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Choosing my writing utensils

6 years ago

Right now, I'm using Word and Excel to plan and write my story. I'm wondering if anyone here knows of other resources (writing software etc.) I could use. What I have now is okay, but if there's a better alternative out there I wish to sink my teeth into it.

If there's a page specifically answering my question in the Help&Info, linking me to it would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Choosing my writing utensils

6 years ago

I usually use Word or Google Docs.

Choosing my writing utensils

6 years ago

I've mentioned software in my starting your first storygame article, but here's the slightly updated list.

    Keeping track of random ideas that cross your mind: Notepad (quick to open, quick to write ideas down)
    Stringing ideas together (what do I want in the plot, what themes do I want to address): xMind 8, an excellent brainstorming tool. Alternately, a whiteboard + phone camera to take pictures of your work before you clean the board
    Plotting out story chains (which pages are linked to which): Twine - It's free and has a web version
    Tracking facts about the story (what year did the war happen): Excel, though you'll want to format this well. I also use Excel to bring together various ideas from Notepad when I'm trying to mix them all together
    Writing and Proofreading: MS Word
    Alternate choice for Writing, Proofreading, and managing large projects: Scrivener. Scrivener is paid (they have a 30 day trial though), but it's good for allowing you to keep pictures and other resources in the program (so no Alt-Tabbing), and allowing you to search by keyboard. By its structure, it also autosaves your work and makes backups when you close your program. It's ability to connect articles in its 'combined view' feature is also great when you want to proofread the feel of certain paths.

I'm fairly certain that unless you're trying to experiment with sounds or images as well, these tools are more than enough for a writer

Choosing my writing utensils

6 years ago

I've read somewhere that there is an alternative to Scrivener, put I can't find the thread it's in. Thanks for the rundown though.

Choosing my writing utensils

6 years ago
Lol, checkout the Scrivener website, the guy himself gives a run-down of all the Scrivener alternatives, in a remarkably neutral manner. The free option is ywriter 5, which is great to help you realize that you're scratching the surface of what it takes to write professional works. However, having worked with both of them, Scrivener is by far the more comfortable/ergonomic choice, so if you're serious about writing/have cash to burn, Scrivener is a good choice. MS Word was not designed with the thought of running multiple files / sections at the same time, and is great for writing one long article, but terrible at writing the branching narrative that CYoAs demand.

Choosing my writing utensils

6 years ago

Welp, thanks for tolerating my near-sightedness. I'll be sure to check out your suggestions.

Choosing my writing utensils

6 years ago

I downloaded ywriter 5.

Gotta say, awesome. SO much better than WordPad for keeping notes.
So thank you for sharing!

I will end up spending so much time working on it (instead of writing), so not too happy about that, but still glad that you shared!

Choosing my writing utensils

6 years ago
I liked the way ywriter forces you to think about characters, settings, scenes, and the like in a structured manner. That order is a big step forward in realizing that stories need all of those elements, and all of them to be managed well. However, the UI is fairly uncomfortable, and I'm not a fan of how it arranges its data within its save-files. Try out the demo of Scrivener, you'll see the difference (you'll want to watch the quick use videos on that first hand to understand the three different view methods).