some getting used to, but made perfect sense once I worked it out. I would love to get Word, though. It would be so much easier to deal with.

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You might find Libre Office, a free open source collection of software meant to replace Microsoft Office; it includes a word processor program.

Once upon a time I used... Liquid Story Binder? Pretty sure that was the name. It's sort of like Scrivener, but just didn't feel right so I quit using it. I've been using Scrivener just recently for world-building, outlining and notes. I brushed it off for years because I didn't think it'd actually help, but it does.

Mainly, it's nice being able to have everything open at once. I love GDocs and Open Office for actually writing, but they're kind of claustrophobic for me when it's time to plot. It's nice with Scrivener, being able to have a page open for language, geography, lore, history, characters, magic, etc, and be able to just click between them as you need to jot something down or reference something and then get right back to what you were doing. It gives me the feeling of having everything neatly laid out on a desk rather than having to scroll up and down, or between files, or tabs to find one thing. I can get into my zone and just flow. (I know its weird that I get so bunged up like that, but it really does make me uncomfortable when I have to switch tabs or files or search. I'm anal retentive and a bit neurotic, and those extra steps make it hard to focus.) And I love it for literal outlining. Set up a bunch of plot points with summaries and swap them around until you find a sensible order.

I'm not crazy about the price, but they do have a pretty nice trial period. I ended up using all but the last few days, and I was making a ton of progress with my project, so I forked out.

Word, but only because I get it free through my school. OpenOffice works quite well too. I almost find it preferable because it doesn't try as hard as Word does to be fancy. But Word kept begging to be my default program for opening documents so I just said yes.

(Hello - first post!) I bought Dramatica a few years ago. I have to say, I think I learned more from reading all the online documentation (which is free). When using the actual program, I found myself getting bogged down in structural detail. I overthought everything and the characters and story felt cold and contrived. However, since then, I've realised I'm more of a pantser, so maybe that had something to do with it?

Scrivener's corkboard feature can be handy for seeing your story, but I don't think there's anything in Scriv that tells you how to structure.

Scrivener helps me concentrate on writing an effective scene. It also helps me move around in the manuscript. Really handy when you want to compare details in scenes for continuity.