Free Software

The software used to write and to organize information for writing has been tossed about on this board before. We each have a word processor (maybe two) that we prefer. But what do you do for organizing notes, ideas, plot points, etc.?

If you’re like me, unless you do something to take control of it, you’ll quickly wind up with a folder of our of control documents, and a spiral notebook covered in post-its. There are, of course, software to make the job easier, but they can be quite expensive. But there are also some excellent free programs available too.

yWriter is a free word processor specifically designed fro writing novels. It’s designed to make it easy to save the story in chapters, so you can avoid not only the enormous single document, but also the dozens of chapters or scenes that keep you from finding what you’re looking for. It also has places for you to keep notes on characters, locations and such. There’s a useful intro on Youtube.

While yWriter is a word processor with some tools to help you organize, Storybook is designed as an organizational tool to help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines. You can store all information about your characters and locations in one place, then manage chapters, scenes, characters and locations. A simple interface lets you assign your defined characters and locations to each scene.