What do you write on?

RikWriter · Dec 31, 2014

Word. Yo.

Isobel Lindley · Dec 31, 2014

Scrivener. I wasn't convinced at all that I needed to switch from Word, but a couple of years ago my wife got me to trial Scrivener, and I would rather have needles under my thumbnail than go back. It's almost like a religious conversion. No more 39 random scrappy docs backed up by an Excel spreadsheet, and my research and notes separate! All replaced by lovely binders, cork boards and outlines!

I'm sure that if I had tried Storymill, Storyist or YWriter first, I would be gushing about them right now. It suspect it was moving from a word processor to something actually intended for long form writing that was the flash of light, not the specific app.

If I write at all on a tablet, I use Google Docs. I used to use Writer's App on iOS with a bluetooth keyboard when I was pregnant and had no air conditioning in a heatwave, and had to go wherever it was cool, because at least it integrated character sheets etc and encouraged writing in scenes. These days, I mostly just use the iPad and Android tablet to brainstorm and plan on the go, not write, as such.

Writing when I was at work... okay, let's be honest, I surreptitiously wrote into email and sent it to myself.

(Interactive fiction: I use Twine to plan and draft and gradually work my way up to penultimate version text, Notepad++ to complete writing and code.)

ETA: OP, if you are struggling with organisation on Word (and heaven knows I feel you) and have a PC, yWriter 5 is a donation-ware cousin of Scrivener et. al. I have no personal experience, but I have heard that it has a much less steep learning curve, so it might be worth giving it a go to see if you prefer this kind of app.

Viridian · Dec 31, 2014

Scrivener for the first draft. Then Word.

Count me as another person singing praises about how perfect Scrivener is. Seriously, it changed everything. My writing process was shit before Scrivener.

Marlys · Jan 1, 2015

melindamusil said:
I use google docs most of the time. I like storing my data in the cloud, since I use at least 4 different devices on a daily basis. But functionally, you won't see any difference between google docs and word - it has the same challenges with organizing a story.

I do use legal pads sometimes, when I'm away from a wifi signal.

That shouldn't be necessary with Google Docs--it has a 'work offline' feature which will sync changes as soon as you get a signal again.

Jamesaritchie · Jan 1, 2015

Isobel Lindley said:
Scrivener. I wasn't convinced at all that I needed to switch from Word, but a couple of years ago my wife got me to trial Scrivener, and I would rather have needles under my thumbnail than go back. It's almost like a religious conversion. No more 39 random scrappy docs backed up by an Excel spreadsheet, and my research and notes separate! All replaced by lovely binders, cork boards and outlines!

I'm sure that if I had tried Storymill, Storyist or YWriter first, I would be gushing about them right now. It suspect it was moving from a word processor to something actually intended for long form writing that was the flash of light, not the specific app.

If I write at all on a tablet, I use Google Docs. I used to use Writer's App on iOS with a bluetooth keyboard when I was pregnant and had no air conditioning in a heatwave, and had to go wherever it was cool, because at least it integrated character sheets etc and encouraged writing in scenes. These days, I mostly just use the iPad and Android tablet to brainstorm and plan on the go, not write, as such.

Writing when I was at work... okay, let's be honest, I surreptitiously wrote into email and sent it to myself.

(Interactive fiction: I use Twine to plan and draft and gradually work my way up to penultimate version text, Notepad++ to complete writing and code.)

ETA: OP, if you are struggling with organisation on Word (and heaven knows I feel you) and have a PC, yWriter 5 is a donation-ware cousin of Scrivener et. al. I have no personal experience, but I have heard that it has a much less steep learning curve, so it might be worth giving it a go to see if you prefer this kind of app.

It's a matter of personal preference, and how you write. I've tried all those programs, and hated them. Especially Scrivener, though Ywriter was a close second in the hate department. There wasn't a single thing about Scrivener that I liked, and nothing I needed to do that I couldn't do easier and faster with Word.

But different writers write in different ways, and what suits one of us won't automatically suit any other writer.

