Nathaniel Hawthorne said that, and, though his works are ironically difficult to read (or maybe just plain boring), there is still truth in his statement. So, to ease the pains in creating beautiful and elegant paragraphs, here’s a compilation of focus-driven software to add to your computer’s authoring environment.
_______________________________________________________________________
For, you know, the writing part; a word processor
_______________________________________________________________________
This one is, hopefully, a no-brainer. For those with a wallet, Microsoft Word and Apple’s Pages are beautifully-designed options (especially Pages). Further, even, they pack some heat; they offer countless formatting options and page designs and preset templates and just everything a writer could ask for.
Don’t want all that, though? Need to just write? I’ve got just the thing for you. Check out WriteRoom, a small $10 Mac app. It’s just for writing. That’s it. Need a free solution? Though it’s a bit clunky, get OpenOffice.
_______________________________________________________________________
For the Mac users; the built-in Dictionary
_______________________________________________________________________
If you’re an Apple user, you’re probably already aware of the Dictionary app that comes pre-installed on all Macs. Not only is it beautiful, it pulls from a few different dictionaries and includes a thesaurus. Here’s the best part, though; you don’t have to even open the Dictionary app to get a definition or synonym. Nope, just hover your cursor over a word from any app — your word processor included — and hold down the key combination “control-cloverleaf-D”, viola!, and a neat little hovering window will pop up with the word’s definition and synonyms. It’s a great feature for finding a word on-the-go.
_______________________________________________________________________
For the complexities; MindNode
_______________________________________________________________________
Covered in a previous article, MindNode offers a simple and visual way to keep track of a complex novel or screenplay plot, characters, concepts, and symbolisms. It lets you literally map your mind out, and it’s a hell of a lot better than a bullet list. Don’t bother setting up a whiteboard and writing and erasing and rewriting and re-erasing; just get MindNode. Besides, it’s free.
_______________________________________________________________________
For the serious writers; StoryMill
_______________________________________________________________________
StoryMill is the God of all writing software, a novelist’s dream, the gym of intentional word processing. It’s abundant in functionality but simple in its appearance. You can write character bios, organize scenes and chapters, view your work in Timeline mode, see how characters correlate with other characters, what scenes they’re involved in, everything. It’s literally like Wikipedia in that everything is linked together, but somehow it’s even better. StoryMill also, like WriteRoom, offers a full screen, distraction-free writing mode.
The makers of StoryMill have even teamed up with Trekden to help you get your novel published after you’ve written it, right from the StoryMill software. The app is priced at $50, however, and only available on Macs running OS X 6.0 and up.
_______________________________________________________________________
For the amateur publisher; Blurb
_______________________________________________________________________
Want to get something printed but don’t want to go through all formalities of publishing? Just want something on paper, not on shelves? Blurb is for you. It offers private printing and software for you to design your print on. By private, of course, I mean that your Blurb “book” won’t be hitting Barnes and Noble. It can, however, be published to Blurb’s own bookstore so that you can send a link to friends who’d want a copy.
Image by Miss Lai Lai
532 Fans Like
0 Followers Follow
11 Subscribers Subscribe
