Category: The Write Software

The Write Software: WriteWay

Published by Troy Lambert on October 29, 2013

If you have followed this series at all you know that I have my software favorites, and I’m not shy about saying so. Also you know that I try to evaluate these programs fairly, based on how affordable they are, how easy they are to learn, and how well they work. In most cases, I highly recommend you download demos when possible, and try the programs for yourself.

These creative writing programs do not replace your word processor. They are merely tools to enhance your ability to create. None of them write your book for you, and editing and formatting are best done in programs set up for that purpose. There are some better suited to writers and the way their brains work than others. WriteWay is one of those, although as you will see it is more suited to outliners than those of you who are “pantsters.”

Affordability: WriteWay Pro runs about $35-$40 although the reason for the timing of these posts is NaNo is right around the corner, and if you follow their posts and join the event on their website, you will often get discount offers on this and other programs (although you should have already been prepping for Nano. See this post from Kristen Lamb for more on preparing). This falls right in line with other software, including the one I use the most, Scrivener. It is less expensive than Character Writer which we explored here, but does not have the same features.

Learnability: The user interface on this program is very intuitive. The ribbon includes tabs for scenes, story boarding, characters, composition, research, and more. These pop open in separate windows that you can move and resize, allowing you to still work on your manuscript while viewing them, although the split screen is not as intuitive as it should be, and the placement of the windows sometimes less than ideal. That being said, one of the greatest features of this program is a word count/goal tracker.

Clicking on this pops out a separate window like the one above. It allows you to set goals, both daily and overall, and tracks progress for you. To see where you really are for NaNo? This is a fantastic tool, and will either keep you on target or drive you to drink. As an author, either way you win!

One minor issue in this category is user support. The program makers do not have the best support system, there are not many forums online, and sometimes help just isn’t—well, that helpful. If you are a nerd like me, that’s okay. Most of the time you can figure it out. If you aren’t you might want to factor the help or lack thereof into your purchase.

Compatibility. Here is the Achilles heel of this software. You can save your work in some common formats, but there is no offering of this software for Mac. No, you did not read that wrong. A creative writing software that will not work on your Mac or the popular portable platform the iPad? Yep, unless you are also running Windows on your Mac (something we discussed here) you are out of luck.

The End (so to speak). So is this software worthwhile? Well it could be, but for the money features and support are somewhat limited. However, if you like the format, and it helps you be more productive creatively, it could be a good fit for you. My official recommendation? Look around the website, and download the demo here. Try if for a bit, and see what you think.

Just do it before NaNo. I catch you wasting your writing time playing with software in November, you may be in trouble.

Until next time.

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The Write Software: Comments and Track Changes

Published by Troy Lambert on October 28, 2013

Over the past number of posts, I’ve stressed the importance of Track Changes and Comments as desirable features in your word processor. It is one of the main reasons I like Microsoft Word, especially for editing. Sometimes authors and business professionals look at me and ask: What are Comments and Track Changes and how do I use them? So what follows is a brief explanation and instruction manual. Once you know these things are available it is hard not to use them.

Comments: Comments are a way to pass notes back and forth, like sticky notes posted to certain sections or even words in a manuscript. So open your copy of word, and click on the review tab. You will see this:

You’ll notice in the screenshot above that I left myself a comment. I amused myself, and wanted to let myself know. (No comments from you, I know I’m schizophrenic but so am I) The comment box shows who made the comment, and when. This is a part of the document’s Meta Data.

Also take note that Track Changes is highlighted showing that it is active, and that the drop down box next to it says “All Markup”, the one below it says “Show Markup”. The one below that one that says “Reviewing Pane” we will look at later. Under those menus, you have options. For Markup you can choose from the menu No Markup, Simple Markup, or All Markup. All Markup is the best, because it shows changes and comments both you and the person you are working with on the other end make.

