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Writing Software: yWriter and Scrivener

Writing is a blast! I have so much fun when I write and I find it so relaxing. Writing, however, needs to be organized. It needs to have a flow and there is software out there which can help you do this. In this blog we will explore some of the software which will assist you in everything from chapter descriptions to organizing your chapters and scenes! Don't forget to also check out for some other apps which are a big help.

One of the things I assumed right off the bat with writing was that Microsoft Word was the way to go (yup, I'm a PC guy). I started and wrote nearly half of it with Word. I would write each chapter in a separate docx file in order to keep it organized. This wasn't a bad way to go, but I think there are better ways. Let me explore three options below (and mention a few others) as well as share my recommendations:

MS Word is a great word processor. That's what it's been designed to be and what it does well. The spelling and grammar checkers are great. The problem is that Word just organizes your story one line after another. If you need to swing back and forth throughout your story, take a look at the research you've been collecting or work with a storyboard it's, well... perhaps not the best. If this is all you've got and all you're comfortable with, go for it!

I would suggest that for writing a book there are two much better options. MS Word can also be expensive (approx. $70/year for the 365 option or over $100 for the outright purchase). Check out the link above and take a look in the Products section to see a little bit about Word (it's part of their "Office" line).

If you like a simple word processor, but want a simple and free one, I would check out Google Docs, Office Online, ThinkFree or one of the many other options. Be careful, however, that you do not end up downloading and installing bloated software (stuff with spam).

Let me say two things about yWriter right off the bat. First, yWriter is designed and written by a writer. That's pretty great. It means it's fairly easy to use and offers the features that writers want (see below).

Second, yWriter is free. There are options to register your copy for about $12 or $25, but this is optional. I have registered my copy (and I have purchased the Android App). The more I use yWriter, the more I like it and the cost was minimal. There are no extra features if you register. The purpose of the registration is to support the writer of the software, Simon Haynes. The difference between the two amounts ($12 or $25) to register is simply a different amount of financial support. Think of the author of this software as you would an author of a book... he has put the effort in so if you like and continue to use the software... support him!

yWriter is available on the PC (not the Mac) and also has Android and iOS Apps. The Android and iOS Apps are, at the time of this writing, still in beta, but available to purchase. I have started to use the Android version and really like it a lot. They sync up with your yWriter software (on Google Drive or Dropbox) and you can edit on the fly. I find there are times when I am lying in bed and I get some inspiration. I grab my phone and write! I like this a lot!

Since yWriter and Scrivener (mentioned below), function a lot alike, I will explain their features together (look below the Scrivener section).

I would strongly recommend you use either yWriter or Scrivener. Since yWriter is free to use, it's worth checking it out and even writing your book in it. I'm actually writing this blog on yWriter right now. It's pretty great!

I have found a couple downsides to yWriter.

First, I find that sometimes yWriter has trouble saving. That sounds like a bigger problem than it actually is. It just suddenly says that it can't save and asks you if you want to retry. I find when this happens, I hit 'retry' once or twice and it saves just fine. This is more annoying than anything.