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Writing

In reply to the discussion: Computer program for writers [View all]
 

Chan790

(20,176 posts)
9. I use Notepad. I'm wary of people who recommend more.
Wed Mar 13, 2013, 04:20 PM
Mar 2013

Really. You don't need a fancy computer to write a book, the most popular novel of the last twenty years, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was written on a yellow steno-pad. On The Road by Jack Kerouac was written on a roll of toilet paper. Hemingway wrote on a typewriter. The majority of best selling novels through history were written on basic technology, the majority of those using pen and paper.

The best writing instructor I ever had made us do all of our composition in MS Notepad so that we couldn't worry about formatting, font, pagination, word-count or anything other than our writing. That's my recommendation. Write in Notepad. When you're finished composing, edit in a word-processing suite like Word. You'll write better for it. There's nothing there to distract. There's nothing there but your words. That's all you need and more than that is usually a detriment to the product. Publishers have people they pay a lot of money to make it look pretty; they're paying you to put words on the page.

When I teach writing courses for prose or poetry, I forbid my students the use of anything fancier than Notepad. Fancy writing software suites make bad writers and do nothing to improve the work-output of good ones.

Also, disconnect your internet and take the phone off the hook. Writing time is writing time and should be protected from intrusion. When the words stop coming or you start to make mistakes or feel compelled to go back and edit what you just wrote, hang it up for the day.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Computer program for writers [View all] oneshooter Mar 2013 OP
Celtx is free. Bolo Boffin Mar 2013 #1
Microsoft Word or Open Office DavidDvorkin Mar 2013 #2
Just finished a novel... CherokeeDem Mar 2013 #3
Hey, great links. Thanks! nt valerief Mar 2013 #11
You're Welcome... CherokeeDem Mar 2013 #12
I think a lot will depend on how much formating, insertion of photos, etc., you need to do. Hoyt Mar 2013 #4
Fiction or non? eom littlemissmartypants Mar 2013 #5
Fiction/science fiction oneshooter Mar 2013 #8
Microsoft Word. Publishers are used to working with it. mainer Mar 2013 #6
Liquid Story binder... Agnosticsherbet Mar 2013 #7
I use Notepad. I'm wary of people who recommend more. Chan790 Mar 2013 #9
I wouldn't even have a clue how to access SheilaT Mar 2013 #14
I put my writing on notepad, and now can not find it! oneshooter Mar 2013 #16
Bingo. SheilaT Mar 2013 #17
That reduces the nightmare of formatting PATRICK Jun 2013 #21
yWriter is free. Scrivener is $40. Both are similar. valerief Mar 2013 #10
Check out tvtropes.org. It's a wealth of ideas. valerief Mar 2013 #13
I will try out all of the posters ideas. oneshooter Mar 2013 #15
Poor you! SheilaT Mar 2013 #18
Have you checked out Scrivener? backscatter712 May 2013 #19
+1 on the Scrivener recommendation Old Crow Sep 2014 #23
Welcome to DU cyberswede Sep 2014 #24
Why, thank you! Old Crow Sep 2014 #25
Sounds like the kind if books I like. cyberswede Sep 2014 #26
Open Office is as good as any...and it is free... Lefty Nast Jun 2013 #20
Yarny - it's free, web-based, super easy to use and saves everything to the cloud automatically eShirl Jul 2013 #22
This message was self-deleted by its author valerief Sep 2014 #27
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