Today I'd like to talk about the tools we use.
As writers we all use our imagination and our brains. I know
many writers use a laptop, desktop or other computer to put their words in
order. But what other tools do you use?
I’d like to share with you a tool that I use that I was
lucky enough to find early on in my writing career. yWriter.
yWriter
is a free application created by a programmer who also happens to be a
writer. You just know you’re going to
get something useful when an actual writer has put the application together.
And you certainly get a tool worth using. I’m grateful to have found yWriter when I
did. Back when I started writing, every
writer I met wrote in order, sequentially, from beginning to end, in Word. When
I started writing, my thoughts and ideas came to me in a jumble. I would know how I planned to end the story, I’d have a single character’s name and large
chunks of dialogue. None of it showed up
in my brain in any order that I could manage.
I certainly couldn’t put all this information in a Word doc without
losing my mind.
I remember hunting online for something, anything, that
might help. I remember someone
mentioning yWriter, and I immediately sought out the website.
Simon Haynes created yWriter to help with his own
writing. And I bet it’ll help yours
too. Check it out. Try it out.
It’s FREE. And if you really like
it, support Simon by purchasing one of his books. Hal Junior: The Secret Signal
or his Hal
Spacejock series.
What tools do you use to get your writing done? What tools do you wish you had?
Interesting tool--how do the files show up in Word (eg if you send a chapter to your critique group)? Are they just like other files (.doc)?
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ReplyDeleteYou can export the files to Word either as txt rtf or html it's pretty easy to do. There is even an option to export your file as an ebook suitable for Calibre if you plan to self-pub and a NaNoWriMo option too!
ReplyDeleteI am now trying it thanks to this post. So far, I like it. Though, I am curious if it has spell check. If not, that will be what Word is for.
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