The best software for writers (Mac/PC)

This post has been a long time (and a lot of fun experimentation) in the making. If you're a writer and you live in the modern age, you probably want software that will make the writing process easier and more organized. Today's post includes some of my favorite little helpers, many of which have free demo versions you can try.

Take a look at the websites, screenshots and features, and then demo the ones you think would work for you. Writing software is a very personal thing, and software that suits one person well may just feel "off" to someone else. It's probably better to invest a little time now to see what suits the way YOU work best.

What I use:
I'm a HUGE fan of the Mac-only Scrivener. I prefer it to every other writing program I've ever tried, Mac or PC--and that says a lot. I was a happy beta tester during NaNoWriMo in 2005 and now rely on it for whole projects, not just my manuscripts. I adore Scrivener's structure and its many flexible features. An outline on the left side of the screen organizes your draft (and all your research, useful URLs, .pdf files...). In the right-hand pane you can do a split screen view (brilliant!) to look at your current scene plus a research document or two scenes at once. (Can’t remember what color the heroine’s dress was when she put it on four chapters ago? Go back and look, and the scene you’re working on is still visible!) Annotate/make comments, see your drafts in full screen mode, seamless exports to .rtf... I love, love, love Scrivener and recommend it to all my Mac-based coaching clients. It’s a beautifully thought-out program packed with useful features.

But different strokes for different folks; everyone has their own method of writing and their own preferences (not to mention computing platform), so I'm going to mention a few other apps worthy of a look. (And needless to say, there are many more good ones out there that aren't making it into this post.)

My PC-based clients are variously fond of:

- Liquid Story Binder, which (like Scrivener) can handle images in addition to text. In other words, if you find a great photo or image on the web, you can store that with your manuscript. (Great for research!) It seems to have a lot of other features handy for writers, too.

- PageFour, a newer program that seems to have a pleasant and uncluttered interface and a nifty Document Importer.

- WriteWay Pro. I liked WWP one a lot, and wrote some of my 2005 NaNoWriMo novel on it. (Yes, I was bilingual then.) WWP was created by the husband of a novelist, so it has a lot of smart features (character profiles, goals & productivity tracking, etc.) that novelists will like. Alas, the interface is pretty ugly (circa Win98), and there's no autosave, so you'd better save at regular intervals. (Which is always a good move, anyway.) The installation might seem a little tricky, since it requires an additional, free piece of software from Microsoft that you may or may not already have on your computer, so be sure to read the installation instructions.

- RoughDraft is free, has a good reputation and is well-liked by a lot of writers. It doesn't have the most modern interface, but it's been around for a few years--and being free, it's certainly practical.

Several others worth a mention: Writer's Blocks, WriteItNow, and
PowerWriter.

Have fun exploring and seeing what kind of interface feels good and intuitive to you. Here are some questions that might help as you look through these programs:

(1) Does it organize manuscripts in a way that will be easy for you to find scenes/sections, add to them, and move them around as needed?

(2) Will it let you name scenes/sections (or otherwise identify them) so you can find them quickly?

(3) Does the program make it easy to save your work and back it up?

(4) Does it feel fast (so you won't waste time when working with a big manuscript)?

(5) Are there any special/unique features of this program that would be particularly handy for you and the way you like to work?

(6) Do you enjoy the layout and feel of the program (since you'll be looking at it a LOT)?

I look forward to hearing what you prefer, so feel free to discuss your choice in the comments! Have fun and enjoy exploring.

Katey
Women-Ink.com

Special deal on writing software for the Mac

Available today only: MacZot has a writing software program, StoryMill, available for a deep discount.

I haven't played with StoryMill yet--another Mac-based program, Scrivener, is my super-mega-ultra favorite writing program--but StoryMill's price break through MacZot makes it worth a timely mention.

Coming up: a post on my favorite software for writers (both Mac and PC).

Are you avoiding writing?

Music I'm listening to: Micaela by La Sonora Carruseles (yep, it's BOOGIE TIME)

If you find yourself saying "I want to get my book finished...but gee, I just don't feel like writing right now," check out this post by Theresa Ragan at the Wet Noodle Posse blog. Theresa writes about a great little trick that can get you back on track TODAY.

Keep writing!

Katey
Women-Ink.com

New Year's Reminiscence

Music I'm listening to: Ricky Martin's Olé Olé Olé (a.k.a. "The Cup of Life"). An odd but perfect coincidence.

My reminiscence for New Year's Day 2008:

One year ago today, I was in the hospital with a deadly kidney stone and sepsis, and about to shake the Grim Reaper's hand. Today I'm happy, healthy, and fully hydrated--thanks to great medicine and support, and some serious determination on my part.

Take-away message: Have a goal? Don't let anything stop you.

I'm sending each of you wishes for a fantastic 2008, full of joy and success.

Keep writing! :)

Katey
Women-Ink.com

NANO!

Hooray, it's almost time time time... for National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo, or just NaNo). I've signed up again, as have several clients, critique partners, and friends. Come join us! Write 50,000 words on a novel during a month of craziness and end up exhausted and triumphant.

And hey, don't worry about editing or making your prose perfect. Ha! (Showin' my age: is anyone else now remembering Lwaxana Troi teaching Alexander about the "laughing hour"? Ahem.)

Anyhow, revisions are for LATER! During November,

JUST WRITE.

What it takes to have a best-seller

Check out agent Nephele Tempest's comments on how best-sellers are made (luck and timing being strong components).

A Client's SALE

Music I'm listening to: White Lines by Grandmaster Flash

::doing the Happy Inky Writer's Dance::

One of my clients (and they're such wonderful people, every last one of 'em!) just accepted a five-figure deal for a memoir, sold on proposal. And she got the news while taking a vacation in lovely Ireland. How's that for a fun sales story?

More details to come sometime down the road, after the contract is signed. :)

Sometimes life bites, and sometimes...there are kittens

Music: Inspiral Carpets - Two Worlds Collide

Life squashed us a bit flat over the last couple of weeks. Some of you will remember that a year ago on Labor Day weekend, we lost one of our beloved kitties to cancer. Well, this year another followed suit--we don't know that it was cancer (two different vets weren't sure of what caused the illness), but I have my suspicions. At any rate, my baby boy (he was fifteen, but still my baby) is now waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge.

A few days later, we found out that another of our kitties may soon join him, due to a downward spiral of his bad kidneys and complications in the rest of his body.

To celebrate the lives of our furry loved ones, we went to the local animal shelter to adopt a kitten, or two. (Normally we would have adopted an adult--there were so many wonderful ones there, and they need homes just as much as kittens--but we considered our "kidney cat" and felt kittens would lessen his stress and objections to interlopers on his established territory.)

We didn't just come home with one or two kittens, but three.

What could I do? When I raised my logical objections to adding three littermates to our home (the extra food, litter, and VET BILLS, which were already outrageous this month), my husband made the best argument ever: "Okay, which of these kittens will you leave here at the shelter?"

Ouch.

So yep, all three snuggled together in their new carrier on the way home. And I wouldn't trade 'em for the world. They're even providing our kidney cat with some entertainment.

So YAY for kittens!