Right now I am writing another novel. When I wrote my first novel twenty years ago, we did not have as much technology as we do now. I can remember getting a stack of index cards, writing out my plot scenes and pinning them in a particular order, and tacking them to a board so I could make sense of them. This was in 2003. You would think we would have had the technology back then, but we didn’t. Needless to say I ended writing the book as a Panster. For those of you who doesn’t know what a Panster is, it’s someone who sits down and just writes what comes to mind. Now some people do this not to put constraints on their creativity, it is a choice. When I did it, it was not a choice at all. I wrote the book like that because I couldn’t make sense out of the information I was finding on the internet. For one, it was not all in one place. I had to search multiple sites to gather information. I didn’t know what I was reading or how to organize the information I was taking in. Books didn’t help. They were abstract and talking in a language I couldn’t understand. Besides, who wants to read a lengthy book on how to write a novel. We are not in the 80s.
This time around I discovered writing software. You can purchase programs and download them on your laptop, but now they have simple websites that you can go to, to use the software. It makes things so much easier. No more index cards, sketch pads, or anything that would have made your writing an arduous event. It helps you plan your whole book out. I don’t know about other people, but writing a book as a Panster is stressful. You sit down at your computer and start laying ideas down. You get an idea for a story line and run with it. You don’t know what the scene is about or what is coming next. When you do get the scene plot down, sometimes you find yourself trying to make parts of the story fit, and that’s just a lot of extra work. Now that I’m using the writing software, I am much more efficient. I’m efficient because I know what each chapter is going to be about, down to each scene in the chapter. It makes life so much easier.
The other awesome thing that most writing software are the built templates. Whether your writing a crime store, short story, fantasy or horror, it has templates that give you suggestions about story structure. It’s not their opinion of story structures, but they base it on the great scholars of storytelling’s research. It makes sure you follow a structure that most readers resonate with. It makes your story line universal. If you’re writing fiction professionally or aspire to, these writing software platforms are superb. If this is your first book, it is a great way to ensure that you get it right. If you are a seasoned writer, it helps with efficiency and planning. I wish we had this twenty years ago. AI is great.
Do not confuse writing software with these AI writing websites either. Two different things. An AI website will help you write, give you feedback, check for grammar and a few other things. AI websites are not going to give you the tools you need to write your book. AI websites are a quick fix. I learned the hard way, after having spent money and I was still at square one, not being able to organize my book. Using this software allows me to focus on my creativity and writing, not being worried about all the technical stuff that goes into it. Don’t get me wrong, you have to do the work. You have to set your book up and provide the information. But it’s well worth the trouble.
A good writing software will start with a road map for writing your book. It should give you examples, definitions and advice on what is needed to set up your book. It should start with the Premise of your book, to the synopsis, all the way down to the location of your characters. It should give you an overview of what to do to get the book started correctly. For one, it’s an education. A lot of us do not have English degrees, so the information these writing software should provide is valuable. I learned a lot from just reading the introduction in the program. You can too.
The software that I am using is kinda old school. You can tell that they based their information on the traditional methods of writing a novel. They even use digital index cards so you can organize your story. The main thing I found helpful is the structure and hierarchy of the Tools Menu. It goes in order, by section, of the things you need to do first. They have a section for your Premise and Synopsis; they have a section for the Plot Manager (my favorite by the way); for characterization, etc. Now, I knew all of this stuff twenty years ago, but I could not visualize it, what I had to do. It was in my head, but I didn’t know how to get it down on paper. Plus, if I did write out the characterization, plot, etc., it would have been in all separate files. Navigating to read notes, make sure you’re staying on track with the scene, and checking characterization would have been a chore. These writing software programs puts everything in one place. They even combine information to help you write.
One of the features I love is the Plot Manager. You will find that this is by far one of the most important aspects of you writing a novel. As I said earlier, the program I’m using uses an old school style of digital index cards. You can title the chapter and then add the scenes that correspond to that chapter. The best way to make sure you get the outcome you want for your book. Each chapter and each scene will be broken down for your convenience when writing your manuscript. And yes, you can write the manuscript in the software. With the characterization tool, you can add as many characters as you want and upload pictures of the characters to keep you true to the description. You can add a chapter overview, scene notes, descriptions of locations with pictures and more. You can add helpful tidbits like date and time and weather to help keep you story going in the correct sequence. And the best thing is you can use these tools separately or view them all at the same time when writing your manuscript.
I can’t stress enough the benefits of planning your book. These software programs lets you see the life in your book. It helps you visualize the book. It is by far one of the best inventions they have made for writing in the past few years. The writing software I’m using now is by a company called Novel Factory. They have many other writing programs out there, but I wanted the simplest one. Something for a novice writer. I did my research and selected Novel Factory, and I am happy with my choice. They give you a thirty day, free trail. After the trail you can subscribe. They have subscriptions as low as $7.50 a month. The one I selected is $20 a month. It allows you to write multiple books at the same time. It was the best option and most affordable for my needs. I do believe the subscription for $7.50 only lets you write one book at a time, so I wouldn’t recommend getting that level.
I am on track to finish my novel in three to four months, six months at the max. The book I published twenty years ago took over a year. It took so long because I kept going back and changing the plot, editing for grammar and proofreading. I had to rely on memory if I wanted to change something in the story, I had no way of referencing it (by the way, this software lets you access and automatically saves previous versions of your work). And I was about to run into the same problem again this time around if it wasn’t for this software. I am ten times better off and a better writer because of it. So, I am not copy writing this as an advertisement for Novel Factory. I’m sure they’ll get some sells from off of this post. I am simply telling you how to make your writing life easier. It is a must have. I suggest to you go and purchase yours now.
As I go along in my writing journey, I will be dropping some knowledge with my experiences. All my Blogs won’t be about writing, but this is Black Gay Writers and Readers.
Novel Factory – The Ultimate Novel Writing Software (novel-software.com)