software for writing books

[BookCat]

Surely the fact that RD is no longer being developed just means there will not be any other versions of it, nor any active support. If the developer is retiring it, is he going to delete all download links? If that's the case, but you still want to try it, and it's free, just download it while you can and have a play. To me, it looked like nothing more than a very basic word processor (when I downloaded the correct program to look at, rather than rambling on about the wrong one).

I couldn't find a help manual, which was a big downside. However, I haven't searched the program in the C drive.

[teh603]

Anyone got a good .txt editor for Android? I'm looking at jota, but I haven't been able to find much of anything on the topic. Its almost like nobody expects Android to be used for serious development and productivity.

[Freeshadow]

Iota seems to be the best IMO.
In addition a good keyboard is needed. The stock keyb sucks. I use SwiftKey 3 - got it when Google discounted one app every day; That makes the thing usable. A work setup is something wholly different.
Finger acrobatics as mouse replacement just isn't precise and fast enough.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Iota seems to be the best IMO.
In addition a good keyboard is needed. The stock keyb sucks. I use SwiftKey 3 - got it when Google discounted one app every day; That makes the thing usable. A work setup is something wholly different.
Finger acrobatics as mouse replacement just isn't precise and fast enough.

Absolutely!

A good keyboard and mouse are the best solution to text entry.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Iota seems to be the best IMO.
In addition a good keyboard is needed. The stock keyb sucks. I use SwiftKey 3 - got it when Google discounted one app every day; That makes the thing usable. A work setup is something wholly different.
Finger acrobatics as mouse replacement just isn't precise and fast enough.

Swiftkey is awesome. I use it on my Asus Android Tablet, wish I could use it on my iphone!

[teh603]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Iota seems to be the best IMO.
In addition a good keyboard is needed. The stock keyb sucks. I use SwiftKey 3 - got it when Google discounted one app every day; That makes the thing usable. A work setup is something wholly different.
Finger acrobatics as mouse replacement just isn't precise and fast enough.

I was planning on either getting a bluetooth keyboard, or an ASUS tablet with a keyboard dock.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by teh603

I was planning on either getting a bluetooth keyboard, or an ASUS tablet with a keyboard dock.

I have the Transformer TF101 (IMO, the best of the Android tablets at its release, but superseded by newer generations of course). The Dock is great, and the extra battery in it means I can go for insane amounts of time with out charging, but the keyboard is smaller then even my laptop keyboard so I find it a bit tough to do serious typing on.

For the on screen keyboard, nothing beats Swiftkey, IMO. I use the tablet about 50% of the time undocked for reading, and other tablet like uses. I have several non-free office type apps on it but no plain text editor.

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

I have several non-free office type apps on it but no plain text editor.

Would be iota then. Has syntax hl and a lot of the other bells and whistles one can nowadays expect from a more than rudimentary text editor.

[CWatkinsNash]

I just started using Scrivener again after not writing anything for months. Funny how some time away can make things fresh. When I first got it, I couldn't "see" how some of the features would work for me. Now I'm really getting into it beyond the basic "writing things in chunks" concept. Doing as much as possible from within Scrivener (importing research docs, attaching files) helps keep me "attached" to what I'm writing, making it less likely that I'll get swept off on a tangent.

My original concept started falling apart so I'm reworking it and starting over. Now I'm trying to make myself get in the habit of using tags and labels NOW before I have too much stuff in the project.

[nobylspoon]

I have used Celtx in the past and really enjoyed it. Although it is more geared towards screenwriting, it has presets for novels and other formats as well. The character development tools are a big help. The paid version is only $15 ($10 sale right now) and they also have a free version.

https://www.celtx.com/dlDesktop.html

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by nobylspoon

I have used Celtx in the past and really enjoyed it. Although it is more geared towards screenwriting, it has presets for novels and other formats as well. The character development tools are a big help. The paid version is only $15 ($10 sale right now) and they also have a free version.

https://www.celtx.com/dlDesktop.html

+1 for Celtx. I've been using it for ages. My only problem is that I've been using it for screenwriting for so long that when I fire it up I can't get my brain out of "script mode". But for those who don't have my hangups, I definitely recommend trying it out for things other than screenwriting.

[VydorScope]

No matter what I try, I keep coming back to MS Word. I dunno. Something about just typing the story in (with grammar/spelling help) with just a blank page works for me. I have a notes doc, and my story doc. I have been using word processors since the early 80's (remember the ones where you had the tinny LCD to work with? glorified typewriter really?) and I guess I am just stuck.

Since its is only $50 for the Office Suite (as a student), its not even cost prohibitive. Maybe some day I will see the light?

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

No matter what I try, I keep coming back to MS Word. I dunno. Something about just typing the story in (with grammar/spelling help) with just a blank page works for me. I have a notes doc, and my story doc. I have been using word processors since the early 80's (remember the ones where you had the tinny LCD to work with? glorified typewriter really?) and I guess I am just stuck.

Since its is only $50 for the Office Suite (as a student), its not even cost prohibitive. Maybe some day I will see the light?

You are just doing it the way chaos magicians do:
Use whatever works best for you personally instead of bending your visualisation to someone others patterns.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

No matter what I try, I keep coming back to MS Word. I dunno. Something about just typing the story in (with grammar/spelling help) with just a blank page works for me. I have a notes doc, and my story doc. I have been using word processors since the early 80's (remember the ones where you had the tinny LCD to work with? glorified typewriter really?) and I guess I am just stuck.

Since its is only $50 for the Office Suite (as a student), its not even cost prohibitive. Maybe some day I will see the light?

If it works for you, you're not stuck.

I, on the other hand, am apparently allergic to properly using word processors. Word, OOo, doesn't matter. If I need to draft a "normal" text document, I usually use Notepad++ then sling it into Publisher for formatting. I do use Word, when the document requires it, but for anything longer than a page I start freaking out a bit. I know, I'm weird, but it's probably because my entry into the business world started with Pagemaker (later InDesign) and project management software. For my current job, things like training documents start in One Note and migrate to Publisher.

I'm so dreading the day I have to submit to Smashwords. Of course, at the rate I'm going, by that time maybe they'll take direct ebook format uploads. I can dream, anyway.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

[...]I'm so dreading the day I have to submit to Smashwords. Of course, at the rate I'm going, by that time maybe they'll take direct ebook format uploads. I can dream, anyway.

I've been thinking about this (since my current process produces carefully made epubs). From what I've been reading here and elsewhere, most sales for my genre will come from Amazon anyway. So when I'm ready I will publish direct to Amazon and anywhere else that lets me control the format, and Smashwords can ... well, they can just be ignored until they learn that one size doesn't always fit all.