Writing software

Current Project: Leg Shaving Leads to Trouble
Status: Plugging away on first draft

For a couple of years now I've test-driven a few writing programs. Don't worry, I don't think these programs can write my book for me. If any of them say they'll help you plot your story, I immediately scratch it off of my to-try list. I've been on the hunt for a program that will help me keep thoughts in order and break up my writing a bit differently than the standard word processing program.

The need:
Don't get me wrong, I like Microsoft Word. I've always been happy with it, but as my manuscript is getting longer and more complicated (yay!) I'm getting more frustrated with the limitations of Word. I find it tedious to try and find my place when I want to jump to a random scene. It's frustrating to have to open several documents - one for the story, one for plotting, one for my characters, one for research, etc. Because if I put all that in one document, it bothers me having to jump around. Not to mention the never-ending scrolling. I also getting annoyed when I try to make a document map - basically an option in Word that let's you identify major sections. If you haven't used this feature before, imagine an outline that follows the following format:
1. Major point
a. subpoint
i. bullet of subpoint

The document map lets you make headers so you can do something like:
Chapter 1
Scene
Scene
Scene
Chapter 2
Scene
Scene

Then you can click on those headers to do to that part of the document. It's a rather helpful tool, but getting those headings in the proper format to appear in the document map can be frustrating. Especially if you want to keep your document in publishing standard formatting.

Although I'd been trying demos of programs off and on for a couple years, the search picked up this year because I wanted a program that would also help sort my academic writing. Fortunately, the search paid off.

The hunt:
I can't remember all of the program I've demo'd over past couple of years. Some of them seemed to have a couple features that were great, but other aspects weren't as helpful. Some are geared toward fiction writers, others toward screen writers, and a few are for any kind of writing. One interesting feature that appeared on a couple of them was a frequent word use list. It sorted all the words in your document from most to least used. It was a good way to see if you had a tendency to overuse certain words.

Some had great outlining and organization functions, letting you create a hierarchical structure like the document map I explained above. With additional functions to add notes to sections. So you could add a note to a particular scene, making a reminder for yourself to research hurricanes in Florida to improve the setting description. You could also add notes to each scene to make a note what the scene's purpose was, to help you ensure that the scene fits in and accomplishes certain goals.

For every good feature I found, there was an equally frustrating aspect to it. For example, some programs don't export to a word processor. I wanted one that would do that, so I could export the document to Word when I was ready to begin querying. Other programs don't have a spell check or grammar function. Sometimes those red and green squiggly lines drive me nuts, but I have come to appreciate and rely on their help.

My solution:
Finally, I have found a program that meets nearly every requirement I had. It's called Scrivener. But, the bad news for you PC folks is that this is a program designed for Macs. One program I had tried and liked was yWriter - and it's free! But I can't recall why I didn't keep using it. If I remember, I'll add it to the comments.

But here are a few reasons why Scrivener is working well for me (and hopefully that will help any of you determine what to look for in writing programs, should you want to use one). I like the way I can break down data. I have a main file called "draft 1." Under that, I have a separate file for each chapter. I like being able to start a new document of sorts for each chapter. It gives me a larger sense of accomplishment when I see more and more files appear. Under "draft 1" I have a folder called "other files." Within that I have my plot document, character information, and more. That way if I give a name to a minor secondary character that I need to refer to later, rather than endless scrolling and searching, or even opening another document to my already cluttered computer - I can simply click on that file's title within the same program. I also have a second file called "research" where I've added bits of research I've found.

There are also a couple of viewing options. You can open up the "corkboard." Visually, it adds an index card to a corkboard for every file you have. On that index card you can make notes. So If I know the purpose of chapter 5 is to introduce the external conflict that will keep the hero and heroine apart, I can make a short note. Then I can review the index cards to look at the main points of my book, and how it is progressing.

The BEST feature I've used so far is the full screen mode. I have written so much more using this mode over the past week. It's just as it sounds - you can make the document full screen so you can't be distracted by the internet, e-mail programs, chat programs, etc. But if you don't want to be fully cut-off, or if you're waiting for an e-mail, you can make the background of the full-screen a bit transparent. So if you leave your e-mail program open behind it, you can see when new e-mails come in. How cool is that? I set it to zero transparency so I didn't get distracted at all.

There are a lot of other features I haven't yet explored on my 30-day free trial. Ones like keywords. I'll definitely purchase this program when my trial is up.

Here is a screen shot I pulled from Google images. I'll describe what the parts are, in relation to what I've mentioned above


















Along the left you can see the heirarchical outline where I use "draft 1" then the chapter numbers under that. The middle section shows you both the corkboard feature, and the main writing screen. The right column shows options for adding labels to things and a synopsis feature - which I'm guessing is the text from the index card. But I don't know for sure. These are functions I haven't yet explored.

I'm really excited to use this for my thesis. I have made a file called "draft 1." Under that I have a subfile (like chapters of a book) for the various sections of my paper. I then have a second file called "sources." Within that, I will make subfiles for each source and the notes. That way I can quickly refer to it in one location for pull data.

If you are interested in trying a writing program, but aren't sure where to begin - I suggest you join RWA's technology listserv. It will save you time from endless Google searches. People have already talked about the good, bad and ugly of these programs, plus a few blog and Web site posts that talk about several in one location. So check that out and search previous messages for those conversations.

Have any of you used a writing program before? Do you think it's more than you need, or would it help you organize your thoughts?