Does anyone here make use of any special-purpose software for developing a novel? I looked into this question some time ago, and found the following packages on the market:

Writer's DreamKit
StoryWeaver 3
Power Structure
Dramatica Pro 4

(I found all of the above on Writers Store).

Has anyone used any of these? If so, how useful are they, and what weaknesses do they have?

At the moment I use a combination of Word and Excel files to help me get a grip on all the facets of a novel (characters, plot ideas, timelines, and various other factors). However, there are some limitations to this, and none of these tools really pull everything together in a completely natural way. Some, at least, of the packages available must provide better tools for managing all of the elements, but which do it best?

Technology-wise, I have both PCs and Macs available to me, so I don't care which of these platforms the software works on. I just want something that is a good, useful writer's tool without too many limitations or irritating quirks.

Alex

Hi Alex.
I haven't tried any of those you mentioned, I get attracted to the freebies that can be found. I have tried Ywriter and Abiword, to be honest I find a lot of it too fiddly and by the time I have figured out some of the systems I could have written a good page or two of story. I have heard a lot of good things about Liquid Storybinder XE. There is a full demo download you can try before you buy. It is fully featured with nothing disabled.
I have gone back to Openoffice which is comparable to MS Word but I prefer it. I just find a lot of story building software a bit too unneccessary. Although anything is better than the old days of typewriter ribbons and bottles of correction fluid

I've looked at Dramatica and Story weaver from time to time, even tried the demo, but they seem very linear and complicated for my liking.

I can endorse Liquid Story Binder although I don't actually write in it. The dossiers let you store a lot of research info but it's not so much use for organising the actual book.

I'm constantly looking for a good organising tool and have just bought Write It Now which allows you to store all your research and reorganise scenes/chapters in a tree format. It's early days with it, but so far it looks user friendly.

Hmm. I tend to use Word...

I downloaded Liquid Story just a moment ago to have a look at it (out of interest, based on this thread). It has some good ideas, but it is share-ware and feels a bit flakey as a result. For example, I was a bit worried by the way that timeline events disappear simply by clicking on them and the undo feature seems a tad unreliable even if you are lucky enough to notice.

Not sure I would really have faith in it for a proper piece of work and think I'll stick to pen and paper for timelines etc.

Gaius

Yes, Liquid Story appears to be just a word processor, and since I've already got both Word and OpenOffice, I don't feel a need for an alternative. I was after something that could help me with the more subtle aspects of novel writing, such as planning timelines and plot threads, as well as managing information about characters, locations, conflict, and so on.

Alex

TBH (and slightly heretic as we both work in software) I don't think software can do that as well as paper.

Some of the screenwriting books recommend a system of cards marked with icons for the emotional journey (+/-), scene and plot point. It seems like a good approach that, while it could be done with virtual cards on a PC, is quicker and easier to do with... cards made of card.

More immediate, and easier to scribble on too.

Gaius

You're probably right, although some elements of UML come close to expressing such interdependencies. I like to keep everything in electronic form if I can, as it's harder to cross-reference physical paper and electronic notes.

I'll stick with Word and Excel for the time being, and try and develop an approach that works for me.

Alex

I looked closely at New Novelist, although mainly from the point of view of a software developer. From the technical point of view, I wasn't particularly impressed. From the writer's POV, I thought it was quite useless. Like so much of this stuff that aims to 'help' you write a novel, it was completely formulaic. If you think about it, they're the modern writers' equivalent of the old Painting by Numbers sets.

As regards the word-processing approach, it's best to stick to the safest: Word, Star Office, etc.. The key point (as Gaius has indicated) has to be whether it's sufficiently reliable not to gobble up bits (or all) of your work unexpectedly.

Chris

I do use a spreadsheet for calculating ages, but I print it off. I can't imagine using software for a) for the reasons Chri2 suggests, but b) chiefly because it limits you to a screenful at a time. My screen is full of the text, oddly enough, and I need a whole desk for the master plan and longhand notebook open, the piles of books for grabbing, historical thesaurus if Father Christmas obliges etc. etc...

But I do also let my memory work as a seive, and let it offer me what's needed, so I keep my file of research closed. It's too easy to cling to your research/planned darlings and insist on putting them all in in all the detail you went to so much trouble to acquire, and I suspect if I could bring all that material popping up so easily, I would. As it is, my memory murders them without my even noticing - the ultimate oubliette...

Emma