Layla Nahar · Jan 1, 2015

I use pencil & paper and Microsoft Word. When I'm writing a novel (as opposed to a short story) I set up the layout so it looks like the printed page - I put the page setup to 'landscape', make two colums and choose a font size that will put about the same number of words on a page as the type of book I'm wanting to mimic (in terms of book length/word count).

J.S.Fairey · Jan 1, 2015

Um... I use Google Docs

*hides under table as chairs are flung at self*

melindamusil · Jan 1, 2015

Marlys said:
That shouldn't be necessary with Google Docs--it has a 'work offline' feature which will sync changes as soon as you get a signal again.

You are right, it is possible to work offline. For me, most of my time away from a wifi signal also happens to be inconvenient to carry a tablet - thus legal pads!

J.S.Fairey said:
Um... I use Google Docs

*hides under table as chairs are flung at self*

Word! Join me in the google docs weirdness!

*hides with J.S.*

Locke · Jan 1, 2015

Marlys said:
That shouldn't be necessary with Google Docs--it has a 'work offline' feature which will sync changes as soon as you get a signal again.

Since they bought out QuickOffice, Docs also has the capability to open and edit files which are on device storage. I prefer to do it this way, which means I can copy the file from my device onto any other machine and work on it. But if you don't need that functionality, setting a file to "Keep on this device" means just what's said above: it will allow you to edit offline on the device and it'll sync up the next time it has an internet connection.

It just annoys me somewhat that sometimes a file doesn't like to sync for some unknown reason (gives an error a few times a day that it was unable to sync a file, but won't tell you which one), but this happens to me with spreadsheets, not documents.

Also, I can't type an em-dash in Android without using a character map and pasting it, which is a stupid reason to be annoyed.

Fitch · Jan 2, 2015

LalaSant712 said:
Yes. I am terrible at keeping my story organized. I print out everything frantically and try to keep it all together in my binder.

When I am really desperate I use iBooks Author to put it into a more ideal format. But that generally doesn't work for the editing process.

I write the first draft and keep the story organized all the way to completion in WriteWay-Professional. It has a lot of features for organizing the document, research, characters, and future book ideas.

I do my final edit and send to beta readers in MS-WORD because of the revision tracking features. WriteWay communicates seamlessly back and forth to MS-WORD, so keeping the two in sync isn't a problem if one pays attention and uses a revision scheme in file names. There is no MAC version of WriteWay.

There are a bunch of similar writing software packages for the PC. Some with versions that work on PC and MAC. Most have free trials available.

If you use a MAC, which might be the case, there are several programs that offer similar organizational features for authors of novels or other book length projects. They are not expensive. Typically under fifty bucks. Scrivener is one of them, and it may be much better on the MAC than it is on the PC. The PC version (I have it) is the red-headed step child but the MAC version appears to have a lot of good features the PC version doesn't have. There are bunch of others for the MAC but I haven't used them.

Edited to add: All of the software mentioned has a learning curve. The investment in the software isn't the purchase price, it's the time spent learning to use it.

Fitch

BekkahSmith · Jan 2, 2015

I switched to writing first drafts in a notebook with a pen. The words just flow unlike staring at a blinking cursor. I then type/revise the second draft in Scrivener.

Marlys · Jan 2, 2015

Why are Google Docs people hiding? It does most of the things Word does, saves changes instantly, and retrieves earlier versions if you do something stupid like delete a whole chapter when you just meant to copy and paste it into another file. Er, not that I ever have or anything. And I can work on any device that can access Google Drive--computer, Kindle Fire, even phone in a pinch.

Yes, I finally did notice some slowing down as my WIP approached 100K words, but now that I'm editing that's less of an issue. To avoid it in the future, I might start a new doc when I get to about the halfway mark.

Google Docs rules!

Jamesaritchie · Jan 2, 2015

Marlys said:
Why are Google Docs people hiding? It does most of the things Word does, saves changes instantly, and retrieves earlier versions if you do something stupid like delete a whole chapter when you just meant to copy and paste it into another file. Er, not that I ever have or anything. And I can work on any device that can access Google Drive--computer, Kindle Fire, even phone in a pinch.

Yes, I finally did notice some slowing down as my WIP approached 100K words, but now that I'm editing that's less of an issue. To avoid it in the future, I might start a new doc when I get to about the halfway mark.

