What software do you write your Trek novels in?
- Thread starter wizkid
- Start date
Microsoft Word.
Ditto.
Whatever's handy. Then, before sending, it goes into MSWORD.
Wow, I am a bit surprised to hear that. I know when I write I normally write in Scrivener for my technical articles for journal's and magazine publications. It is for my own sanity so I can keep sections straight.
I thought some of you may be a Mac user and use some software specifically for keeping everything straight.
Hat's off to you guys.
I thought some of you may be a Mac user and use some software specifically for keeping everything straight.
Hat's off to you guys.
I'm in the habit of using WordPerfect. I've been thinking of switching to Word since it's pretty much the industry standard, but I'm more comfortable with WP, and switching over would have its difficulties.
In the end, most everything I write has to be put into Word which really aggravates me because it is so backwards and the formatting kills me. May be a Technical paper vs. Novel work disparity there.
Thanks for the opinions. I still don't know how you all keep everything straight (what character is doing what, etc.).
I have seen this software but I don't write fiction but I am guessing you all think it would be a waste.
http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=127
Thanks for the opinions. I still don't know how you all keep everything straight (what character is doing what, etc.).
I have seen this software but I don't write fiction but I am guessing you all think it would be a waste.
http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=127
It's called an outline, and it's a required step when authoring licensed fiction.
Another Word user here.
I was hoping people had used LaTeX, but that's just the nerd in me.
Oh, yeah, huge friggin' waste. Anyone who tells you software will make a difference in your writing is just trying to sell you software.
DMack, I use Scrivener and I outline in it. I totally agree but I like my sections to be separated and then have the ability to put them back together for final edit.
It was made for fiction writing but many of us have adapted it to Thesis and Technical writing, including the use of LaTeX. Of course I use Citation software everyday and this is where I have developed a workflow that I am use to it would seem.
Even with an outline, you folks do a great job of keeping 80,000 words and facts straight.
It was made for fiction writing but many of us have adapted it to Thesis and Technical writing, including the use of LaTeX. Of course I use Citation software everyday and this is where I have developed a workflow that I am use to it would seem.
Even with an outline, you folks do a great job of keeping 80,000 words and facts straight.
Something like Final Draft is pretty much necessary for scriptwriting, but the only thing you *really* need for straight fiction is a legal pad and some cheap Bic pens.
Seriously, I used to write first drafts in longhand. Found it contributed to the texture of the words. Then I'd type - originally on an old manual typewriter where you had to literally lift the carriage with your pinkies in order to shift, eventually on a Selectric, then a memory typewriter, then a word processor.
At one point I had to skip the longhand draft because of a tight deadline. Learning to write onscreen was a challenge. Still is sometimes; I find if I get stuck it's best to walk away from the keyboard and scribble in a notebook for a page or two.
Started out in WordPerfect, hated Word for years (I still hate the way it hiccups at the bottom of ever other page - why the *&^%$#!?? does it do that?), but current versions are more like WP, so I've adapted.
However, fonts are one area where I will not compromise. Courier 11 is the closest thing to the font on an old Selectric, which was the norm for ms. submissions back in the day. It tends to yield approximately 250 words per double-spaced page which, before there was a "Properties" function, was the best way for an author to guesstimate word counts.
And it still looks better on the page, IMO, than friggin' Times New Roman...
Seriously, I used to write first drafts in longhand. Found it contributed to the texture of the words. Then I'd type - originally on an old manual typewriter where you had to literally lift the carriage with your pinkies in order to shift, eventually on a Selectric, then a memory typewriter, then a word processor.
At one point I had to skip the longhand draft because of a tight deadline. Learning to write onscreen was a challenge. Still is sometimes; I find if I get stuck it's best to walk away from the keyboard and scribble in a notebook for a page or two.
Started out in WordPerfect, hated Word for years (I still hate the way it hiccups at the bottom of ever other page - why the *&^%$#!?? does it do that?), but current versions are more like WP, so I've adapted.
However, fonts are one area where I will not compromise. Courier 11 is the closest thing to the font on an old Selectric, which was the norm for ms. submissions back in the day. It tends to yield approximately 250 words per double-spaced page which, before there was a "Properties" function, was the best way for an author to guesstimate word counts.
And it still looks better on the page, IMO, than friggin' Times New Roman...
Word, and revise with a pen.
Whereas I find Courier to be rather ugly to look at. Reading a story in Courier gives it a totally different and less enjoyable feel in my mind than reading it in Times. In fact, when I open my very old word-processor files from back when WP used Courier, I usually reformat them into Times for better reading comfort. (Though for some reason that leaves the lines squished together even though the line height is nominally the same.)
Nice to know I'm not the only one.
I don't like either, I tend to use Century Gothic or Arial.
I've been doing some writing on my Alphasmart Neo, which is basically a keyboard with a memory...
