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Wednesday, July 03, 2024

IWSG: How Do You Write?

Welcome back to another Insecure Writer's Support Group post! Learn more about the IWSG on their website or Facebook page.

Our hosts this month are J.S. Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre.

Our question for July is a technical one: What are your favorite writing processing, writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all-time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?

Honestly, I just use Microsoft Word. I think I've used it since I started writing back in the 90s, though I may have used WordPerfect as well. Word does everything I need it to do (I'm more of a pantser than a plotter; any outline I do make tends to be a collection of phrases), I'm familiar enough with it that I can format my manuscripts in it (though I also have a template that I purchased with unlimited usage), and it works well across devices. I can and do seamlessly switch from writing on my phone (a pain, but sometimes the most portable and convenient option) to my tablet to my laptop. I will occasionally write notes for stories in Sticky Notes, primarily because the app also allows me to port it from device to device.

Do you stick to simple word processing programs, or do you use more elaborate ones designed for writing fiction? Feel free to share in the comments.