I agree with @Komposten as to the subjectivity of the question. I too am a long-time Scrivener aficionado, starting way back when it was new and only for Mac. Scrivener's true power is in its organization, and whether or not you're the kind of writer who would benefit from that sort of organizational paradigm will certainly influence how you engage the application. And while it's not necessarily aimed at non-linear writers, the nature of the application makes it a custom fit if you happen to be the kind of person for whom scenes arrive when they arrive in the order they please. Best thing about the application is that you can use it for 30 functional days* for free, and it's fully functional, no greyed out areas. Here's a video I made for a forum member a while back to show some of the ins and outs of the application.
Yesterday I installed the trial version for 30 days. I started using it, and I'm liking a lot. It's easy, intuitive, and very well organized.
I have Scrivener 3, but don't use it. I had 1.9. Had the betas and the endless download to update to a new beta. I don't like the writing environment and I feel like I'm back at work at my job doing database stuff (which I used to like to do for money). I know I can go into a different mode and not make it look like a database...then there's the compiling stuff which is a pain to deal with. I've all along used Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice for different projects. Prefer a word processor with navigation ability and a spreadsheet and notes app to track related info to the story. Scrivener is not as robust in this way to me. It works for some... The advantages of Word and G-Docs is voice to text. Word also has grammar check, but G-Docs I believe has a plug-in/extension for that. Word is just so powerful. And now using LibreOffice on my Chromebook. Works on all platforms as well, so that's nice to have. Word is great because your document can be linked to OneNote which is so powerful. And you should be able to link to an Excel spreadsheet, but haven't done that, just use it side by side. Word, Excel, OneNote in one screen. It's very nice. Using the strengths of each application.
I'm tempted to look further into OneNote but haven't had many positive reviews. Yours would be ideal (if possible)?
oh this looks like it would be REALLY GREAT - if i drafted stories in MS word, which I don't do. sad!
That OneNote trick may come in handy at work. @nomadfish - I hear you about Scrivener, but I like to do things my own way, so I'm not a good source for an opinion. A word processor with a navigation pane is a pretty good tool. I keep my notes in Devonthink. Recently, I learned how to export metadata from Devonthink directly into Aeon Timeline, which is cool. DT will also merge file types it knows about. One of my favorite word processors is Nisus Writer, which uses RTF as its native format. DT will merge RTF files into a single file. I generally don't use that feature, though. One long document is OK. I've also started using DT as an outlining, or storyboarding tool. It's a little hard to describe, so I narrated a screen recording, if anyone is interested. The first part is an overview of Devonthink, the second part is my outlining technique. If anyone is interested, .
I use SmartEdit Writer and am very happy with it so far. I think the program is well designed, but integration of the SmartEdit feature is what sold me. It's amazing that it's free, IMO. Scrivener is also very good. Personally, I'd list Scrivener and SmartEdit Writer as the top dogs in writing software that helps organize writing projects. At least on Windows. There are a lot of these programs that try to be all-in-one tools for planning, organizing, and writing a novel or book project--many more than have been mentioned so far in this thread. I discovered them when I was doing my research that lead me to select SmartEdit Writer. I may make a post that outlines what my research found.
SmartEdit Writer looks nice. Downloading it as I type. (Except I am on Chromebook, so that wasn't a good idea to download it there)
Obsidian is a real contender for writing or research, particularly now that it features an epoch-shifting Canvas plugin. Imagine Scapple as an integral part of Scrivener. Add notes on your Scapple, add notes on your Scapple that become notes/documents in Scrivener, drag notes from Scrivener into your Scapple - that's a little of what Canvas is like in Obsidian. I'd say it's like a loupe into your data, but it's more like a big screen presenting your ideas, which are all regular Markdown documents. There is no required database. If you delete Obsidian's hidden .obsidian directory, you probably haven't lost anything critical. Just tell Obsidian to re-open the folder as a vault, which will recreate .obsidian, and reinstall the plugins you want, which are stored locally to each vault. You can have as many Canvases as you want in an Obsidian vault (project). Obsidian is free, unless you can't wait a few weeks to get the Canvas plugin. $25 gets you early access to new features and their sync solution. Or, sync with Chronosync or the free rsync and a USB stick and use the free version of Obsidian. The Longform plugin gives Obsidian what amounts to Scrivener's Draft folder. Unlike the general file explorer in Obsidian, in a Longform folder you can drag documents into any order you want, create subdocuments of documents, and slice and dice your work however you want. Longform isn't perfect. You can't create multiple instances of a document in Obsidian, so you can't grab a document outside of a Longform folder to include as part of your manuscript - at least not directly. You can transclude non-Longform documents into Longform scenes, but export options get limited. Or, maybe that's my lack of Obsidian experience showing. Obsidian is very nice.
