See:
But (a little) more seriously, I’ve been looking at novel-writing software and there are a few trends I’ve noticed:
- A lot of software has moved to the browser (kind of yucko).
- Most software has a monthly or yearly subscription attached (definitely yucko).
- No one really recommends Microsoft Word, but a few recommend Google Docs (??).
- Most non-browser software seems to run on Windows or Mac, but rarely both.
- Scrivener is the unicorn because it supports Windows, Mac and has a one-time purchase price. It even works on Linux if you are willing to fiddle a bit (no actual fiddle skills required).
- There seems to be a split between software that is pretty and modern, and One Dude Who Knows How to Code But Uses UI by Caveman Design.
- None of the “best of” lists I looked at offered anything for Linux. Sorry, Tux! This is mildly surprising, because novelWriter is open source software that runs on all three desktop platforms: Windows, macOS and Linux. I’m trying it out now and will have more on it soon™.
In reality, I probably have the best option already, the aforementioned unicorn of Scrivener. But I am still traumatized by how it munged my work, and it does not play nice with network drives or cloud services, and I’m not yet certain if I want to restrict my writing to one platform. Maybe I should.
Also, this is my way of saying I may start writing fiction again. Woo. Or at least woo-ish.
