Nonetheless, it meets the vast majority of the requirements of writing a novel. It can be used for non-fiction, recipes, shopping lists, essays – anything with words. To achieve these goals, many writers use software that isn’t necessarily designed for novel writing.įor example, Word isn’t designed specifically for novel writing, any more than a sheet of paper is created for writing a novel on.

Providing useful resources such as character questionnaires and plot templates.

Plotting and planning out the structure.

Offering guidance on how to write a good novel.

‘Novel writing software’ is a bit of a nebulous term, and there are many aspects of novel writing that software could help with, for example:

Some people swear by old school pen and paper, writing everything out longhand.īut increasingly, writers are turning to specialised tools to help them write novels more efficiently and effectively, and in most cases, that means novel writing software. I’m talking about how you get the actual novel from your head and onto a sheet of paper (even if that’s a digital sheet of paper). You can register your copy if you wish, but this is optional.There are many ways to write a novel – and I’m not talking planners and pantsers right now. You won't pay anything to download yWriter, and the software contains no adverts, unwanted web toolbars, desktop search programs or other cruft. Storyboard view, a visual layout of your work.ĭrag and drop of chapters, scenes, characters, items and locations. Viewpoint character, goal, conflict and outcome fields for each scene.

Saves automatic backups at user-specified intervals. Saves a log file every day, showing words per file and the total. From the website:Īdd scenes, characters, items and locations.ĭisplay the word count for every file in the project, along with a total. YWriter by SpaceJock Software is a freeware, minimalist noveling editor for Windows, and has a companion app for both Android and iOS devices.

Ywriter software