Under Show Markup you can choose what you want the program to show you, from specific people, format changes, etc. Most of the time you want to show everything from everyone. There are few instances where you may not want everything visible, but most users will rarely encounter these. If this is confusing to you, just leave everything checked, including comments and balloons.

Now look at the screenshot below. You can see that I have made a change: I confused “you’re” with “your” and caught it. I also left myself a comment. Notice that I can “see” what I changed, just as you will be able to see what your editor has changed. This way you do not have to compare the file they send you with the one you sent them. The differences show up usually in red, but sometimes blue. This lets you know what they changed, but it does something much more important.

You can accept or reject the change. Often editors make what we call “editorial suggestions.” These are not grammar or punctuation issues, but “rewording” of phrases or sentences that we think make your work stronger, sound better, or just work better for us. You can “reject” these changes. There are two ways to do this: you can hover your cursor over the area, right click, and then a dialogue box appears. Click on “accept insertion/deletion” to accept or on “reject” to reject. (Don’t worry, I’ve been rejected plenty of times)

Or you can turn on the Reviewing Pane. You can do this vertically or horizontally like I have done here. This shows you all the changes that have been made in the document, who made them, and when. Clicking on one of these changes in the reviewing pane takes you to that place in the document, and then you can either accept or reject that change using the accept/reject buttons up on the ribbon.

That’s a simple overview of these features. You can readily see from these examples how useful these can be. So why does the program you are using matter? Don’t many programs have these features?

Yes, they do. But if you and your editor or collaborator are using different programs, these advanced features may not translate. Why? This is due to coding, or the way these features are programmed. Microsoft especially is very proprietary about their programming, because they want you (and all of the business world) to keep buying and using their products.

Some programs do not have either of these features, and some have only one or the other. Alternatives to Word and Office are emerging (Most notably from Google) and we will explore some of those as we go along. But for now there’s your less on for the day. Play with these features, and learn to use them. In the long run they will become some of your best software friends.

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The Write Software: Character Writer

Published by Troy Lambert on October 17, 2013

Character Writer is currently in its 3.1 version, and while it will also help you organize your writing, it has some other very impressive features. It was my first foray in to the Writer Organization/Character Creation software.

Affordability: This software runs $69.99 normally, but you can often find it on sale and it is often offered at a discount during NaNoWriMo, at writers’ conferences, etc. You can download a trial version here with no time limit on its use, however some portions of the program are disabled, such as saving and printing. This does give you opportunity to see if this is something you might use. Sound a bit pricey? Read on.

Learnability: The opening screen looks like this:

The User Interface is fairly intuitive. This software is primarily designed to help you flesh out your characters. How does it do that? It uses a method called Enneagram which is used by psychiatrists and psychologists to define the details of people’s character. Enneagram divides people’s personalities into nine distinctive categories with two subcategories in each. This allows you to explore the psychology of your character by adding disorders and distinctive traits. The program then helps you by providing editable details about that person and how they would react to everyday situations. It also assists you in predicting how they would interact with other characters in similar circumstances. Plot ideas? Subplot ideas? You get them here.

Don’t have an idea for a character? Hit the Generate Instant Character Button. Now you have a basic character sketch with a name and some randomly generated details. Fairly useful for minor characters like Star Trek Red Shirts.

The Generate Story Points will create a possible scenario for your character, thus generating plot ideas for you. Don’t like that idea? Click again and create another story idea, or customize it with your own details.

Compatibility: This is a writing tool. This is not a word processor replacement, nor is it designed to be the place where you create your story. It can be a good companion, but exports and imported text are converted to rtf format. Your italics and clever spacing from your Word doc? Gone. That isn’t always a bad thing, but something you need to be aware of. The built in “fully featured” word processor is far from “fully functional” but that’s not your primary reason to purchase. This is a creativity platform best suited in aiding and finding inspiration.

Bottom Line: Is it worth it? I’ve tried dozens of “clever” software for various purposes. This one works as promised, I still own and use it. If you have trouble fleshing out those minor characters or if you just want an easier way to do it, this software is right for you. The time and effort it may save you will in the long run pay for itself. Watch the video below for an overview.

