Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
The awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG are JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre!
July 3 question – What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble), writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?
The first word processing software I used was Novell’s WordPerfect. (Does anyone use it anymore?) That was back in the late 80s/early 90s, when Microsoft programs didn’t rule the world. It was an easy move to Microsoft Word and the rest of the Office Suite when I switched jobs. With all the changes since then, Microsoft has turned Word into more than a simple letter-writing tool.
But they also changed the payment model. Unless you purchase a stripped down-version, you pay to use it either monthly or yearly.
No, thank you. That’s why I use LibreOffice, free software that emulates all the basic functionality of Word. Yes, enough of the commands are different to beat copyright claims, but it’s easy to learn.
I have another choice for editing.
While LibreOffice is great for a first draft, it doesn’t have all the editing functionality as Word. I have another favorite for that. I’ve tried Hemingway, Grammarly, and several others. The one I settled on was ProWritingAid. The free version was useful, but the full version made a big difference. And I received a lifetime subscription as a Christmas present.
One caveat: I’ve noticed more errors getting through ProWritingAid in my current editing. I don’t know if I’ve messed up a setting somewhere or what, but I need to check into it.
So, that’s what I use. I’ve used both in the writing of this post. I’m making bets on what the most popular answers will be. Check out a few of the other answers by following the links below.
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
I haven’t heard of the program you use. I just buy Word when I buy a new computer. It works well for me, and I need it for my job as a writer.
Basic Word is great for writing. ProWritingAid is for advanced editing
Word Perfect! Yes! I remember her fondly. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
Research tells me it’s still in use in some countries.
WordPerfect was my second word-processing love. It still exists, but looks and feels so much like Word, that it’s not worth the while. A lot of the old, smart customisation and shortcuts are not in there any more.
I am very grateful for your mentioning of LibreOffice, I tested it out yesterday, and it looks much better in my eyes.
Thank you.