One of the most expensive of the programs that work on either PC or Mac platforms is Dramatica Pro ($219.95 on sale from Write Brothers, Inc.) helps writers from the beginning stages of a project all the way through to the end and is touted by reviewers as having more practical uses for writers at all levels than most other available programs.
Dramatica’s base revolves around a set of questions (385) and for the beginning writer or those who use a seat-of-the-pants method of writing, this can be off-putting and tedious. Although you can skip a lot of these questions and answer them later, the purpose is to provide the writer with a clear concise story outline that makes writing the book easier according to people who love the program.
They also say it helps spot holes in plot and character development that can mean the difference between a rejection and sale. Dramatica Pro includes a word processor, structure templates, report features (allowing you to track daily word count and meet deadlines), compare your scenes to those of famous writers and other neat tools.
Software for PC Only
At the other end of the price spectrum from Dramatica Pro is WriteWay ($29.00 from JT Enterprises) and the strong point in this software according to reviewers is story organization. WriteWay has gotten bum reviews for the tech support which means you’re pretty much on your own but at a list price of under $30 many writers may figure it’s worth the extra learning time.
It also has a built-in word processing program so it isn’t strictly necessary to cut and past the story into Microsoft Word before submitting it to publishers. Be aware that more and more publishers are cutting down on their paper submissions and now require electronic submissions. Many will only accept Microsoft Word compatible formats so you may have to do the transfer at some point.
There is a WriteWay Pro edition (released in 2008 and priced at $59) that has more bells and whistles. Created by the husband of romance author Tina St. John, it allows you to keep the story itself and the outline of the book divided into acts, chapters and scenes on your screen simultaneously.
Software for Mac Only
Scrivener, which has a lot of features of the WriteWay family of software, offers all the standard features and helps organize research into folders for use throughout the writing process. Scrivener (priced at $39.95) offers a variety of ways to view your work and has been applauded by fiction, non-fiction and comic book writers. It offers templates for short stories, novels, BBC-style radio scenes or taped dramas, stage plays (United States and United Kingdom versions) and comic scripts or you can develop your own template based on your preferred format.
Looking for Researching Tools Only?
Don’t really need all the features of creative writing software? Well perhaps Surflater for the PC or Notebook for Mac are worth a look. These help organize Internet research and work with all the different browsers.
Free or Shareware
If you don’t have a budget for these programs there are some shareware programs available. yWriter from Spacejock is one that is user friendly and has had good reviews