Now get out there and sell some books. You need to earn $70. (Watch for the NaNo special offers. It is how I got mine). Until next time.

Character Writer 3.1 Overview from Writers Store on Vimeo.

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The Write Software: Organizing your Writing With Software

Published by Troy Lambert on October 11, 2013

As writers, NaNoWriMo will soon be upon us, and inevitably software companies offer free trials and reduced software prices to us in the hope we will switch to using their software as our primary writing platform, and tell our friends about it as well.

These types of software help you organize your ideas, character sketches, plot outlines, and sometimes offer distraction free writing interfaces designed to keep you focused on creating. So how are these different from Word Processors like Word, Pages, or the OpenOffice equivalent?

This software are not a replacement for your Word Processor. Why? Well, if you have been following this series, you already know that programs lie Word, Pages, and OpenOffice offer powerful features that are unmatched in other programs. The majority of writer organization tools are just that: they help the writer stay organized. When it comes time to format for submission or publishing, you still need features offered by a Word processor, and you will need some of those advanced features to work with your editor and publisher. So why bother with these?

Research. Organization programs keep your research at your fingertips, so there is no need to keep several documents or especially those always distracting browser windows open. This also allows you to go “paperless” with your research and scene notes. Often these are contained on “digital” notecards easily accessed from a single program. No need for corkboard everywhere, or an overly cluttered desk.

Organization. These “cards” can be sorted by subject, title, and type, thus keeping them easy to find in the digital “piles” where you put them. Instead of minutes spent shuffling through them, often they can be accessed in seconds, giving you the potential to be more productive. Entire documents and otherwise organized scenes remain at your fingertips. No more searching your hard drive (or worse, your file cabinet) for them.

Continuity. You named that minor character Cindy in Chapter One, but now in Chapter Thirteen, she feels like a Mandy. She had blue eyes, but now they are brown. And what color was her hair anyway? Her eyes? You could flip back to Chapter One in your single word processing file, or if you have saved each chapter as a single file, you could open that file and look there. Or you may have created “Character Sketch” files. You could open that and look. Or even more old school, you created note cards. Where did you put them? Or you could click on the character sketch in your organization software, and look there. Seconds later, you have your answer, and you can keep writing without interrupting the flow, or with nagging questions in your mind distracting you from moving the plot forward.

Write out of order. Got a great idea for a scene? Suddenly know the ending? No need to open another document. Simply write it in a new scene in your organization software and save it for when you need it. No need to name the file cleverly, or even remember what you named it and where you stashed it. When you are done, go right back to where you were writing before your muse ran down a rabbit trail.

Sounds good right? It does. There are many programs out there, and many software designers willing to take your money. But some of them are better than others, and some will work well for you and not for others either. I have my favorite, and we’ll look at that one and the many others along the way.

We’ll evaluate them much the same as we have software already: affordability, learnability, but above all functionality: specifically what does it do for you, and does it do it in a way that helps rather than hinders your process.

Stay tuned. We’ll evaluate CharacterWriter, WriteWay, Page Four, and my favorite, Scrivener.

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The Write (Mac) Software: Microsoft Word vs. Pages

