Thread: Software tools for writing fiction?

Hello all! Sorry if this has come up in the past, I can't find any thread on it though.
What software is good for starting to write a novel?
I have installed Dramatica Pro and Writers' Cafe. So far I am not blown away...
Is there anything better out there?

This is where we all sit back and wait for garza to come huffing and puffing along and saying Notepad is the only way to go.

Sorry, Freja, it's a local joke.


Seriously, all you need is a word processor, if you want to go electronic. But even pencil and paper is good. All those programs are scams.

It depends on what platform your on?
If using Windows there are many freeware apps for this such as here

StoryBook is very cool and free
Storybook - Open Source Novel Writing Software for Novelists, Authors and Creative Writers

and yWriter5
yWriter5 - Free novel writing software to help you write a book

If you use Linux such as I do there is my own creation PocketWriter OS which comes with alot of free software and many add-ons such as above
MULTIDISTRO.COM

also older is WritersWorldMaker
Welcome to the Frontpage

I'm with the Ox. You don't need anything more than a simple word processor. I can't imagine why anyone would need any special 'novel writing' software. It's not the tool, it's the workman.

Freja - It is possible I've mentioned this before, but the only software you really need for the writing itself is Notepad, which is a straight text editor without any formating tools. If you feel the need for a basic word processor then WordPad is a good choice. Both Notepad and WordPad come free with Windows.

For advanced formatting you need something like Microsoft Word. Word 2003 was the last easy verstion. Word 2010 has many advantages, but also has a steeper learning curve. Open Office Writer is similar to Word, but has some shortcomings of its own. It does have the advantage of being free.

Many people find programmes such as ywriter useful while others find they get in the way. Best thing is to try the ones that are free and see if such software helps you. Don't pay for anything without trying it first.

All that's important is the writing, the putting down of one word after another. No software can turn you into a writer, and as xO, to whom I owe an explanation and apology. says, pencil and paper will work just fine.

The reasons I don't use Notepad are as follows: One, it doesn't allow you to use curved quotation marks (it has those straight ones that are horrible-looking and won't revert to the normal style if you copy your work to another word processor). Two, you cannot justify. Everything is left-aligned, which is a nightmare when it comes to aligning your work for a printer. And three, it is severely limited on extras and options.

Despite what people might tell you, the best word processor is undoubtedly Microsoft Word. It's expensive, yes, but for the sheer amount of options it provides alone, it's well-worth the asking price. There are a wealth of extras and add-ons (like true hyphenation -- a hyphen at the end of a line if a word is too big -- mirror margins -- margins on opposite sides correspond -- and the ability to insert headers and footers).

Finally, if you are a self-publisher like me there is no better tool at your disposal than Microsoft Word 2010.

Sam - You want to be able to format as you write, so a text editor like Notepad is of no use to you. On the other hand, my habit is never to give any thought to formatting until writing and editing are completed, so the simplicity of a text eidtor is ideal. When the article is in final form it's time to copy and paste into Word and put the plain text into proper shape.

Word 2010 is not yet in my toolkit. In my last post '2010' should have been '2007'. Word 2010 is on the 'soon to get' list.

We disagree on one point. Considering what it will do, Microsoft Word is not expensive. In this case the old saying 'you get what you pay for' is true. Open Office is free, and apparently is useful for some people, but it seems a very poor substitute for Microsoft products. Bill Gates has always been in trouble over claims of monopoly, but that's because he and the software engineers who work for him consistently turn out the best products.

The continued huffing and puffing is in answer to those who look for software that will turn them into writers. Despite the claims of some software promoters, there is no such thing. Those who want to write need to know that. They need to divide their time between reading and practising their writing, using whatever tools they have available.

Five years at university were paid for using an Underwood Model Five built before 1930. A roommate one term said he wanted to be a writer but couldn't write because his parents would not buy him an electric typewriter.

The thing about Word is that you can't buy it on its own -- so far as I can tell. You have to buy the entire Office package. The student version, which costs £150, has Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote bundled along with it. Then there's the professional edition, which costs upwards of £400 and has Outlook, Access, and Publisher in addition to the other ones. None of them are beneficial to a writer (except maybe Publisher) so I bought the student version.

I do agree with you on your last point. No software is going to make you a better writer.

By the way, I wrote my entire first novel on Notepad. Ah, the memories.

The best deal is to get everything as a package - Windows, Office, everything - whenever you do a hardware upgrade, which for me is due now. I've not bought anything new for about two years, except for the Acer netbook, so the Office package will be only a small part of a much larger purchase. The only application in the package I don't use is Outlook. I like Thunderbird.

I'm waiting to make up my mind about what processor to use. I was all set to go with AMD's 965 until Dirk Meyer got tossed overboard Monday. The fellows at Intel must be laughing. Meyer brought AMD out of the shadows and made it profitable, and now he's been sent home. In my mind that casts a shadow over their product. I'll stay with Intel for another round.

You guys pay for Office? ROFL.

Darn right I pay for Office.

Having an original set of genuine Microsoft Windows and Office cd's on hand means never having to be out of service for more than a couple of hours and always able to get full online help and system updates direct from Microsoft. That's very much worth a few dollars when your livelihood depends on keeping a system fully operational 24-7.

Go for Open Office its free has far more features than MS Office you can download the whole package or buy a CD on-line for a single dollar !

Open Office is on this same computer, and all of the applications been tested, and none of them, in my opinion, are equal to the same type of applications in Microsoft Office. All of them have a rough, unfinished feeling. The word processor is a poor substitute for Word.

When I send formatted articles to a publisher I want to know that what I send is what the publisher gets. I don't have that assurance with Open Office. I would rather send the article unformatted, plain text, with formatting instructions sent separately, than to risk the formatting be distorted because of incompatibility. Open Office is free, but that's no advantage if it won't do the job properly.

Sorry, Open Office is far inferior to Microsoft Word. I know a lot of people like to use it because it's free, but it doesn't have one-tenth of the options Word does. But, as Garza said earlier, no writing software is going to make you a better writer. If all else fails, use Notepad. If you can't afford Word, use Open Office. The important thing is that you write.

Why can't we give folks just a little credit and assume they know that it's not the software that makes the writer? I mean come on, people.