Catdude's blog

Writing tool research

I guess a 16 day gap isn't too horrible.

Lately I have been evaluating writing tools. I have mostly looked at offline tools, like Scrivener. I love Scrivener, really, but I envision a time when I will want to use a tablet to do my writing. There are Android tools out there, but I have yet to find a good one that's cross-platform enough to run on PC, Mac, Android, and Kindle OS (and maybe ChromeOS if I can ever afford to buy one).

My most recent choice is the only one I've found yet that offers the platform flexibility I need. That choice is Google Docs.

True,, Google Docs doesn't offer any of the jazzy tools like outlining, character references, word counting, etc, but I can run it on any device I get to go online. The biggest drawback is that it doesn't have an offline mode. I think my solution is going to be to create a script that scp's a copy of the latest version to the local hard drive when I log out of GDocs. That way I'll have a (probably up-to-date-ish) local copy that I can edit and add to when I don't have a WiFi connection available.

I have three projects in mind right now. The first, which I have actually started, is a for-me-only story that will help me to visualize the kind of life I'd like to live when I'm finally able to retire. It would be horribly boring for anyone other that me.

Project 2 is a cat-based work of fiction. it will feature human characters whose life is often guided by the cats around them, though they generally never become aware of the cat factor. A few (2 or 3?) of the humans will be able to communicate with the cats. This story needs definition.

The 3rd project is my NanoWrimo entry. I know that I want to write something, but I don't know what I want to write. We'll see what it turns in to. And whether I will FINALLY have the self-discipline to actually complete a story this year.


D Mahoney
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D Mahoney
[e-mail]