Published by Troy Lambert on October 10, 2013

Through the process described in earlier posts, you’ve chosen Mac over PC, or perhaps you already have one. You‘ve looked at OpenOffice, and decided it’s not right for you. But Mac has this great app, very affordable, and it’s a pretty damn good software. You’re right! And then again. . . Affordability. Pages appears to win hands down. For $20 you own it. That being said, Pages is just a word processing app, like Word, but not part of a larger Office suite. Spreadsheet, Presentations, and other software similar to Office is offered in the Mac store, each at about $20. If you buy each app from Apple you will spend nearly the same as an equivalent Office suite. This is another situation where it’s necce3ssary to evaluate what you need, and what you’ll actually use. You can price Pages and Office for Mac software here. Learnability. Pages is very intuitive, and excellent software. It is easy to use: if you are a long time Word user you will be navigating effortlessly within minutes. I tested it at a local Mac store, and was quickly impressed. Adapting to the controls should be very easy, especially if you already use other Mac based programs. The User Interface and menus are good, but the program is not overly cluttered, and the controls do not detract from its primary purpose: word processing. A side note: if you are creating documents for presentation or research, Word leaps ahead with additional functionality, and better shapes and templates. For the straight fiction writer, it will suit your needs well. Compatibility. Is Pages compatible with Word? Yes! To a point. The only places it loses on are the same advanced features where other software is not compatible. Track changes and comments do not translate between the two programs. Again, as both an editor and an author, and someone who works with governments and businesses who are staunchly PC, I need those advanced features to translate. Do you? Well, you might at some point. What I have found with compatibility is this: the more professional environments you find yourself in, the more you need the advanced features and compatibility of Word and other Office components. There are other options, to be explored later. If you like Pages there may be no issue with you using it as your primary writing software. Conclusion: What do you need? This is a constant debate. Need vs. Want. Office has excellent suites that are compatible with Mac, and if you find yourself in the business world, and moving toward a more professional writing career, this may be the answer for you. But to be fair, for writing and word processing? Pages can be a great choice, especially on portable devices such as the iPad and Macbook Air. However, at the moment Microsoft has a strong hold on the business world. Pages may work for you now, but until corporate America changes you may need Office at some point. More on that in another post.

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The Write Software: Which Office is Write for You?

Published by Troy Lambert on September 30, 2013

So you’ve taken the plunge, and decided that Office is right for you. At least for some things. We’ll get to specific writing software later. Perhaps you already have Office 2010, or even the earlier version from 2003. You unbox your new computer, or open your new laptop, and decide to visit Microsoft Office’s new website, and find this on the products page:

Office 365? Office 2013? What’s wrong with my old Office 2010? What do I do now? It depends on what you need and what you want.

Affordability:

Office 365: How many machines do you plan to use Office on? Office 365 (Microsoft page here) can be loaded on up to 5 machines. This suite of Office (what I am using right now in a trial version) is an attempt by Microsoft to push Cloud computing: the idea being that then portable devices will not require as much memory, and you can work on even smaller devices, including your mobile phone. You do not have to put documents in the Cloud (your sky drive) but you can. This enables you to access them on any device that has Skydrive installed. (This is the Microsoft cloud storage. You can use Dropbox or Google Drive also.)

The primary con of Office 365 is this: currently it is compatible only with machines running Windows or Mac O/S. You cannot download Office 365 on your Android tablet or phone. It is not a perfect mobile solution. If you have a Surface or another Windows Tablet (Acer and HP both have great offerings in this category), an iPad or iPhone, a laptop or notebook (Mac or PC), or a Windows phone, it is compatible. This is not a solution so that you can edit documents on your Droid: however, Google has an answer for that we will explore in a later post.

Office 365 is a software subscription. You have to pay monthly or yearly (cheaper in the long run), but when upgrades come along, you are not buying a whole new suite, at least in theory. Also, the Home Premium of 365 includes more applications: not just Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote as the typical Home and Student, but it also includes Outlook, Access, and Publisher, all powerful tools.

Office 2013: Office 2013 is Office 365 for one computer only. You pay once for each computer. Office Home and Student will run you nearly $140 (you can see the Office 2013 options here) A Professional Suite, including everything in Home Premium of Office 365 will run you close to $400. You can clearly see that Microsoft is trying hard to push the subscription service. I can see very few arguments in favor of this approach over 365, especially in light of Microsoft’s plans to roll out new software more quicly. (more on that in a later post).

Learnability and Compatibility are non-issues. The ribbon is still where it always was, with a few new options to explore. The new software continues to support all but the most outdated Excel formats.

