Welcome back! Today we’re going to go over our last installment of this series, where I tell you about the One-Time Purchase options I’ve tried. This list is pretty short, but I’ve used these options more than most of the other software listed in the previous installments, with a couple of exceptions (Google Drive and Reedsy)
DISCLAIMER: I am not being paid for my opinions. All opinions stated in this post are just that. Any products I’ve used, I purchased with my own money for the sole purpose of using them in a recreational manner. I am not a paid or unpaid sponsor or affiliate of any of these products.
But first, let’s go over our requirements list one last time. Let’s start with strict requirements:
- Cross-platform capability
- Automatic backup options (whether that was a proprietary or 3rd party option, I didn’t care as much)
- Good for the budget
Next, we have soft requirements. Things I want but ultimately could live without if I otherwise liked the product enough:
- Online (a plus if it could also be used offline)
- Non-subscription based pricing (or if that was the only option, a low budget subscription)
- The ability to auto-format an em-dash (Yeah, I’m one of those people)
- Real-time collaboration features
- Dark mode
Let’s get into it!
- iA Writer – This is a markdown editor that is so simplistically fantastic. I’ve used it both on my iPad and on my Windows computer. It’s distraction-free, easy to use, and very much minimalist. A fun feature I always enjoyed is that you can color-code your words (verbs are one color, nouns another, etc.). If you turn on the feature for all available options, your manuscript turns into a pretty rainbow! You can also have the software grey/strike-through your filler words. This allows you to be able to see how the sentence looks with and without the filler word at the same time. I used this software for several months before the dopamine trail called to me to find something else. There’s nothing wrong with the software; I just got bored (it happens). I may go back to using this sometime, but I’m to the point where I need something to organize all my novel’s moving pieces (research, plot, etc.). iA Writer is just for the manuscript, but it does that really well.
- Bibisco – Another program made for writers by writers. It features an all-in-one application for writing, character development, chapters and scene management, and more. One thing I really liked about it was the ability to create mind maps. One thing I didn’t like was that I could not upload images except for profile pictures for characters. There is a free version, and it was pretty slimmed down, but I wasn’t surprised by that.
- Scrivener – I’m sure most writers have heard of Scrivener. I’ve tried it before, but I was always put off by the stereotype of how complicated it can be to use. I mean, come on, there’s even a “Dummies” book on it. The first time I tried it, I got a headache and stopped using my free trial the same day I asked for one. A couple of years passed, and my writing critique friends talked it up, so I gave it another try. This time I really paid attention and read through the tutorial and managed to figure it out. It’s good. It’s really good. It doesn’t have any collaboration features, I’ve read online that Google Drive can corrupt .scriv files, and syncing between two different computers can sometimes be a pain (just use DropBox), but the side-by-side view of two documents, for example your draft and the outline on the same screen? Chef’s kiss.
So, what am I using now?
Honestly, I haven’t been writing this month. Life has gotten in the way, as it does for everyone sometimes. But, I haven’t been looking for a new software since I started using Scrivener. I feel a little like a sell-out writing that sentence, but it IS a really good piece of writing tech. I’ve finally figured out the syncing so it’s a breeze to move between my desktop computer, my Mac, and my iPhone (again, just use DropBox). I love the side-by-side view, dark mode, Offline capabilities, em-dash support… It does not have collaboration features, so I’m still exporting to Google Doc/Word to give to my writer group for critiquing, but I can color-code my comments so that I can remember which person left which comment once I’ve compiled everything back into Scrivener. I can insert pictures, links (both external and internal), and my research and lore have never been more organized.
I also use Scrivener to organize, plan, and run my in-person DnD sessions. As a Game Master, I prefer to be over-prepared than winging it, and Scrivener works much better than Google Docs. Everything is together in one place (minus a spreadsheet I use to keep track of HP for enemies), and I’ve never been more organized with my notes! I set up the “Draft” or manuscript section to house the current session’s walk-through. When that’s done, I move it down to the “Previous Sessions” folder so that I don’t lose it in case I need to reference something later on.
All in all, I’m of the mind that any of these software can be the best for someone. Maybe it’s Google Docs for you, Scrivener for someone else, and Reedsy for another person. For me, I try not to label any one software the best, because I could still get bored eventually, even when there’s nothing wrong with it.
That being said, what’s your favorite?
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