Looking for note-taking software

[Cambosaurus]

I'm quite new to writing and have recently started on a new project but have quickly realized that word is not the right tool to be using for notetaking and organizing my ideas. Is there any free software that anyone would recommend as a replacement?

 

[Penpilot]

Take a look at yWriter and see if it floats your boat. I used to use it a lot to organize my thoughts for a project. It's not the slickest looking program, but it's very functional.

www.spacejock.com

I've since moved on to Scrivener, which I had to buy. It's very similar, but it's more refined with some extra bells and whistles. They have a try before you buy free trial. And They used to have discounts for completing NaNoWriMo.

Scrivener | Literature & Latte

Oh, there's also WikiPad. It's a personal wiki program, where you can have multiple documents that link to one another via hyperlinks. It's open source.

WikidPad - wiki notebook for Windows/Linux/Mac OS

 

[Prince of Spires]

I use OneNote. I think I get it for free with my Microsoft Office subscription, but it might just be free in general.

Another good, generic note taking program is Evernote, which does the same things as OneNote, roughly.

 

[Cambosaurus]

Take a look at yWriter and see if it floats your boat. I used to use it a lot to organize my thoughts for a project. It's not the slickest looking program, but it's very functional.

www.spacejock.com

I've since moved on to Scrivener, which I had to buy. It's very similar, but it's more refined with some extra bells and whistles. They have a try before you buy free trial. And They used to have discounts for completing NaNoWriMo.

Scrivener | Literature & Latte

Oh, there's also WikiPad. It's a personal wiki program, where you can have multiple documents that link to one another via hyperlinks. It's open source.

WikidPad - wiki notebook for Windows/Linux/Mac OS

Thanks a lot, I might try a few and find one that I like.

 

[pmmg]

I experimented with ywriter and scrivener. I ended up buying scrivener and mildly use it. I could have done the note taking with other tools like excel but dont. One note is one of those tools that had been around a long time and goes mostly unused. Remains an untapped resource for many users.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

I like Scrivener, I've got maps, notes, and whatever all piled into one file for quick access. but then, I'm not a meticulous note-taker, for better or worse, heh heh.

 

[skip.knox]

It really is all about finding the one that works for you. Doesn't matter if it's free or costs; doesn't matter what others say; all that matters is if it works for you.

But I'll add two comments I think are worth consideration. One, what is today perfect for you may prove inadequate in the future. Be flexible, and whatever you choose, think about how hard it might be to export into another app.

Two, you say note-taking, which is one thing. Building a world reference, a story bible, is another sort of thing. There might well be room for both for you. Note-taking that emphasizes cross-platform, ease of entry with an on-screen keyboard, or stylus, or voice, capturing images and even video, and so on; while the reference tool is more about organization and finding information quickly (much harder than it sounds, once you start really accumulating). So you might want to keep an eye out for both. It took me years of trying one thing and another before settling. And I still look around, once in a while.

 

[Finchbearer]

I use the Notes app on iPhone works for me!