Writing Tips & Guidance

General: Writing Programs

Real Talk

You shouldn't have to put money into writing, or any other passion, if you aren't getting money out of it. You can choose to if you have expendable money, but you shouldn't feel like you have to spend large amounts of money in order to just write. This includes writing tools and programs.

While we're here: Don't pay someone to edit your work before submission, publishers have editors who do that as part of the package. Their cut of the profits includes an editor. Same for artwork and publicity. Some books will get lower-tier advertising and publicity attention, which you will need to boost if you can, but that's still not something you should put more into than you'll get out of it.

Of course, none of that applies if you're self-publishing. That's a whole other beast with entirely different advice and I am not qualified to give it.

Programs

Microsoft Word = ~$80

I'm a little bias about this one because this is the program that most of us used in school growing up. It's simple, effective, and basically required for existing a human being in this technology-driven world. However, it isn't the most effective tool for writers and it is very expensive, which is troublesome. For those of you who attend a college or university, seek out resources to see if the school offers a downloadable copy for student use. Your best bet is to use another program if you can't afford Word and invest when you have the time during editing.

If you choose to work with Word, always keep in mind that files corrupt and become outdated over time. Personally, I like to back my files up onto Word files and PDF files separately. The PDFs are absolutely necessary for retaining old documents, Word files will become corrupt and you will have regrets.

Google Docs & Drive = Free

Truly the holy grail of programs. It has documents, spreadsheets, and slides you can work with in school and in your life. It does spellcheck and you can format your story to an outline if you use the header system in combination with the document outline. That can really help with structure later if you need to move things around, which is what Scrivener is known for.

I really like this program and recommend it for general life things. I used it at university and at different jobs, I use it on my own projects and to help other people with theirs. I can access it on my phone, laptop, and ipad. Highly recommend. Do backup your materials though, don't keep the only copy on Google Drive. Save pdfs of things you don't intend on using anymore, like abandoned drafts and story ideas, to your computer or wherever you back things up to.

Scrivener = $45

People like this one because of document management, apparently. I don't like the idea of paying money for something that I can do with folders. On a computer. On any device with some programs (Google Docs, cough). And Scrivener has a learning curve that can be time-consuming, which is annoying since we (Americans, at least) already know Microsoft Word inside out. It also isn't the most aesthetically pleasing, which is a big deal to a prat like me and perhaps like you.

There's also a learning curve, which could be annoying if you wait until the last minute to download it. If you're going to invest, invest before working with it professionally. Or, like, after your first independent novel turns a profit. Definitely don't invest for Wattpad.

Here's a positive review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9sjtsoATzM

Here's a negative review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNnNgCxP7Ww

Ulysses = $39.99/year

It appears that this one isn't massively different from Scrivener, excepting that the users are adamant that its better than Scrivener. Apparently, this one is made with HTML text in mind, which is probably handy for those with online self-publishing in mind (not here on Wattpad, actual online publishing). One of the really nice features is that it seems to be available for all of your devices, which is something Google Docs offers but not many other programs do. If you're an Apple user, the program will feel familiar and simple. I personally wouldn't invest in it.