What is wrong with my Word 2010? Nothing. The new Office does have some great features, a smooth interface, and it can read .pdf files now. Photos can be dropped anywhere in the document, better than the old alignment styles that had to be followed, and screwed up the formatting during edits if you were not careful. Links to other Office apps are easier from the insert line, and linking to online content has been streamlined. All of these things were possible with 2010, but primarily with the use of plug ins and secondary software. Compatibility with older formats remains, and the more advanced features of Word remain intact. Other applications have been updated as well, and if you are running Home and Student, the addition of powerful tools such as Publisher (better than ever) and Outlook (for managing e-mail and calendars) may make the step up to Office 365 worth looking at.

Small or Mid-size business? There are Office options for small and mid-size business that are powerful and compelling, but unless you own a publishing company and manage a number of employees or contractors, it’s not worth the extra cost. (I looked into it in depth. For more info, contact me directly).

For authors: the new Office offers some powerful advanced features and some great organizational tools, but you don’t necessarily need to jump on them right away. If you intend to use more than one device, you like to have the power of the full Office suite mobile, take a look.

You might just find a solution that works well for you.

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The Write Software: OpenOffice vs. Microsoft Office

Published by Troy Lambert on September 23, 2013

This may seem an unfair comparison, with Office a well-developed Microsoft backed software, and OpenOffice an open source free download. However, because of cost many authors are tempted to take this route. It comes down to the same questions we promised to explore in Part 1, and the issues we explored in Part 2 Mac vs. PC which you can view here.

No matter what platform you chose after part 2, or that you currently use, either software is available for PC or Mac.

Affordability. This is an easy win for the open source platform. OpenOffice is free, and can be installed on as many machines as you wish. Microsoft Office on the other hand, is not. Suites range from monthly subscription fees (with the relatively new Office 365 at $9.99 per month or $99.00 a year) to 139.99 for Office Home and Student all the way up to 399.99 for Office Professional. (See the Office buy page here) We’ll tackle which office suite you actually need later on, but suffice it to say that vs. the zero cost for OpenOfffice (downloadable here) the affordability choice is clear.

The OpenOffice suite contains Writer for document creation, Calc for spreadsheets, Impress to create presentations, Draw to produce diagrams and illustrations, Base for database creation and manipulation, and Math to perform mathematical equations and advanced functions. There is no e-mail client, although there are other options to manage mail. This is the equivalent of $200 of Microsoft Office software, or the new Office 365 subscription.

This alone explains why authors everywhere have chosen to use OpenOffice for years. Millions use it worldwide, although Microsoft still dominates the business market.

Learnability. Both software suites have very friendly user interface modules, and offer user guides and tutorials. Because of the corporate backing of Microsoft Office and its corporate backing, there are more tutorials and support materials available. That being said, OpenOffice works on a very simple platform, and there are many forums and manuals available on line. The manual for the new version is available here, but is still in the draft stage. The OpenOffice User Interface is very similar to Office. If you are a longtime Office aficionado, you will be up and running in no time.

In this category, Microsoft has the edge, but not by much. The only reason it edges OpenOffice is its widespread use and readily available educational support. Office has been king for a long time, and it will take time and innovation to unset it from the throne. However, remember when Word Perfect was the standard? Many of us struggled with the adaptation of the business world to Office. It is possible that another shift could take place, but more on that next.

Compatibility. Microsoft wants you to use their products and the plug ins and accessories for them exclusively. So there are times when quite deliberately they make it difficult for other programs to be compatible. It’s not cruel, it’s just business. That being said, let’s look at the issue in detail.

OpenOffice can open Microsoft Documents, even the new .docx formats, although occasionally some formatting or coding is lost in the transfer. OpenOffice can also save documents in the various Word formats. Its other components can open Microsoft formatted documents as well, with similar caveats. Word can also open and save in OpenOffice formats. Most features are compatible, and if you are doing simple memos or completed reports back and forth, it works well. Sounds perfect right? Before you download it and delete Word from your computer read on.

