# Word Processor



## DianthasProphecy (Apr 24, 2011)

Ok. I need a word processor!!! My PC has WordPad on it, but it's not exactly my favorite. I tried yWriter 5 but I'm not sure about it either....

I need one that's free or fairly cheap, or do you think I should keep trucking along with WordPad or yWriter and I'll grow fond of one of them eventually?

So, anyone know of a good Program?


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## Fnord (Apr 24, 2011)

If you don't want to shell out for Microsoft Office, you can download office programs from OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite 

They are compatible with MS Office files, so if you do upgrade or decide to write somewhere other than your computer (like work for instance  ), you will be able to work on it.


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## DianthasProphecy (Apr 24, 2011)

LOL! Wow, I was actually just reading up on that in another tab. (I'm a Stay at home mom though, so I'll just transfer from laptop to desktop, and they'll both have the same program.) 

Is Open Office pretty good though? I've heard mixed reviews on it, and want to make sure I download a good one.


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## The Realm Wanderer (Apr 24, 2011)

I have Microsoft Office 2010 and it's great. Such a good set of programs, but obviously, very expensive. 
If you don't mind being connected to the internet to write, there's always Google Docs.
https://www.google.com/accounts/Ser...s.google.com/?pli=1&authuser=0&ltmpl=homepage
I've never used it because I've never had to but according to reviews it's the best free word processor available.


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## Kelise (Apr 24, 2011)

I hear mostly good things about Open Office - the only problem is that it doesn't always give you the best word count. It counts the curly " as a word in itself. But if you use the straight ones (like the ones that show up here) then it's fine. 

As I'm on a mac, I can't really suggest anything though. ...Unless there's now PC versions of Scrivener, which there just may be... or it may be coming in the next month or so. Scrivener is pretty fantastic.


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## Black Dragon (Apr 24, 2011)

I second OpenOffice.org writer.  I use it a great deal, and prefer it to Microsoft Word.

For novel writing specifically, I've come to really love My Writing Spot.  It's a web based word processor designed for novelists.  The interface is minimalistic, and keeps a running word count for each section.  But for what I'm using it for - writing a novel - it's absolutely perfectly.  There are no bells and whistles to distract me.  And there's a great iphone/ipad for it, which I use to write on the go.  I've written almost all of my current novel using this program.


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## Fnord (Apr 24, 2011)

I used OpenOffice for a few years before I took the plunge and purchased MS Office for Mac and never had any issues for it.  

I'm curious about novel-writing-specific applications though.  Hmmmm.


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## The Realm Wanderer (Apr 24, 2011)

If you're willing to spend $49.99 then I suggest NewNovelist 3. If I didn't already have Microsoft Office, I'd purchase it in a heartbeat. It looks absolutely brilliant and is designed specifically for novelists. You can even check your word count of every chapter you've written and it will show you a graph of how many words are in each, so you can see where you're adding more or less. Plus there's a function where it will read the entire novel back to you. Check it out -
Newnovelist Home
And with a full 30 day money back warranty, it's worth a go.


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## Kate (Apr 24, 2011)

I used Open Office for a couple of years as my main WP, only because my PC didn't come with any other installed. It was fine, if you're after basic WP function. Word counts were a little unreliable - but I'm going back a few years now so that may have changed. I also found a lot of people I sent docs to had difficulties converting files with Office, and me in return. This was the biggest turn off for me, but again this might have been fixed by now considering how popular Open software has become.


If you're after a basic text editor/WP maybe try Q10. It's free, full screen, nothing fancy, effective.  It can also play a cool old fashioned type writer sound as you type.   


MS Word is the best all rounder for me now. But yeah, expensive. 

I also used Ywriter for creative stuff for quite a while. It was fine - lots of good features, but I found I only used a few of them. I thought it could be a little more intuitive though. 

I have recently been using the Beta version of Scrivener for Windows, and a part from the bugs I've encountered in the Beta version, I think this is by far the best writing software.  It's been around a while for Mac uses (I think Starconstant can give you more info on that).