I use LibreOffice and then paste it into Google Docs in Firefox with the Grammarly extension to check over a few specific things and then paste it all back into LibreOffice for export. This is not an elegant solution, but it is effective for my needs. In the past, I have really enjoyed AbiWord and Gedit as well.
honestly, just returning to writing, but before I used word perfect, which I know is not highly recommended today. As of late, since planning to return to writing, I tried multiple software programs, and returning to Word Perfect. Two main reasons that I prefer is I do not always want to work online , don not like having a online storage subscription that I do not want, but automatically saves everything I do online. Second reason is the checking styles are far more versatile, and can be saved in MS Word formats, which makes it a snap to submit. Oh, and I tried the new Word, and absolutely hate it! But then, this is my opinion and preference, and feel; we are all entitled to or our individual preferences.
I think the original question needs to be clarified in certain ways. Are we talking srictly about 'writing' software, meaning just a word processor? Or are we including story organizing and plotting? For simply the word processor part (the end product), I like Google Docs and Libre Office. Each have their weak points though, I've never found what I consider a perfect one. For story planning I use Scrivener (for the corkboard and Notes and Research portions mainly, which allow you to create a nice flexible beat sheet or step outline as they're also known), and for plotting I use Plottr. I suppose really that's just a more specific and detailed form of story planning (after all plotting and planning are basically synonyms). But I go to Plottr if I really want to pay attention to timelines and plot points, and to Scrivener for the looser, rougher forms of idea/story organization.
I have a lawyer friend who is very loyal to Word Perfect. I've heard it has features very helpful for writing legal documents. My fling with Obsidian was brief. I like the concept. In practice I found I could do pretty much everything Obsidian offered in Devonthink. Recently I've started looking for ways to use Devonthink's annotations, which I had always ignored in the past. Devonthink's annotations are sort of like a second "shadow" markdown or rtf file for everything. Notes, pdf's, groups, tags, everything can have an annotation. I've played with a map of contents in group (folder) annotations. That helps Devonthink's see-also concept searching and it's a good place to put a document's history. For instance, I can list who I sent a letter or email to, with links to their responses which in turn have links to my replies. Later, I can follow each thread. I'm stuck in a rut with Devonthink. Fortunately, it's a very nice rut for my needs. Mellel is still my word processor of choice. Version 6 is imminent and will bring some nice refinements like split screen. Nothing does styles like Mellel. It's different, so don't take my word for its suitability. I'm with @R.A. Meadows regarding Word. It's not for me.
Your friend is right about the legal documents, I have a few lawyer friends that are devoted to WordPerfect, and it has advantages, and most carry over into creative writing. While I love the program, and the first writing software I liked, before getting serious during my youth, and getting my first computer, Windows 3.1, I used Write for writing the stories, later changed to WordPerfect, and learned how to use Serious software. I used Notepad for notes regarding research, and card file for creating quick facts. Now, it is basically WordPerfect and Quattro Pro for notes and outlines. This has been working surprisingly well, and suits my personal needs. An added bonus is the versitility of the newer version of WordPerfect, and the advantages of making a spreadsheet notebook with everything in one place.
Long, long ago I was very happy with Vedit (which is still a remarkable product) and a text formatter. I sometimes write copy for pamphlets in BBEdit Notebook files, which are sort of like a bare bones Scrivener. Each story goes in a separate document in the notebook, along with captions, sidebars, and other units of text. Affinity Publisher does a lot of good for me. Writing in it is tedious, which is where BBEdit fills the gap. Yes, I know. It's kind of a bizarre setup.
I hear good things about Atticus. Almost too good to be true. I'll probably try it, because it's relatively inexpensive, but if anybody wants to stop me, now's your chance.
Word and open office are good word processors. The problem as i see it is they are not designed for the more creative aspects of writing. I use scrivener, which includes a corkboard feature that allows you to write chapter or scene summaries on virtual 3x5 cards. You can easily move those around and change the order of things in the story. It also has integrated features for characters profiles, research, front and end matter. The best writing software, is the one that works best for you and the way you write.
I started using Scrivener just recently, and I like it. I don't know why it took me so long to try it. I also use SmartEdit Writer which is also a pretty good tool, and for now, I am trying to understand which one I like better because I have writing in both tools, and it's not that comfortable.
I don't know about other writing programs, but I use Microsoft Word with the ProWriting Aid add-on installed. Such a nifty tool.
