Computers and Software for Writers

In the old days the author had only a pen and paper, or later a typewriter, to contend with. Nowadays there's a vast array of software that can make the job of putting words onto paper quicker and more efficient.

Note that I'm not going to get into an "OS War" about whether a Windows PC is better or worse than a Mac or a Linux box! When writing, by far the most important thing is that you feel comfortable with the technology you're using, so that it doesn't get between you and the words. If you prefer to write your first draft longhand and then type it up later, go ahead. As long as you have access to a word-processor and a reasonable quality printer for producing your manuscript for submission, use whatever you feel comfortable with (and can afford!).

Hardware

Typing

There are four principal types of "computer" that can be used for writing your novel: desktop, notebook, PDA and electronic keyboard.

Desktop computers need little introduction. They have the advantage of being cheaper than a comparable laptop and usually last longer as they don't get bashed about so much! If you have the luxury of a room to yourself where you can write (or even the corner of one), you might find that the discipline of sitting down at a desk helps you get into the right frame of mind for writing. If you can only afford one computer and have to share it with other members of the family, a desktop computer is your only sensible choice.

Notebook computers, aka laptops, are fast outstripping desktops in terms of sales. They have the advantage that you can take them wherever you want to write: on the sofa, in the garden, at the library, etc. They are thus ideal if you don't have a lot of space to dedicate to writing. On the other hand they are relatively expensive and fragile, and the cheaper ones can get very heavy very quickly if you need to carry them around a lot.

PDAs range from simple electronic organisers to all-singing, all-dancing wannabe-laptops. They are much lighter than a laptop and generally have a longer battery life, and are thus handy for taking on holiday, etc, but unless you enjoy staring at a screen the size of your palm for hours on end, they're not really suitable for writing an entire novel!

Electronic keyboards usually have a laptop-sized keyboard attached to a small mono screen and can store anything from a few dozen pages of text to several novels. The machine syncs with your computer, somewhat like a PDA, so that your writing can be pasted into a proper word-processor for editing and printing.

Although aimed principally at the school market, the more stylish, "grown-up" models such as the Alphasmart Dana and Neo are also popular with many writers, since they are lighter and more robust than any laptop, and have a much longer battery life (as well as fewer distractions like games and internet access!).

I have a Neo, which doesn't do much apart from word-processing but has an astonishing 700 hours' battery life (from one set of AA batteries) ! I find that Alphasmarts are perfect for bashing out a first draft; in fact I'm certain I would never have completed NaNoWriMo without mine.

Other technology

A digital camera is a very useful tool for any writer. When doing research, I can take dozens, even hundreds, of photos without having to worry about film processing costs, and can easily turn them into an inspirational slideshow, desktop wallpaper, etc to help keep me "in the zone" when writing.

Software

Planning and outlining

It's not essential to use software for this task - I also fall back on a simple shorthand notepad - but it can be helpful. I use two programs specially designed for writers: one is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, the other is Mac-only (but there are Windows equivalents).

SuperNotecard is an electronic form of the traditional writer's scene-planning tool, the stack of index cards. What makes SNC a useful substitute (apart from the fact that you can't drop a pile of virtual cards on the floor!) are the flagging and cross-referencing tools, which help you to keep track of theme, pace, and other factors involved in your plot. At around $30, it's affordable, too! Also, the developers are very helpful and open to suggestions for new features.

Scrivener is a complete planning and editing tool for writers, and I would strongly recommend any Mac-owning writer to get a copy. It does most of what SuperNotecard can do, plus its editing and export tools are second to none. No more mucking about in Word to try and get your manuscript into the preferred format of publishers X, Y and Z - Scrivener's "Compile Draft" function lets you replace smart quotes with stroight quotes, change line spacings, add headers and footers - all without modifying your original files. And it's only slightly more expensive than SNC, which makes it excellent value for money.
[Note for Windows users: Liquid Story Binder is very similar.]

Word Processing

A decent word-processor is absolutely essential these days, unless you are rich enough to employ a secretary to type up your notes for you! For a writer of speculative fiction, the essential features are:

• A spellchecker with the option to add words to the dictionary - fantasy and SF have a much wider vocabulary than your average business report!

• A word count function so you can check on your progress

• Headers and footers so you can number your pages and put titles and contact details on the final manuscript

• For that happy day when you send off your final draft in electronic format - the ability to export in Microsoft Word format without losing anything. This is important to check, since some word processors claim to do the job and then you open the document in Word to find the headers and footers have gone AWOL or the line-spacing has gone back to single :(

You might also want:

• A grammar-checker that is configurable to suit the more relaxed style of fiction - useful if you're prone to type 'there' instead of 'their' (or vice versa), a mistake a spell-checker might miss.

I use OpenOffice, though admittedly that is purely to check that what I exported from Scrivener (see above) is actually what I meant to produce!

PDA software

Although I am mostly steering clear of recommending a particular computing platform, I have to confess that I have never owned a Pocket PC (mainly because they can't be synced with Linux). Thus this section will be confined to software for the Palm range of PDAs. For the writer, there are two "killer apps" for the Palm:

1. WordSmith- a neat little word-processor with spellchecking, thesaurus, word count, and basic text-formatting. WordSmith costs about $30, but it's so much more powerful than the Palm's built-in memo application that it's worth every penny. It's fully compatible with MS Word, and there are downloads for Windows, Mac and even Linux. A simplified version called AlphaWord is bundled with the Alphasmart Dana.

2. HanDBase- an easy-to-use database program, similar to an electronic card index file - only much more powerful! The application itself costs about $25, and there are lots of free databases you can download, including some especially for writers.

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