What software do you use when writing?

[4glory6]

I use an old version of Word. Mostly for school stuff, though.

 

[Handley_Page]

I do wish Wordstar was still in circulation.

 

[StrangeLife]

I do wish Wordstar was still in circulation.

Oh it is. Like The Matrix it's out there and if you search for it, it will find you.

Of course you will have to install MS DOS as well. As far as I have heard, it runs poorly in DOS emulators under Windows.

 

[horrorotica]

I just discovered Ginger which isn't bad for cleaning up grammar. Not perfect, but usable.

 

[Zingiber]

TextEdit.app

Copy and Paste from TextEdit, but I'm rather a novice at Literotica yet.

 

[StrangeLife]

I noticed that so far we all seem to be using local software. However I'm curious - are anybody using cloud based word processors?

Like Google Docs for instance?

For people with a reasonably persistent internet connection it's seems like a full featured Word processor, and it's free..

 

[DeYaKen]

Word, Ywriter5, Open office depending on which computer I'm using and how long the story is.

With long stories Ywriter is great because when you add a new character you can write a short bio.It's easy to keep track of character names and keep actions in character. Same goes for locations. It will also read back to you, individual scenes so you get to hear what you wrote, not what you thought you wrote. Great thing is it's free, downside is it won't output in word or HTML format.

 

[carlieplum]

Another Word user. (Like the WordStar shout out.) Does anyone else remember the word processing program that you had to use for a while if you were in the military? It was on an ex-boyfriend's computer. Horrible, horrible thing. The software. Not the boyfriend or the computer.

I use Googledocs for work. I don't like the interface enough that I would want to write it in though.

 

[_Lynn_]

Another Word user. (Like the WordStar shout out.) Does anyone else remember the word processing program that you had to use for a while if you were in the military? It was on an ex-boyfriend's computer. Horrible, horrible thing. The software. Not the boyfriend or the computer.

I use Googledocs for work. I don't like the interface enough that I would want to write it in though.

I tried Googledocs but didn't like it at all.

 

[sr71plt]

Another Word user. (Like the WordStar shout out.) Does anyone else remember the word processing program that you had to use for a while if you were in the military? It was on an ex-boyfriend's computer. Horrible, horrible thing. The software. Not the boyfriend or the computer.
QUOTE]

Maybe XyWrite?

 

[carlieplum]

Nope, that's not it.

Anybody remember Ami Pro? Or the word processing program from Lotus? Having a little software nostalgia moment here...

And who could forget (or forgive) MultiMate!

 

[sr71plt]

And who could forget (or forgive) MultiMate!

I could forget it, because I've never heard of it--and my experience with using computers goes back to one called Univac.

 

[RjThoughts]

Nope, that's not it.

Anybody remember Ami Pro? Or the word processing program from Lotus? Having a little software nostalgia moment here...

And who could forget (or forgive) MultiMate!

Lotus, omg!
I remember when the insurance company for whom I worked needed Lotus "programmers." I applied but was rejected because, well, they thought a person with a 2-year degree could not do it. They also didn't like that I was using WordPerfect for reports.

 

[carlieplum]

pilot, MultiMate was an early PC word processor. That's as far back as I go. My dad was an early adopter, so we had PCs in the house before Microsoft Word existed. We ran through quite the line up of word processors.

 

[robertreams]

Word Perfect was great software. I hate Microsoft I recently have started using Google docs. It is great for working with editors, or as an editor working with writers. You can add comments and make changes in real time from either end.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Nope, that's not it.

Anybody remember Ami Pro? Or the word processing program from Lotus? Having a little software nostalgia moment here...

My work still used Lotus office stuff in painfully-recent memory. I seem to recall a deep and abiding dislike of the spreadsheet part. But we eventually shifted to OpenOffice and then to MS Office.

 

[horrorotica]

I think Google Docs is a good place to back up stories off your PC. But I wouldn't write from it.

 

[sr71plt]

pilot, MultiMate was an early PC word processor. That's as far back as I go. My dad was an early adopter, so we had PCs in the house before Microsoft Word existed. We ran through quite the line up of word processors.

Did you ever encounter a TI-99? That was our first computer--overseas. Texas Instrument immediately stopped making them when we bought that one. And it was extremely expensive. They all were at the time. But well worth it. My son ran it to death and took it apart and put it back together again and then ran it to death again--and now has a doctorate in virtual reality.

 

[Handley_Page]

I just discovered Ginger which isn't bad for cleaning up grammar. Not perfect, but usable.

Not a lot of good, unless I can get an Android OS for a PC (which I think would be a good idea).

Oh it is. Like The Matrix it's out there and if you search for it, it will find you.

Of course you will have to install MS DOS as well. As far as I have heard, it runs poorly in DOS emulators under Windows.

Somewhere in my 'garbage', I have a very old PC with DOS 6.24; I really must root it out. . . .
The problem is persuading said PC to connect to the Internet. DOS wasn't right bright with communications. . .

I noticed that so far we all seem to be using local software. However I'm curious - are anybody using cloud based word processors?

Like Google Docs for instance?

For people with a reasonably persistent internet connection it's seems like a full featured Word processor, and it's free..

Put our deathless prose where the NSA or GCHQ can read it ?
Not I, thank you.
It smacks too much of 'Big Brother' for me.

And, to my mind, as a WP it's not particularly good, even.

 

[StrangeLife]

Put our deathless prose where the NSA or GCHQ can read it ?
Not I, thank you.
It smacks too much of 'Big Brother' for me.

And, to my mind, as a WP it's not particularly good, even.

Google Docs has the basic WP functionality that will satisfy most people - especially those who are either intimidated by or simply don't need the functionality of Word. And you can basically work on your document from any device that runs Chrome, as long as you're connected to the web.

But I certainly share your concerns regarding privacy. Not so much the three letter agencies - I don't care if NSA agents read my stories - but I would hate to see Google advertisements with paddles, whips and other sex toys...

 

[SamScribble]

I quite like MS Word (Office 2010 version) even though I don't much like Microsoft. (Damn! They'll be reading this, won't they? I should have thought of that.)

In the past, I've used all sorts of stuff - including WordStar. They all work. I think it's just a matter of what you get used to.