One of the primary features I use in Word as an editor, and even in my work on research and technical writing is twofold: Track Changes and Comments. OpenOffice has these features, and so does Office but the two are not compatible. This is based on actual experimentation. If you save an OpenOffice document with track changes and comments, when you open the document in Word they will be lost. It is the same vice-versa. If you have a document with Track Changes saved in Word and you open the same program in OpenOffice, those features will be lost. What does this mean to you?

Quite often in business writing and editing, track changes and comments are how the authors and others working on the project communicate. If these changes disappear, a huge communication tool is lost, and it can take precious hours to “explain” things a different way or through more personal contact.

The solution? Well, since OpenOffice is free, you could get your client or your editor to download it and run both on their computer, right? Sure, but that creates issues. The programs tend not to play well together on a single PC, requiring finesse to set up default programs and avoid odd clashes between the two. Also, the client then has to remember that when dealing with you, they open documents a certain way as opposed to everyone else. A line on the OpenOffice website says: “Compatible with other file types for those still using Microsoft Office.” That is a large group of businesses, governments, and organizations.

Conclusion: What do you need? Microsoft holds the edge here, again barely. As a beginning author you can get by with OpenOffice, but when you enter paying markets it is often desirable to upgrade to the more commonly used Office. In the long run, the headaches it saves you will belay the cost. As more businesses adapt to open formats, and using Google Docs and other open source software becomes more common, it is possible that Office may be dethroned.

Even if you do go out and buy Microsoft Office, which of those fancy suites do you really need? We’ll tackle that question in our next segment.

OpenOffice isn’t out of the fight yet. Have your own experience to share? Let me know in the comments.

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The Write Software: Mac vs. PC

Published by Troy Lambert on September 16, 2013

This post is not to add fuel to the big overall debate of Mac vs. PC. It’s to explore it in only one area, that of writing. Also, it will not be conclusive. Why? There’s no “write” answer. There is a right answer for you, but your choice may not be the same as someone else’s. We’re going to evaluate the first step in the process of choosing the write software by looking at the primary machine options.

Affordability: Mac’s are more expensive than PC’s when it comes to initial investment. However, as far as long term viability is concerned, Mac’s tend to last longer. They are upgradeable, but so are PC’s. Another debate for another post: Mobile vs. Desktop determines which machine will work best for you. What else you want to do with your machine, and what kind of writing do you do? Do you need video capability? Graphics? Programming? What markets do you write for? Also which platform is best depends on what kind of software you want to run: Pages or Microsoft Word, Scrivener or other “writer specific” software, all of which we will look at over time.

The bottom line on affordability is this: if you already own a PC, switching to Mac will be costly. Die hard Mac fans will tell you that once you make the switch, you won’t go back to PC ever. So conversely, if you already own a Mac, including an iPhone, iPad, or other iDevices, switching to PC can be costly, and you can experience compatibility issues, but more on that in a moment. If however you are relatively new to the computer world, and you don’t already own software licenses and exclusive hardware, you have to look at your short term budget, long term budget, and what you think your future needs might be.

One final note that may sway you the Mac direction: Mac can run Windows in a couple of different ways. I won’t get into the tech details here, other than to say it can be done, so all of your programs could transfer. If you are determined to make the switch, this can be a way to solve some issues.

Another note is that you may not need anti-virus programs with Mac, although they are still a good idea, especially if you run Windows in some form on your machine. There just aren’t as many viruses written for Mac, primarily because government agencies and companies tend to run PC, and those people are better targets for hackers.

Learnability: How easy is each system to learn? I recently when through this debate, and here is the bottom line. The new Mac Operating System (currently Maverick 10.9 released this month) is very similar to the previous OS. It is fairly easy to adapt. The converse? Every time Microsoft updates an OS there comes with a learning curve and countless updates as they fix things they did not fix before the initial release. Apple tends to sort those things out ahead of time.

