Best Novel Writing Software

Over the years I’ve attended numerous workshops and writers’ group meetings. Often the subject of software comes up, especially when we share material for critique. After listening to other writers and experimenting with different applications, here are my conclusions regarding the best novel writing software.

Before exploring the options, we ought to understand what tasks we expect novel writing software to perform. Here are my personal requirements:

• Record the words I type
• Edit (make corrections and changes)
• Organize (scenes and chapters)
• Reorganize (move sections around)
• Format (eventually you will need to properly format your manuscript)
• Save in a format that can be shared
• Support tracking changes (needed to receive comments and corrections)

Text Editors

The goal of any writer is to get the words out of your head and onto the page. For this, the most basic text editors will do. If you use Windows, Notepad will work. OSX comes with TextEdit. Linux users can write in vi or even nano. I’ve used all the above, but I don’t recommend these because there are other considerations.

Formatting on text editors is limited or nonexistent. One of the big reasons not to use a text editor is that you will insert extra carriage returns to separate your paragraphs. Those will need to be removed later. Most text editors won’t let you insert page breaks for new chapters and don’t support bold, underlined or italicized characters.

And novels get big, generally somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 words (War and Peace has over half a million), which quickly becomes a nightmare on a text editor.

So, for many reasons, text editors are out.

Word Processors

Word processors are designed to handle large documents like novels. Any good word processor will support the first five requirements. They all support writing, editing, organizing and formatting. It’s the last two requirements that eliminate most word processing programs from my list.

Right or wrong, Microsoft Word’s standard format has become a de facto standard. If you take part in critique groups (in person or online), the group will most likely specify files to be submitted in MS-Word format (.docx or perhaps .doc). At some point, you will need the assistance of an editor. Every editor I have met insists on receiving manuscripts in MS-Word format.

When editors review your work, they will enable MS-Word’s Track Changes feature. This will record and display their additions, deletions and changes. Plus it allows them to insert comments. Most fellow writers who critique your work will do the same.

The following word processors meet these requirements:

• Microsoft Word
• LibreOffice Writer
• Apple Pages
• Google Docs

Creative Writing Software

Writing a novel is a complicated affair. Plots need to be engineered. Settings need to be imagined and detailed. Characters need to be developed complete with physical features, emotional scars and back stories. And much more…

There is a plethora of software available to assist novelists. I have not used any of these, so I’m not qualified to review them. Literature and Latte covers the subject along with other topics in their Links for Writers page. Reedsy provides good information on more than a dozen creative writing tools on their blog. (Of course, they rate their product best).

Scrivener, by Literature and Latte, gets mentioned a lot as a tool for novel-writing, with features to assist writers in nearly every aspect of composing a long story. In a workshop I recently attended, one participant told the group he had been recruited to teach a class on how to use Scrivener and he was struggling to master the software well enough to teach. Several other writers indicated they owned a copy but none of them actively used it. When I asked why not, some had given up before figuring out how to use it, while others had stopped using it because of the complexity. One of the writers recommended watching a set of tutorial videos that covered the details of how to access different features. After listening to the discussion, I concluded that my time would be better spent writing instead of learning to use software.

Software I Use For Novel Writing

Over the years, I have experimented with a lot of different software. Some of the decisions are influenced by the devices I use for writing. Currently, I use:

• Desktop: iMac
• Laptop: iMac
• Phone: Google Pixel

I realize that’s an odd combination. But, the reason for mentioning this is that is affects my choices of software.

Currently this is what works for me.

Google Docs for Writing

I write my novels using Google Docs. There are a number of reasons:

• It’s simple, with enough functionality to do the job, but without a ton of unneeded features that get in the way.
• There’s no software to install. It works using any browser.
• My work is saved in the cloud (Google Drive). So I can access it from my desktop, laptop or phone.
• I can export and import to MS-Word format.
• It’s free.

Could I do this using MS- Word and Office 365? Absolutely.

The primary driver in my decision to use Google Docs is driven by my personal distrust of and disgust with Microsoft Corporation (which goes back many years). My point isn’t to influence your choice. You should recognize my bias and take that into consideration when deciding for yourself.

My point is, that Google Docs gets the job done for me.

Google Slides for Plot Planning

I know what you’re thinking, using presentation software for plot planning sounds crazy. I explain this in more detail in my article, Plot Planning for Novels.

In a nutshell, I develop my plot plan by summarizing each scene on a single slide. This let’s me work at a high level. I can see the big picture. It’s easy to insert, delete and reorder scenes using the grid view.

Then, when I’m ready to write a scene, I copy the summary of the slide into my manuscript (and make the font color blue, so it stands out). That way I can see my notes for the scene while I write. When I’m done creating the scene, I delete the blue notes.

Google Keep for Capturing Notes on the Fly

Google Keep is an Android App (similar to Notes on iPhone). When I’m anywhere (working my day job, at dinner, or on the beach at a vacation resort) and I get an inspiration that needs to be captured before I get distracted, I open Google Keep on my phone and make a note.

Later, when I’m writing, I can open my Google Keep notes in a browser window while I incorporate the notes into my manuscript.

Google Drive for Organizing Information

As I am researching locations, I take pictures and videos on my phone. When I research things on my computer, I’ll save screenshots from webpages. When I am developing characters, I’ll write up detailed profiles for each character.

I create a separate folder on Google Drive for each novel. From my phone, I can easily upload pictures and videos using the Google Drive app. I save my Plot Planning, Character Profiles and everything else in one convenient place in Google Drive, where the information is easy to access no matter which device I’m using to write, including my phone. (Yes, I am guilty of writing using my phone while I sat on planes or in doctors’ offices.)

Summary

The whole purpose of novel writing software is to assist you in getting the story out of your head and onto your manuscript. That means it needs to be easy to use and available whenever you have a few minutes to write.

I’ve shared what works for me. Please tell me what works for you in the comments below.

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