Free Writers Software ROUGH DRAFT

[Monazwx]

Don't call me "Sven"...

OMG!!!
"Oooooooooohhhhhhhhh Nnnnnoooooooooooooooo . . ."

*runs from thread screaming*

 

[Svenskaflicka]

"This is an Usi.
This is an Usi on full automatic.
Any questions?"

 

[jon.hayworth]

You have to pay for it, but there are only two word processors that I would recommend.

Microsoft Word (latest version) - If you turn smart quotes off and you don't use any auto-formatting stuff like style and auto-line spacing (use your enter key between paragraphs), then you should be able to copy and paste any document you create into any webform created and have it go through without a hitch. Most webforms are written based on the user owning MSWord or WordPad. These two are by far the most common processors (Wordpad is just a step above Notepad). It's also easy to use, powerful, and you can find classes in how to use it at just about any adult education classes offered in just about any community.

WordPerfect (whatever version) - If you intend to branch out into submitting to non-archival publishers, most of them that accept electronic submissions do so only with Word or WordPerfect. It's a better word processor than Word (in my opinion), but if you have it you have to have Word or Wordpad to copy and paste text into for submission purposes. Additionally, there aren't any classes in the cheap to free range in most locations on how to use it.

Everything else, well, you can't rely on it to make cross. You can save other word-processor documents in .rtf or .txt or even .doc, but when the editor opens those documents in Word or WordPerfect (Lit uses Word), they can be funky and then rejected.

If you're just diddling around for your own personal gratification, or to print a few copies for family and friends, then rough draft is okay. You can also try www.openoffice.org which tries to be like Word.

I would take issue with KM's statement, "you have to pay for it".
The latest versions of Open Office work exceptionally well. Some of the programmers involved in the Open Office project have been seconded by Sun Micro Systems, and I found in practice no difference between using Star Office 6, and Open Office 1.01 and 1.02.
I have been using Open Office for 2 years, often mailing documents to people and organisations who want documents created in MS Word, or Word Perfect. The latest version 1.02 is able to open and create documents in MS XP formats.
A number of large organisations have woken up to the vast amounts of money they were spending padding Bill Gates' already massive fortune and have converted to OO - one of the most recent being a Swiss Government tax office.
Download OO it is a freeware program and try it out I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised at how good it is. The added bonus is you are not tempted to infringe someone's copyright by using that copy someone burnt, so you save money and have a clear conscience.

jon