There are a few things about it I'm not fussed with - no individual word count for session target is one, but there are other ways around it.  Overall though, it's simple and clean, intuitive and for all of its features, there aren't as many bells and whistles like I found with Ywriter. 

The windows version is coming out complete in a few weeks. Up until then you can use it for free.  I don't know how much the real deal will cost, but I know that discounts are given every year for those who finish NANOWRIMO.


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## DianthasProphecy (Apr 24, 2011)

Wow! I'm downloading OpenOffice, because it'll be nice to have it for other things as well. Not to mention note taking and such, but I went and checked out the My Writing Spot page, and I really like it! Thanks for that! I usually have my laptop with me at all times, but there are some occasions that I don't and this will be nice to have. I'll be able to write if I have a burst of inspiration (which has been known to happen often) in a place where I don't have my own PC.


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## DianthasProphecy (Apr 24, 2011)

Hmm, I didn't see the other replies until I posted. I canceled the Open Office Download, and I think I'll have to think on it for a bit. I can use the my writing spot for now, keeping a copy in WordPad as well. That New Novelist does look pretty cool though. And I looked at Scrivener a little while ago, and it seems nice too. I didn't like the yWriter as well either, it had too much fussiness...


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## The Realm Wanderer (Apr 24, 2011)

NewNovelist seems the best by far out of those I've looked at, but that is probably because it costs money.
You know you could always just use the online version of Microsoft Word that you can find in the Skydrive of your Hotmail account (provided of course you have one).


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## DianthasProphecy (Apr 24, 2011)

Thanks everybody! I'm going to deal with Ywriter and Wordpad for now, and my PC does have MS Works. I need to think on what I want out of the program before I spend any money I guess....


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## Telcontar (Apr 25, 2011)

Don't spend money. Go with OpenOffice. All the functionality of the Microsoft Office Suite, for free. What more could you want?


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## At Dusk I Reign (Apr 25, 2011)

I've been using Open Office for a while now and have never had a problem with it. I don't know if the word count is off or not, but then again my life has never been so devoid of excitement that I've waded through hundreds of pages of text to see if it tallies with what the computer says. I suppose, like most things, it's down to personal preference.


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## Ophiucha (Apr 26, 2011)

I've never seen a word counter that is, in any way, accurate. I've run my manuscript through a couple of online counters and a few processors, and the results vary by a few thousand. I just do averages if I need to have a number. Nobody cares about the exact number, anyway.

I use MS Word, mostly, because my dad works for a computer company and got it for free. I have been using Google Docs far more often, though, and it might become my main word processor. It's already my homepage.


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## daceymathers (Apr 29, 2011)

AbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft Word. It is suitable for a wide variety of word processing tasks. AbiWord allows you to collaborate with multiple people on one document at the same time. It is tightly integrated with the web service, which lets you store documents online, allows easy document sharing with your friends, and performs format conversions on the fly.


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## DavidP (Apr 29, 2011)

I still use an old copy of MS Office 2003. And yes, it does work with Windows 7. 

Give thought to how your manuscripts should be submitted though. The various office programs can sometimes create problems when converted to PDF which is what is required for going to print. 

Writing it in Notepad or Wordpad and then having someone format it correctly in Office or one of the more specialist layout programs may be better.


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## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Apr 29, 2011)

I use LibreOffice (the active OpenOffice fork - for those that missed the whole mess when Oracle bought Sun, there's concern that OpenOffice might be in trouble due to Oracle's anti-free-software history, so a good chunk of the core dev team forked their own version).

I have the new MS Office Starter on my comp, though, and I have to say - I really like the new Word. I think I might even prefer it, if it wasn't for the little flashing ad they put in the bottom right corner of Starter.  That said, I don't prefer it *enough* over the free programs with the same functionality to want to spend a lot of money on it. I'd pay $25 for MS Word; I wouldn't pay $140 for it, though! That's just crazy. Really, the main thing I like is that I find the blues and flowing lines more appealing to the eye than O.O's grays and blocks design. But it's not a $140 difference.


