Writing Aid Programs - Do they really help?

[orionsixwings]

I check out the ads on top often and was introducted to one very interesting program called NEWNOVELIST. It's supposed to be a computer program that will help you (meaning the writer) write a good (if not fabulous) novel.

Has anyone here tried using one of those programs? Apparently there are others out there. IF you have, do they really work?

 

[orionsixwings]

Seeing as there is absolutely NO REPLY to this thread, I think it's safe to assume that NOBODY knows what I'm talking about.

 

[MJRevell]

Lol.. i haven't checked them out myself. But i'm interested in what kind of advice/tips the'yd give? Do you know how much the program(s) cost? I don't know if i'd be willing to pay for help from a computer program :S

 

[Paradox 99]

I use a program called "WriteItNow" and, found it to be quite useful for working out complex plotting and keeping track of characters.
There's a useful function where you are able to make sure that your characters, events and plotting is consistent across a timeline.

So yes, they can be useful.

 

[Joel007]

You gotta love the way google makes the ads fit the conversations, although some of the connections are tenuous at best.

 

[Susan Boulton]

Here are some I have heard about.

Personally I just keep a series of documents about characters/timeframes/outlines etc then print them out when I am working, so I can flick through them.

But a lot of writers swear by some of these programs. I have used Ywriter a little bit and it was okay.

Freebies

Writing program

http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter.html It does help you organise scene by scene.

Organising Programs

http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/misctools/fwpim.html Treepad lite

http://bellz.org/ Treeline

The two above I have heard good things about.


http://www.openoffice.org/

http://www.tranglos.com/free/keynote.html


http://www.abisource.com/


For sale

http://www.writerscafe.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.smartauthor.com/


A “Which” type site for writing programs that might have something you can use.

http://www.angelfire.com/ny/writesoftware/


Hope that helps.

 

[MJRevell]

That's good to hear, Paradox. I'll have to look into them more. Thanks for the nice list, SJAB

 

[orionsixwings]

Lol.. i haven't checked them out myself. But i'm interested in what kind of advice/tips the'yd give? Do you know how much the program(s) cost? I don't know if i'd be willing to pay for help from a computer program :S

It is quite affordable. I think $20.00 or so. Just curious because they promise to make a fabulous novelist out of you.

 

[jackokent]

It is quite affordable. I think $20.00 or so. Just curious because they promise to make a fabulous novelist out of you.

That would be a bargain then!

Seriously, I've never hear of this sort of thing before. It sounds fascinating. It never occured to me a computer program could help you write but then I guess they can help you with everything else.

 

[orionsixwings]

That is the reason why I'm skeptical but since there are others here who use similar programs and say that it helps you keep track of plot and characters as well as timeline, well then, yeah...might as well give it a try.

 

[Rosemary]

Although not on the list, I attended one for just over a year. It was called U3A - The 3rd Age University. This is for the more mature students and I believe there are centres in the UK.

You are set a certain subject to write about, then the following week it has to be read out in front of the class and given constructive criticism by fellow students.

I found it very helpful....

 

[Patrick Mahon]

I've got a trial version of NewNovelist (freebie with a UK computer mag about 2 years ago), and I've since got two programs called WriteAmbition, one for writing novels, the other for screenplays. They all do similar things, as others have discussed, and can be quite useful for keeping tracks of characters and timelines, or for asking you to fill in questionnaires that might help you to focus your ideas. But my guess is that you won't work out whether it will be of any help to you without trying one...

 

[jackokent]

Here are some I have heard about.

Personally I just keep a series of documents about characters/timeframes/outlines etc then print them out when I am working, so I can flick through them.

But a lot of writers swear by some of these programs. I have used Ywriter a little bit and it was okay.

Freebies

Writing program

http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter.html It does help you organise scene by scene.

I've just tried downloading Ywriter and I can't understand it. I am a complete technophobe and it's probably just me being dim but does anyone know if it's meant to have a help function or some sort of walk through guide?

 

[Robert M. Blevins]

Sometimes establishing a relationship with a good editor will help your novel more than anything else...

 

[Riven]

I'm using Novel Writer Professional and I've found since I started using that its quiet handy and makes keeping track of information for your story so much eaiser. I don't particularly care for the title generation option as it just comes up with absolutely whacked names that have no place ever being on the cover of a book, but creating titles is one of the parts I like best about story writing so I largely ignore that feature. ^^

It also has a character name generation tool as well where you can set it for different nationalities and you can use a personality generator as well (something I don't bother with) and theres a ton of other little niffty features in there as well that have just made developing the story so much eaiser. Coast me nearly $100 but it was well worth the money spent.

I want a company to release a similar program, but with a character generator that allows you to create visual construct of your characters by fiddling with attribute statistics, like weight, height, bust, hair color, eye color, nationality, etc, etc with away to alter clothing, item and weapon templates to create unique outfits and accessories for them, and you can't tell me that it isnt possible or viable with todays technology.

 

[BGB]

Sometimes establishing a relationship with a good editor will help your novel more than anything else...

I have to agree with this - there are so many self help 'progams' out there that guarantee this and that. There is no easy way to pop out a book.

 

[Dark Cardinal]

I recently bought Dramatica Pro and Storyview and it seems that there is steep learning curve. I'm still trying to learn how to use Dramatica and I'm making progress. I just stare blankly at Storyview

 

[Gwillion]

Hello

I'm new so I don't think I can post any links but I did try three different writing programs over the weekend, two of which have been mentioned above.

I'll give you my thoughts but I know that different software will suit different people.

yWriter - I thought this was great (especially as it's free) but it is a little limited and looks a bit daunting if you're not completely at home with computers. Great for keeping track of chapters and notes though!

Newnovelist - I paid for and downloaded this but I wasn't impressed and have asked for a refund (they have a no-quibble 30 day policy). It looks nice but it won't let you start a book until you've decided on a genre, and it's a bit lacking in the fantasy department. The character notes ask you specific questions like what they look like etc, which I found a bit constricting. I think you can adapt it but it just seemed like hard work. Does offer some sound writing advice though.

Liquid Story Binder - I found this quite by accident, it's like a super-combination of the above.. you can generate chapters, add story notes, images, story boards, timelines etc. This was great for me because I'm always jotting down notes and then have to find them all when I'm writing, and I love having an image open on the page for inspiration. It remembers where you left off for when you go back into it and it's really easy to switch between "books". Best of all you don't have to use it for a novel - it could really be used for any writing. It also states that it formats documents for you to print in manuscript style but I haven't tried that out yet. You can download a shareware version to use for 30 consecutive days before you decide whether to buy it or not. I'm so in love with it that I bought it after 3! It might look a little complicated but it's quite easy to use. It costs about £25 / $45 plus vat.

Anyway - hope this helps.

 

[Fahim]

In my opinion, the ones which promise to (almost) write the story for you are totally crap There are ones which will generate plots for you or generate story ideas, these aren't really worth the money. The ones which help you organize information or to organize your manuscript are actually quite useful - if you write in a certain fashion. I went through a lot of the above mentioned apps and didn't find anything which did everything I wanted. The closest that I came to was probably Liquid Story Binder and yWriter. I finally gave up and wrote my own

I wrote one novel using my app and then gave up on that and went back to Word. Why? Because while my app worked just the way I wanted, I spent more time tinkering with the app and adding features or squishing bugs than actually writing

 

[Culhwch]

I was intrigued so I just downloaded and installed Liquid Story Binder. Looks a bit daunting but I'll have a play around with it and see how it goes. Though I tried yWriter a few months back and dropped it pretty quick...