Google Docs rules!

Google Docs doesn't do several of the things I need Word to do, and is missing features I use daily, but I can see why many use it.

But that slowing down can be bad. I've had it freeze up completely with a long novel, or refuse to take more input, and I'm not about to use a separate document at the halfway point.

The thing is, I can also use the entire MS Office from anywhere, either the online version, or even the same one I have on my work computer. I can also share Word as easily as Google Docs shares, but with the same MS Office for the editor, and for me. I can even let the editor take over my computer, and watch changes being made in real time.

I suspect most writers try Google Docs, but if you have MS Office, and know how to use all its features, Google Docs becomes pretty useless.

Despite this, I still use it occasionally for very short pieces that an editor needs the same day, or even the next day.

Isobel Lindley · Jan 2, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
It's a matter of personal preference, and how you write. I've tried all those programs, and hated them. Especially Scrivener, though Ywriter was a close second in the hate department. There wasn't a single thing about Scrivener that I liked, and nothing I needed to do that I couldn't do easier and faster with Word.

But different writers write in different ways, and what suits one of us won't automatically suit any other writer.

Absolutely. That's one of the reasons donationware and trials are so fantastic; back in the days when, unless something was shareware, there was no choice but a big expensive box (or pirating, which I don't do), it was far harder to try things out and see if they meshed with your style. And I am hard to convince to part with money unless I'm sure it will help, so I'm sure I missed out on a lot. (Otoh, I cheerfully donate to donationware and sites I use a lot.)

Knowing that the OP struggles with keeping files organised, though, I suspect it's worth giving it a go for them. It really changed the way I write.

KTC · Jan 2, 2015

I will never use a program other than msword. It's all I need. I don't plot or organize or anything like that. I write one word after another after another. I stay away from gimmicky programs.

As for what I write on, that changed recently. I use my Samsung tablet coupled with a Microsoft universal Bluetooth keyboard. It's perfect. Fits in my murse for easy portability. I love it!

blacbird · Jan 2, 2015

Tonight I'm having trouble with the image of Charles Dickens asking Anthony Trollope what medium he used to write all those huge novels.

caw

Isobel Lindley · Jan 2, 2015

Hmm. Not so much gimmicky as purpose built, I would say.

Being able to keep my research and notes all neatly organised in a binder with my writing, where I can see and access them at all times, and rearrange scenes and see my structure and outline easily, or to snapshot versions for easy side by side comparison, or to readily label status on discrete sections of writing, or to compile easily to different formats, isn't merely gimmicky. To me, features like those are absolutely invaluable in staying focused and working on a project both at a high level and down in the nitty gritty detail; other people don't want or need that, obviously, depending on individual style. But it's a little unfair to call them gimmicks!

Evan Henry · Jan 2, 2015

Crack!

Oh, you meant software...

Word, with outlines typically done in Notepad just for simplicity's sake (otherwise I'll get distracted with headings--I obsess). I've tried some of the fancier programs that organize your notes for you, but they're not for me. Too many preferences and tabs for me to get distracted b--ooh, shiny!

KTC · Jan 3, 2015

Isobel Lindley said:
Hmm. Not so much gimmicky as purpose built, I would say.

Being able to keep my research and notes all neatly organised in a binder with my writing, where I can see and access them at all times, and rearrange scenes and see my structure and outline easily, or to snapshot versions for easy side by side comparison, or to readily label status on discrete sections of writing, or to compile easily to different formats, isn't merely gimmicky. To me, features like those are absolutely invaluable in staying focused and working on a project both at a high level and down in the nitty gritty detail; other people don't want or need that, obviously, depending on individual style. But it's a little unfair to call them gimmicks!

It's not at all unfair for me to call them gimmicky FOR ME. I don't do any of those things. I have never really researched. I don't organize. I don't rearrange scenes. I don't outline. I write the novel in one 72 hour sitting and I am finished. Anything that interferes with that process for me is gimmicky. I'm sure I was speaking only for myself though. So I will stay with calling all the bells and whistles programs gimmicky. FOR ME. Nobody need agree.