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## daceymathers (May 9, 2011)

DianthasProphecy said:


> Ok. I need a word processor!!! My PC has WordPad on it, but it's not exactly my favorite. I tried yWriter 5 but I'm not sure about it either....
> 
> I need one that's free or fairly cheap, or do you think I should keep trucking along with WordPad or yWriter and I'll grow fond of one of them eventually?
> 
> So, anyone know of a good Program?


 
You should mention in the forum that for what purpose you require a word processor.For article writing,novel writing ,script writing or just for writing paragraphs.By specifying your need you can get more accurate answer.


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## DianthasProphecy (May 9, 2011)

daceymathers said:


> You should mention in the forum that for what purpose you require a word processor.For article writing,novel writing ,script writing or just for writing paragraphs.By specifying your need you can get more accurate answer.


 
Novel writing. I didn't specify because I was talking to the same people in another thread about the book. Just didn't cross my mind to specify for newbies who might later come across the thread.


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## drkpyn (May 12, 2011)

I know this threads kinda old, but as a computer professional I felt compelled to drop in my two cents. There are many great free programs-I often recommend OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and Google Docs-but it really is true that you get what you pay for. Simply put, Microsoft Word can do more and does it best. The 2010 Office suite is an awesome product and a worthwhile buy if you can afford it.


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## Helbrecht (May 12, 2011)

Recent convert to OpenOffice here, but that's more to do with my lacking funding and my raging nerd-on for free software. You can't deny the utility of a Microsoft Office suite, and I've heard some very good things about the likes of Scrivener as well when it comes to novel-writing.


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## sashamerideth (May 13, 2011)

Office home and student is cheap, then there is Microsoft Office Web Apps. That is free. And from Microsoft. 

Being a geek chick and running Linux, I use focuswriter when I write. Then I fire up something more feature filled for spellcheck and such. We really only need spellcheck and grammar checks, but I don't trust Office grammar. Seems ok for technical writing, not so good for fiction and terrible for dialog. Layout and such, that is for the publisher to worry about.


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## JBryden88 (May 13, 2011)

I'd love to use something like scrivener or that liquid binder thing, I even downloaded their trials, but just setting it up seems like a trial in of itself lol.

Being able to organize world building notes, plot notes, and the actual writing would be nice.


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## Telcontar (May 13, 2011)

I have not met a single grammar check system that was worth paying attention to. Only time I've actually made use of one if for catching doubled words, when I accidentally type 'the' twice or such.

Also, for novel writing, you don't need many features. Edit and save...


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## M.A.N. (May 27, 2011)

Microsoft Word is a bit of standard in most countries it seems, even though it's big and clunky. And expensive. But you definitely don't need the whole Office package.
There is a few differences between Open Office Writer (their version of Word) and MS Word, but nothing to justify the cost in my opinion.
I actually don't know anyone who uses all the functions in any of those two programs.

But in my mind there's a big advantage in programs like Scrivener (now available for Windows as well) and Liquid Story Binder XE or the free yWriter. They give you a possibility to "see" the big picture. Something that is much harder to do in linear programs like Word (or OO Writer)


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## kennyc (May 29, 2011)

I'll second that - Open Office - probably the best free word processing program out there.

and compatible with many formats. 

Another option, if you don't mind Cloud storage is Google Docs

http://docs.google.com


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## victoria stiles (Aug 15, 2011)

DianthasProphecy said:


> Ok. I need a word processor!!! My PC has WordPad on it, but it's not exactly my favorite. I tried yWriter 5 but I'm not sure about it either....
> 
> I need one that's free or fairly cheap, or do you think I should keep trucking along with WordPad or yWriter and I'll grow fond of one of them eventually?
> 
> So, anyone know of a good Program?


 
I use AbiWord. It is completely free to download and keep. It has many good features on top of having the word counter. It’s a small lightweight word processor that doesn’t use too much memory. It has mail merge, and other features that Open Office doesn’t have. It is compatible with Windows, Linux, Mac OS, QNX, and BeOS. You can download AbiWord from one of the many software download web sites.


