Software and Writing

While conducting a training session recently I was asked for my thoughts on software for writing. For some reason, I am always on the hunt for new software to help me accomplish relatively simple tasks. Chief among these are writing tools. So, I had more than a few thoughts on the subject.

For many, the discussion begins and ends with a word processor, usually the ubiquitous Microsoft Word. (I admit, most of my explorations in writing software have led me back to the plain word processor). But I’m trying a journaling application now by Mariner Software called MacJournal which enables me to write and organize items (particularly bits of research) and also to write and publish to a blog. I have to admit, I’ve been doing this manually up to now, writing in a text editor or word processor, then copying and pasting into the WordPress interface, or writing directly to WordPress in a browser. I’ve mentioned here that I have the WordPress App installed on my iPhone which I find wonderful for getting thoughts and short ideas started which I can return to later, but which I do not recommend as a stand-alone writing tool simply because the certainty of fat-finger typos on the iPhone. I find that a simple voice recorder app is also immeasurably valuable as it allows for a quick thought (or even more lengthy rant) to be quickly recorded on the iPhone and then either transcribed or reworked as text later.

Here’s an interesting solution for voice recording on iPhone which I use: Griffin iTalk and iTalk Sync (iTalk comes in both a free ad-supported version and an ad-less premium version and the iTalk Sync is free). The recorder part is easy to use and records at reasonable quality (but I’d not put any money on the iPhone microphone for hi-fidelity). But for simple voice recordings and interviews, it works very well. The iTalk Sync software allows you to connect to your iPhone wirelessly and transfer recordings in .aiff format to your computer. It is possible to import an audio file into MacJournal, but it requires iTunes or Quicktime to play it, so I just skip importing it into MacJournal, listen and transcribe. Then when I publish my post to the blog, I don’t have to worry that my silly audio notes are going to somehow appear linked and accessible to my blog posting by the hapless public.

I should mention that I have tried to see if I can use iTalk to record phone conversations, which, aside from being somewhat sinister, is also at times extremely useful when conducting phone interviews. It does not seem to work at all in that capacity, at least not easily. For this I generally use Skype from my computer and record with Audacity. Many people tell me this is not possible, but in fact, using a nice little bit of software called Soundflower, one can direct sound from one application to another. Simply download Soundflower, install it (requires a restart) then copy the Soundflowerbed application to your Applications folder. Set the output in Skype to a Soundflower channel and the input in Audacity to Soundflower. A quick check to ensure input from both Skype and the microphone input you are using are being recorded, and you are in business.

Aside from tools for blogging and research, I have to say that there are some other interesting writing tools worth looking at. DramaticaPro is what friends in the movie business generally recommend, but there’s also the fantastic open source solution Celtx which is far more than just a scripting package, but rather a fully integrated pre-production tool. I’ve played with it at length and must say I find it wonderful and very capable.

For other writing jobs, I like Scrivener which is marketed as novel writing software but is in fact a very nice general tool for research, scene blocking, drafting and manuscript formatting. I use it most often for writing and organizing my teaching lecture notes, but also have written stories and am using it presently for a longer work of fiction as well. What I like about it is its ability to facilitate good organization, which is not always easy to develop in the early stages of a project just using a word processor. Scrivener also has a nice full screen writing mode.

And finally, in closing, I’ll just say that I wouldn’t be caught dead without a trusty word processor. For most of us, including me, that is some version of Microsoft Word. But there are many other word processors out there, including OpenOffice.org Writer, AbiWord, Bean, –all open source — Nisus, RagTime, WordPerfect, Apple iWork, and several score more. (see Wikipedia for a more exhaustive listing or do a Google search). Whatever software you pick should present you with ease of use (meaning you should learn how to use it well enough to do what you need to without frustration) and should have ample flexibility with various file formats, fonts, templates, and other goodies to let you perform any writing task.