Whimsigirl · Jan 3, 2015

Word, preferably Word 2007. Don't love the newer versions.

Motley · Jan 3, 2015

Another Word user here.

I've tried yWriter, Scrivener, something called PageFour and other free trials. I actually own Scrivener and did try to write a NaNoWriMo novel in it one year.

They're all too fussy for my tastes.

My Mother gets a 2-computer license for the latest version of Office every year from her work for $3.95. I'm lucky.

Fitch · Jan 3, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
It's a matter of personal preference, and how you write. I've tried all those programs, and hated them. Especially Scrivener, though Ywriter was a close second in the hate department. There wasn't a single thing about Scrivener that I liked, and nothing I needed to do that I couldn't do easier and faster with Word.

But different writers write in different ways, and what suits one of us won't automatically suit any other writer.

The interface on Scrivener, at least the PC version, especially for formatting, is remarkably poorly designed. There are so many secret handshakes it drove me up a wall. Then there is the whole compile thing with secret codes in addition to secret handshakes. In terms of transparency, the application operating so intuitively that one wasn't aware of it any more than one would be aware of a pencil or pen, it was a complete failure.

I felt like there almost had to be a Stockholm Syndrome relationship between the user and the publisher to make it survivable.

But I never used the MAC version and it may be better.

I've used MS-WORD since the character/style sheet based version 1.0. It took some time getting used to the Windows version. When I finally got it figured out they changed the interface to suck up a bunch more screen with useless icons and screwed up menu groupings. The users that don't remember the early stuff (8 bit Z80 cpm machines, ram driven control-key WordStar on a dual floppy PC with a character based green screen, edlin to edit autoexec bat files) probably think the new menus are just fine but, in my opinion, they are slow and, because they require me to look at them, lack transparency by comparison.

Fitch

VeryBigBeard · Jan 3, 2015

blacbird said:
I excerpted this because I think it's an interesting matter for discussion. It might be a digression from the thread intent, though. I'll let others decide.

I do think that, for some, the medium does alter the product a bit, at least initially. I'm generally happier with my rough output in handwritten form than I am when I do it in a word-processor. I tend to produce cleaner, less wordy stuff that way. That probably is applicable just to me, and I don't mean to suggest it's the way things work for everybody.

But it is an interesting question.

caw

I liked this post and that you brought it up. I think I agree that it changes the writing a bit.

When I first started I wrote by hand because I did it only in short spurts between other things. I was probably too sparse and I always had to flesh out when I typed it up.

Now I've switched to writing on computer I'm more wordy by default and have to trim down. It's skewed because I switched pretty early and so learned and learn most of my writing practice on computer. That might just be me being more aware of where I'm being wordy.

I still go back to pen and paper when I get really stuck, though. And it almost always breaks the block.

--

As for writing programs, I use OpenOffice even though I'm increasingly annoyed with its compatibility and conversion problems. I tried LibreOffice and it did nasty things when trying to save so I stopped using it.

For organization I have an incomprehensible file and notation system that nobody else will ever understand but it works for me.

unionrdr · Jan 3, 2015

I use Open Office too. I had to get used to compatibility issues with Kindle though. I save my books as .doc files. MS word 97/2000/xp.doc seems to work pretty well. I just don't like how kindle messes up some things. Like the title page winding up on the same page as the chapter list, even though I used page breaks, etc. So it's more like Kindle needing tweaking than whatever program we use &/or how we set up pages to me?

Locke · Jan 3, 2015

Fitch said:
There is no MAC version of WriteWay.

Just a minor nit, Fitch, but "Mac" when referring to an Apple computer is not an acronym, unless you're talking about Media Access Control. It's originally an abbreviation of Macintosh, which Apple has embraced as a brand.

What do you write on?

writing as Eleanor Beresford

local good boy

Resist. Love. Go outside.

Seashell Seller

practical experience, FTW

Lost the instruction manual

Resist. Love. Go outside.

writing as Eleanor Beresford

Stand in the Place Where You Live

writing as Eleanor Beresford

Short story-ist, editor for hire.

Stand in the Place Where You Live

wishin' and hopin'

New kid, be gentle!

Preparing for winter

wannbe author

Lost the instruction manual