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## Theankh (Aug 15, 2011)

I have Word on my Mac. That's about all I need - I want three features: new document, save and word count 

That said, I hate Open Office. It's probably fine for casual use but we switched to it from MS Office in one of my last jobs, and it was hideous, very non-intuitive. Things that were useful hidden under obscure headings etc. 

I do wonder how useful these writers programs are. At the end of the day, they can't make you a better writer, can they? It sounds like it's adding a lot of bells and whistles to something that should be as simple as pen to paper. Hell, between 13 and 18 I only wrote in notepads.


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## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Aug 16, 2011)

Now see, in contrast to the above post - I've found OpenOffice (actually, I use the LibreOffice fork now) to be very intuitive, simple to use - it's "not in my way", which is important to me when writing.

That said, when I bought my new laptop last winter, it came with the freebie version of MS Office on it, and I've come to kinda like the new Word. Might buy it. Maybe. If it was reasonably priced I'd seriously consider it, but at $140 for even the standalone Word program, it's a LOT of money to drop on something when I can use O.O for free.

I agree about the assorted other programs out there, though. Honestly, I find the vast array of tools just tends to get in the way of the real work: getting words on paper. Or screen, as the case might be.


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## M.A.N. (Aug 16, 2011)

Most posts in this thread talk about OpenOffice, the free version of Microsofts Office. And while free is good, the Writer portion of the suite is a wordprocessing program and as such it can be used to writing. Like Microsofts Word.
But if you want to do writing geared to novels you should do yourself the favour and check out programs especially for that.

And as I stated before, I've tried Scrivener, (Mac and now PC as well), YWriter (PC, free) and Liquid Story Binder XE (PC). These are all good with different features.

But the oher day I stumbled across *Storybox *and I got that as well. After a few days with it, I can say that it's my new favourite. It has all the features I need without it being clunky, it's easy to understand AND it saves to EPUB/Kindle. What can be better for somebody trying to write and publish something on their own?


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## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Aug 16, 2011)

Thanks for the link - will take a peek! The "Trackerbox" software on that site looks interesting, too.


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## M.A.N. (Aug 16, 2011)

Kevin:

You're absolutely right. I'm not really there yet and feel that I need that piece of software. But for those here that has a lot of novels already written and ready to submit, that program is definitely worth checking out.


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## SeverinR (Aug 16, 2011)

The Realm Wanderer said:


> I have Microsoft Office 2010 and it's great. Such a good set of programs, but obviously, very expensive.
> If you don't mind being connected to the internet to write, there's always Google Docs.
> https://www.google.com/accounts/Ser...s.google.com/?pli=1&authuser=0&ltmpl=homepage
> I've never used it because I've never had to but according to reviews it's the best free word processor available.



Before you buy MS Office, you might check at work.
MS offers some companies name brand software for closeout prices.  They offer it to cut down on illegal use.
I got MS Office 2007 for $19.99.  Then MS office 2010 for the same price.(wife got custody of the laptop with 2007 on it.)


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## Johnny Cosmo (Aug 21, 2011)

I've tried Scrivener - seems pretty good, but I didn't really put much into it. Open Office is fine as a word processor, it's all I use. It's not as flashy as Word, but that's not what's important. Since it's free, you might as well try it and see if it works for you before dismissing it.


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## Lord Darkstorm (Aug 22, 2011)

One thing to point out, if you spend more time playing with software than writing, then it might be time to move back to a pure word processor.  When I first started writing I went looking for the magical piece of software that would help it all work and change my stories to gold.  Besides wasting a good bit of time playing with overblown software packages (Dramatica anyone?), I learned to stick with a nice word processor and ignore a whole lot of 'tools' that I had no need of.

I do use things like one note for keeping up with the notes of my story, and I have a few toys I like to play with from time to time to help plan out a novel, but the end result is always the same, me and something to write with.


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## victoria stiles (Sep 1, 2011)

Hey..Man!! Thanks for the link. I have searched the link and find very good story writing software there. It is necessary to have good writing softwares as well as good writing skills. I have searched so many softwares in online shops. Some of them works very well.


