Software for Writing

[havant]

Have you looked at Jarte? I started with the free version and then went for the paid version ($20). For me a great way to input text. Minimal distracting stuff at the top and easy to setup just the way you want it. Default output is RTF which can be read by an other decent word processor.

I have MS Word, Libre, Open Office, Scrivner and several other programs but none works for me like Jarte Plus.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

I use LibreOffice (a spinoff of open office) exclusively for my writing. It does everything I need, save for proper file name versioning. Beyond that I have no issues with it. I just have to be disciplined enough to properly do my own manual versioning. Beyond that, it does everything I need.

Since I do software development I have my own Subversion server and I use TortoiseSVN for access from Windows File Explorer. When I first moved my writing projects under Subversion control I was pleasantly surprised to find that TortoiseSVN will show load differences into LibreOffice (and presumably OpenOffice) as file comparisons. A very neat way to discover what you've changed between versions of a file, and with the commit log it's a neat way to track what you've been doing. ... Just in case you're interested.

[BookCat]

For writing away from home, I strongly suggest buying an AlphaSmart Neo. These will run for about 700 hours on 3 AA batteries and are extremely portable. You just write on it, then when you get home you can attach it to your computer via usb, put the cursor in your chosen word processor, or notepad and press the Send button: then watch it type onto your screen.
They're no longer made, but you can pick up a second hand one fairly cheaply from ebay.

For computer programs, I recommend three, only one of which is free. Scrivener, The Novel Factory (Windows and online only) and FocusWriter (free). Take a look at them and see what you think. The first two have trial versions, FocusWriter, which is also multi-platform, doesn't need one.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by BookCat

For writing away from home, I strongly suggest buying and AlphaSmart Neo. These will run for about 700 hours on 3 AA batteries and are extremely portable. You just write on it, then when you get home you can attach it to your computer via usb, put the cursor in your chosen word processor, or notepad and press the Send button: then watch it type onto your screen.

I second this. Even if you're at home the AlphaSmart Neo allows you to write without worrying about format. For me the writing process and the formatting process are often separate because, if I do them together, I worry how my document looks instead of worrying about getting the words down. Formatting comes with the editing process. If I'm not at home, I've found that I can save what I write in the AlphaSmart by sending it to my Fire Tablet (I copy it into Simplenote, and then it's available on my desktop or laptop). I use Simplenote because, unlike Evernote, it's just straight text, which means it flows into your word processor. You'll need an OTA USB adapter for connecting the AlphaSmart to your Fire. You can also use the the AlphaSmart to type directly into Simplenote (or another text editor, like JotterPad). Or you can get a cheap BlueTooth keyboard to work with the Fire.

If I'm at home I usually use Jstar (a text editor with WordStar keystrokes). And then, if I want to "prettify" my text, I'll copy it into LibreOffice Write, which can save in Microsoft .doc or docx format. There's a ton of good (free) choices.

As for Scrivener ... I've tried to like it, but it seems overly complex for me. I think you would have to be a much more disciplined outliner than I am to really make use of its features. But a lot of people love Scrivener and it's really not that badly priced.

[Gregg Bell]

I love these word processing threads. I want to try every suggestion! My contribution for organizing is Tomboy Notes. So easy to keep track of characters, scenes, etc. And I mean easy. Some of these Scrivener things are just too complicated for me.

https://lifehacker.com/5839633/tombo...-all-platforms

[BookCat]

Gregg, I really like the look of Tomboy Notes, but the installation process is so complex I became suspicious. Are you sure that download is safe?

[GERGE]

To everyone interested in this topic, I strongly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Track-Changes.../dp/0674417070

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Gregg, I really like the look of Tomboy Notes, but the installation process is so complex I became suspicious. Are you sure that download is safe?

BookCat, I got it through Ubuntu (Linux) and so that was safe. (My operating system is Linux.) I didn't even know that Tomboy Notes was available on Windows and Mac and was surprised to find the link I included in my last post.

And yeah, now I looked at some of the Windows installation instructions and they're pretty complicated.

Not being super techie myself, I can't vouch for any particular download being safe. You'd have to just do the due diligence thing when it comes to downloading any new software.

Wish I could tell you more. Perhaps somebody here knows more?

[BookCat]

Gregg, thanks for the information. I watched some videos about it and I have similar software. Treepad Lite is the one which immediately springs to mind. I rarely use this, but it is free if the OP is interested. http://www.treepad.com/

[gmw]

BookCat, I looked at the instructions for Tomboy on Windows. All the pieces are legitimate, so I am pretty sure it is safe enough - but it is rather messy, and I prefer to stay away from messy installs.

(If you happen to use virtual machines you can use snapshots to let you take a look at such things without committing to them, and void lots of the concerns about safety ... but this gets messy too, until you learn your way around using them.)