Tools for Writers

[Mickey Finn]

This is a place to post nifty software for writers.

This is my favorite so far:
http://www.ravensheadservices.com/

Great for organizing, very configurable, works on Mac & PC, website has great demos and the download is fully functional to try out yourself (except you can't actually save work).

Mac users apparently have something else that's extremely kickass but will never be made for PC.

[RobJN]

Mac users apparently have something else that's extremely kickass but will never be made for PC.

That might be Scrivener: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html


That's it! - Mickey

[Starbeam]

That might be Scrivener: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html


That's it! - Mickey

Along with this(for Macs), there's also Jer's Novel Writer which has similar features, though not the corkboard, and also has a sidebar where you can use/customize margin notes for editing and such. 

[Yeratel]

For the stuff I've written, the tools for outlining, story boards, and first drafts have always been yellow legal pads, a box of rollerball pens, and PostIt notes for rearranging things. Ideas just seem to flow more freely through a pen on paper, for me, at least. Once it's actually out of my head and in my hands, then the PC word processor can do the spell checking and final editing and revisions. Kind of old fashioned, I guess, but when I first started writing research papers and short stories, I had an Underwood manual typewriter, and I only wanted to have to type up the final revision once.

[Murphy's Stunt Double]

I like it!

I've actually decided to start writing the novel that has been stewing around in my head for almost 20 years, and I want to go about it in a business-like way. In the past, I've just started writing and "discovered" the story as it came out, but that's never really worked to get a finished product for me. I get lost in the story, editing, revising, etc.

I'm thinking of trying the suggestions in Jim's blog, but I wonder if there's other suggestions you all might have for me?

[Jen'ari]

Oh very cool!

[RobJN]

I like it!

I'm thinking of trying the suggestions in Jim's blog, but I wonder if there's other suggestions you all might have for me?

Linkage to this?

[Murphy's Stunt Double]

Linkage to this?

http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/

[Starbeam]

I like it!

I've actually decided to start writing the novel that has been stewing around in my head for almost 20 years, and I want to go about it in a business-like way. In the past, I've just started writing and "discovered" the story as it came out, but that's never really worked to get a finished product for me. I get lost in the story, editing, revising, etc.

I'm thinking of trying the suggestions in Jim's blog, but I wonder if there's other suggestions you all might have for me?

I've yet to actually get anything finished, mostly because I'm always finding myself distracted by family/work/exercise/reading/etc, and find it difficult to isolate myself and ignore everything enough to focus.  I've tried some of the suggestions on the blog, up to getting my b/f's mom to help make my own version of the story arc(will post a pic tomorrow), and I've been trying to follow my b/f's idea of writing from beginning to end to just get the story out, instead of going back and rewriting then moving on.  I tend to do the discovery sort of thing, too.  Probably not very helpful in the way of suggestion, though, huh?

About the best thing I can suggest, which I need to do myself, is just write.  Find whatever program/paper/thing works best for you, block yourself off from everything if you can, and write.  And try not to let yourself get distracted too much.  I find that I start to get something like stir crazy when I go a long time without writing, and then have trouble getting back into it.

[Murphy's Stunt Double]

One of my worst problems in the early days was that I'd get an idea, and as long as I could write straight through, I could follow it. As soon as I stopped and went to sleep, I couldn't get it back.

[Persephone]

Another writing tool that my writing partner turned me on to by google.
www.mywritingnook.com IT's free and saves your work to an online server you can access from any PC.
They also have an iphone app. IT may not be the most SECURE thing, if you're worried about copywright or privacy, but at least it puts it somewhere that A) you can access from any computer if you aren't near your usual harddrive. and 2) you can use it as a backup server then should lightning or virus strike you won't lose your work.

Starbeam... I have the same problem. I've been working on my major fiction for almost two years now, and between my toddler, keeping the house running, and the times I just lose all creative desire. It is SO hard to keep up on it.
Honestly my biggest fear isn't that I won't get it done, it's that I'll get my first book published, and never be able to finish the rest of the series.

[Mickey Finn]

This looks incredible, if it takes off: http://offthebookshelf.com/

PC demo: http://links.mkt230.com/ctt?kn=13&m=4391826&r=Njg3NTMwMjk0S0&b=0&j=MTU0NzkzNTYwS0&mt=1&rt=0

Mac Demo: http://links.mkt230.com/ctt?kn=12&m=4391826&r=Njg3NTMwMjk0S0&b=0&j=MTU0NzkzNTYwS0&mt=1&rt=0

[Mickey Finn]

SCRIPTWRITERS: http://scriptfrenzy.org/eng/overview

Writer's Resources
Writing Software
Library
Script Examples
Intro to Screenwriting
How to Format a Screenplay
How to Format a Stage Play
Intro to Playwriting
Intro to TV Writing
How to Format a TV Script
Intro to Comic Books
How to Format a Comic Book
Finding Local Writers
Flyers For Downloading
Writer Maps

[Mickey Finn]

Why you shouldn't use MS Word to Write a novel: http://shevdon.com/tools-for-writing-1

(Note: It's not Anti-Word or Anti-MS, just the reasons why Word is dangerous for novel writing)

[Murphy's Stunt Double]

So what *does* he recommend?