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## Xanados (Sep 5, 2011)

I use Microsoft Word 2010. My trial period has ran out...but it hasn't effected my using it at all.


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## grahamguitarman (Sep 5, 2011)

M.A.N. said:


> Most posts in this thread talk about OpenOffice, the free version of Microsofts Office. And while free is good, the Writer portion of the suite is a wordprocessing program and as such it can be used to writing. Like Microsofts Word.
> But if you want to do writing geared to novels you should do yourself the favour and check out programs especially for that.
> 
> And as I stated before, I've tried Scrivener, (Mac and now PC as well), YWriter (PC, free) and Liquid Story Binder XE (PC). These are all good with different features.
> ...



I'm currently using Ywriter 5, but I think i might have to check out Storybox.

If all you are doing is writing stories then it doesn't really matter what you use - wordpad is good enough even, no software will make you a better writer. 

However the ability to write 'scenes' then rearrange them within your story is for me a big bonus - something that the big word processors (Word, open office writer, Abiwriter) don't offer, which is why I use Ywriter.  The ability to have notes on my characters and locations all in the same project file - saved with the novel, and accesible at any time while writing is very useful too.

these features won't make you a better writer, but they do make managing your novel easier, and that is more important to me than some formatting feature that doesn't make my story read better.  

The downside of Ywriter5 is the lack of spell/grammar checking, though TBH I find that distracting while writing anyway, and I can easily load a doc into open office for final checking & formatting anyway.


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## Shadoe (Sep 5, 2011)

I was just finishing up my latest story/novel. I realized a couple days ago that I didn't like the plot. Had to shuffle some things, assign tasks to different characters, come up with a new subplot - stuff like that. I went looking for some decent writing software to help because Notepad wasn't cutting it. I installed yWriter5. So I spent a couple hours trying to get my story in there, whined a lot because it wouldn't let me do what I needed to do (be able to look at the plot from 5000 feet), and finally gave up on it. I started writing it out in Notepad again, and ended up with four Notepad windows open (I have three intersecting plotlines going on), and then decided to see if I could make Excel do what I wanted it to do. And that's what I ended up going with, because I could write out the different plotlines individually in columns, then arrange them so that I could view what was going on with each plotline at the same time. That really helped me work through the intersecting bits. Didn't used to be able to do this with Excel, because it had a low character limit per cell, but they've done away with that. When I'm done arranging, I can pop it back into Notepad for the writing.


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## grahamguitarman (Sep 6, 2011)

Yeah thats what I'd really like -  a visual way of rearranging and checking plotlines, where I can see the entire story at once if needed - sort of like a flow chart with built in word processor lol, nothing I've tried works the way I visualise yet


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## Shadoe (Sep 6, 2011)

LOL! Funny you should mention the flow chart thing. I used to be an investigative aid for a drug task force. One of the things they taught us was how to use a link diagram to help with investigations. On my last story, I could NOT finish it (after a YEAR), couldn't stand working on it for any period of time, and half the time couldn't figure out who was doing what and why. So I got out the old link chart. Realized I had dead ends all over the place, characters with no reason to be in the story, and all kinds of problems. I fiddled with the chart for a bit and got all those problems taken care of, and finished the story in a week.

Excel didn't work exactly like that, but it helped me sequence the events so I could keep up with what was going on.


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## grahamguitarman (Sep 6, 2011)

I've just downloaded MyNovel 4.0 to have a play with - it has a flow-charting feature built in apparently, not had a chance to play with it yet though so I have no idea how good the software is!

with a complex story i think flow-charts are definitely the way to keep track of everything LOL


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## Shadoe (Sep 7, 2011)

I'll have to check it out. I like having a flow chart sometimes. I tend to overcomplicate my stories.


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## De Kolesar (Sep 15, 2011)

I just checked out My Writing Spot, and I think I really like it.  Now I can sneak and write while I'm supposed to be working! Thanks...


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