Other than that, most programs are written to be fairly intuitive. My word of caution: there are some programs that you need to spend time with before you truly become familiar with them. Spend an afternoon or morning on tutorials. If nothing else, they will teach you shortcuts and tricks you would not otherwise learn.

Either machine can be learned, and the more tech-savvy you are, the easier adapting will be. Mac is much more consistent than PC, and its operating systems are fairly intuitive.

Compatibility: This was the number one decision point for me, because of the other things I do, and who my clients are for certain products. Yes, you can run Windows and most Microsoft programs on Mac, but if you work in a dedicated PC environment, there are some file types that do not translate. You need to use different formatting for portable hard drives and thumb drives to be compatible. If it is just you, and you run all Mac products, you will fare well.

If you work with publishers and editors on a regular basis, you will still need Microsoft Office, at least Word. There are solutions for this dilemma, but remember, only 19% of people run Apple, and most businesses run PC. This means some of the features in Pages may not be compatible with Word, and advanced features commonly used like Comments and Track Changes may not translate. This simply means you must either by the Mac version of Office, or run Windows on your Mac. There are other program compatibility issues as well, and we will tackle those in later software posts.

This is one of the longer posts in the series. So what’s the bottom line? Depending on what else you do with your machine, and what others in your household run, you may want to stick with either Mac or PC. Also if you already own software and other compatible devices, you may want to also consider that.

Your short term budget may determine what you buy. Shop around, make hands on comparisons, and if you have questions feel free to leave them in the comments, or contact me here.

Until next time.

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The Write Software: An Introduction

Published by Troy Lambert on September 9, 2013

Software designed specifically for writers is not new, but with a rise in “indie” publishing and the self-publishing revolution, the internet world is now filled with it. How do you sort through all those programs? Which one is the best, or is there any such thing? What tools does a writer really need?

In that light, we’ll be looking at a few basics first, and then go from there. We’ll evaluate computers, software, operating systems, and programs based on a few simple criteria.

Affordability Why is this #1? Well, because writers are often poor, or at best economically challenged. The number of bestselling, I make a ton of money without a day job authors out there are few and far between. Most authors work to feed their writing passion, and often sacrifice less important things like food and body wash to pay for a computer, software, and printer ink. So if you want us to spend money on the latest, greatest gadget for writing, it better be damn good, or at least justifiable to our spouse.

Learnability Okay, I used a big word there to say “How easy is it to learn?” I grew up writing first on an old Royal, an IBM Selectric, a Brother word processor (these are long gone, and you are probably an author or journalist if you remember them), and finally WordPerfect. I thought it was the best software ever, and then had to transition to Microsoft Office, and at times freeware like OpenOffice when I couldn’t afford the Microsoft offerings and Ramen at the same time. (You know that time when you were floating “between careers”?) Every time I made a switch, there was a learning curve and a period of less productive adaptation to a new program with new commands.

So when we look at the plethora of new software available now, one of the deciding factors is simply: How easy will it be for me to adapt? Does the manufacturer offer tutorials? How easy are they to understand? Are the commands intuitive, and similar to programs I already use? The closer it is, the easier it is to learn.

Compatibility Even if you are an indie author, and a self-publishing guru you should hire an editor. When you do, you will deal with sending documents back and forth. If you work with a publisher, you will work with both the editor and others at the publishing house. Your software will need to be compatible with theirs to streamline the editing and formatting processes. The ease of sending documents back and forth does two things: it makes communication easier and smoother, making editing a little less painless, and it makes you an easy author to work with. You want to be on the editor and publisher’s list of easy to work with authors, especially if you plan to submit more work to them. Typically indie editors adjust prices, and publishers adjust priorities at least partially on how well you work with them. The more time they spend on you, the more money they have to make to pay for that time.

The first thing we will tackle next week is the Mac vs. PC debate. If you don’t already have a computer, or you are looking at a new one, what should you buy? Until then, write on!

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Category: The Write Software

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