New answers tagged software
3
You need to install a foreign dictionary
Microsoft Word can use multiple custom dictionaries to check the
spelling of your documents. A custom dictionary allows you to
supplement the main dictionary with additional words, such as names,
specialized technical terms, foreign words or alternative spelling of
some words.
You can buy foreign ...
2
I'm writing something similar to what you describe (a "War of Worlds" in a SciFi setting with a horrific number of characters, plots, cultures, and locations).
With the risk of being a bit off topic, I am going to list the tools I use and how I use them. I'll also talk about some things I've realized while working on this project with regards to keeping ...
1
I'd really recommend you try the Novel Factory.
Disclosure - this is my product.
It's designed to handle a lot of the data side of things about novel writing, and also provide a lot of useful hints and guidance to new writers.
Add characters and locations
You can easily add a character by clicking a button and filling in the various fields, and same for ...
0
Yes, there is!
At least for the writer who must control complex sets of characters.
My stories are typically complex (hundreds of characters inter-connected) and very focused on inter-personal interactions (gossiping is used as a way for the main characters to get precious information to reach their goals). I need to keep track of appearance, family ...
2
Consider Vim
I believe you can do almost all of this in Vim without too much work if you're willing to get your hands dirty writing mappings and maybe functions in a .vimrc, installing a few plugins, and setting up the folders.
Formatting support (basically RTF level, no need for super-fancy
stuff)
You can write in LateX or Markdown or one of the ...
1
Something that may do SOME of what you want (the "binding" of character to event is what made me think of it) is ARCHIVOS.
Basically, you create story elements (people, places, events), and then declare the relationships between them. Things display in a "storyweb", timeline, and map.
It's free to have an account for one "world". More info on how to set ...
1
TeX was an example of a software developer doing exactly that!
Donald Knuth got frustrated when a reprint of one of his textbooks wasn't formatted the same as before. The printer had upgraded to new software, and it didn't do things the same way. Knuth thought that was absurd, and decided to write his own text layout engine. He figured it'd take him a ...
1
I think a lot of writers miss out by not giving vim a try. In other questions people make lists of ideal features they'd like, such as linking scenes, better dictionary integration with various services, etc. The thing is: you can do all of that with vim given enough customization. Each of these could be plugins or even just functions in a .vimrc on ...
1
I'd really like better plotting software.
What I'm struggling to find is a true timeline plotter. There are other options out there (Plottr and Save The Cat) but they're either too basic -- you can't print from Plottr or export to Scrivener and even the Word export is poor -- or they're too complex and designed for writers who don't know how to plot and ...
1
I work with VSCode for yaml and json, vi for config files and word for writing. I like Word for its simplicity, modern design, Grammarly, gramma check, showing me A4 paper, and easy synchronise with one drive so I can edit on the go.
In terms of if we need another writing software? Maybe, but if someone could develop another addon/IDE for writers that it ...
7
I thought I might offer a perspective from the point of view of a writer who is a creator of novel writing software.
When I first started out writing, like you, I thought that there was no good software for writers that helped me be more produtive and offered useful, writer oriented tools. I did of course come across Scrivener, but I found the learning ...
5
No, I think there are lots of good writing tools to choose from. Also, as I think editing is as much a part of the act of writing, I've included two editing tools.
So, here are my favourite editing and writing tools after a career as a professional writer/editor:
Editing tools I'd recommend
Stylewriter is an excellent tool to check what rules you have ...
9
Software developers don't ever work in text editors,
I'll challenge your premise. I know plenty of highly successful software developers who do not use IDEs, but standard editors; sometimes even only with very limited, basic functionality.
Why don't writers use similarly advanced writing environments full of writing assistance tools, text analysis, and ...
1
I've written two (and a third) novels in Scrivener. It lets me keep everything I used to accumulate in (actual) file folders and note cards a click away: research, old versions, web links, photos, whatever my workflow requires.
I also use Grammarly & writersdiet.com as I'm writing to give me a different view of my work in progress. I don't let them ...
1
I use a lot of tools: Microsoft Word; Grammarly; Language Tool; ProWritingAid; WordWeb; Poet Assistant (for synonyms); OED online; Google.
One difference between writing code and writing a novel is that the former has to be syntactically correct to work, and for that I love a good IDE. Sentences in a novel have to be interesting rather than correct.
1
My bestie, when converting Ebooks, is Calibre.
I use it mainly to load .epub files on my Kobo (usually converting from .pdf or .doc).
You have so many options to control formatting. You can also export to .mobi and view it on your Kindle if you own one (or also just check the given preview).
Calibre also has an integrated reader for Ebooks.
Hope this can ...
3
There are some (primarily for screenwriters), and they focus mostly on structure and planning:
https://store.savethecat.com/pages/save-the-cat-4
https://www.writersstore.com/trubys-blockbuster-screenplay-structure-software/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/big-news-introducing-outlining-novel-workbook-computer-program/
47
IDE-like tools exist for writers. Scrivener is a powerful general-purpose tool (also with questions here). Madcap Flare, aimed at technical writers, has good support for updating links, defining "snippets" (xinclude blocks, essentially), variables, conditionalization, advanced build options, and more. Arbortext Epic is another tool in that vein. There ...
3
iBooks Author creates e-books in EPUB for the Apple Store. But AFAIK (I haven't used it) you can export your iBooks Author e-book as a PDF.
POD (Print On Demand) companies like IngramSpark will take a PDF and convert it to print for you.
However, most authors will use apps like Vellum, InDesign or PressBooks to create their e-book and then upload the ...
2
This discussion may convey that it's not possible through Apple.
Then this article written in April 2018, by Rohi Shetty provides some insights:
Read This Before Publishing Your First E-Book! :
You can use KDP Print (Beta) or Createspace for creating and
distributing print books. Publishing a paperback can help you reach
new readers. KDP prints ...
1
My tip to you is to come up with an template. You can get creative with it, but it's the only way that you can stay organized. List the title, a section for the characters, and then, depending on your structure (3-arch etc.), a layout for your story scenes. Even if it's just a loose template, it will work.
7
There are many ways of outlining. Here's a suggestion for those who have 'outline allergies'.
Write the first chapter (or the first two). This will get you inside the skin of the characters and will get you excited.
Now, pause and make a list of the main things you want to happen. Don't be detailed, but feel free to add a few details if they come to you.
...
1
Seequill (seequill.net) is not free but it's pretty close ($30/year). I think you'd find it hard to find a free version online, unless you don't mind it being plastered with ads. But I have been very happy with Seequill. It's got a very clean interface. You can do the basics of what Scrivener can do (reorder scenes and chapters, etc.) plus it lets you store ...
4
There are a number of reasons why plain text is still fairly common in a number of industries.
Portability
Standard ASCII text files can be opened and written to by a staggering number of computer systems, to the point where you're going to be hard pressed to find a working computer that can't work with them at this point.
This remains surprisingly ...
0
Here's one I found on a list of tips for podcasting educators (sorry I can't find the link) -- Google Voice -- Basically call your own GoogleVoice number, and play a few minutes of your podcast into it. You'll get email with a transcript of the "message." Repeat until complete, and while it'll still need editing, they say it's better than many other bots.
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