It can be pretty expensive to set yourself up with the perfect writing space. First you have to squeeze some room out of tight living quarters. Then you have to fork out some cash to get a computer desk and chair, not to mention that top of the line computer with all the bells and whistles. Now Microsoft wants to charge you a few hundred dollars for their office suite. Anything that can help you save some money can’t hurt.
Is there another way to do this and save some cash? On the software side, there is. Microsoft doesn’t want you to know this, but there are other alternatives.
Use RoughDraft 3.0 to Write Your Rough Draft
Would you like to be able to read MS Word documents without paying the Microsoft price? Then you need to check out RoughDraft 3.0. It was created by Richard Salisbury, a writer himself. It’s a fully functioning word processor that reads MS Word, MS Works, and Rich Text, along with html and text files. With Rough Draft3.0, you can read any of these files and then save them to either a .rtf or .txt file. It has a professional look and can do most of the word processing functions that MS Word can. You can spell check, add bullets, and you can even change the mode. You can change it from normal mode to screen writing mode, stage/ radio play mode, or prose mode. Not to bad for some a free piece of software. You just need to download it, install it and start writing.
Write the Next Great Movie With Cinergy Script Editor
Do you think you have a great idea for a movie, but you need some software to write it? You might want to give Cinergy Script Editor a try. It is an intuitive program that anticipates what you are going to do next. Are you going to write an action line or some dialog? Script Editor helps to keep the flow and formatting of your script so you can focus more on the story. Many writers, myself included, have played around with the idea of writing a play or movie script. This really is an easy and cost effective way to try it out and see how you like it. It does take some getting used to, but there is a Quick Help you can use. Mindstar Productions makes Cinergy Script Editor and you can find the software for free at their website.
Keep Your Novels Organized Using yWriter2
Even if you do have top of the line word processing software, keeping a novel straight can be a hassle. You have big chunks of text that you have to wade through and moving things around can be nearly impossible. Novelist and programmer, Simon Hayes, was tired of this so he created a solution – yWriter2. This really is a nice little piece of software. The interface is easy to use and lets you move around in your novel with ease. It has a character builder part of the software so you can flesh out your characters. You can give them a biography and write out what is at stake for them in the story. There are a lot of little things that help in a big way in yWriter2. To take a look at it yourself, go to the website, download it and install it. It might just change the way you write your next book.
Software Choices Gives You Freedom
Just because Microsoft dominates much of the computer world doesn’t mean you have to march to their drum. That’s not to say that their products are bad, just that it’s nice to have a choice. Give these a try and let me know how you like them. I know you can’t beat the price.
