Writing for less V

In this issue of writing for less I am going to talk a bit about Linux Operating systems. Maybe you have an older computer and your copy of Windows is running really slow. You may also be tired of paying out a ton of money for the privilege of operating a computer that you already had to spend money for. Well if that is the case then Linux may be for you.

From a writers standpoint it really does not matter what software you use to create your writings. Free software or open source software works just as well as the most expensive writing software on the market. Most of us are currently running Windows and have spent a lot of money over the years in upgrades. Even people who are running Mac’s have to spend more money for their upgrades and systems than they used to.

So, being frugal, I have turned to Linux on a number of my systems and I really enjoy not being under the roof of the large corporations. Linux systems have had an “App” store for a number of years and all the software in it is free! So if you need to get another machine why not choose one with free operating systems and free software?

Linux users can choose from a number of free writing software programs, Open Office is among them as is yWriter5 and Storybook. In fact the challenge with Linux actually has been choosing one program to write with. I have tried a number of them and most work excellent. You will have to look them over and find the one that meets your needs.

So there you have it free writing software and a free operating system to boot! That is all that I have for today, so keep your spirits up and keep on writing!

Writing for less IV

Today I am continuing my Writing for less series by covering another free option for your writing pleasure. Wouldn't it be neat to be able to access your writings from anywhere on the planet with an internet connection? Wouldn't be even better if you could save your documents online and have them automatically backed up for you?

Well your writing prayers have been answered, My Writing Nook is a free writing tool that is available now. This site has one of the less beautiful looking pages of any of the writing sites, but it is fully functional and free. Now the part that is a bit strange about this site is that they have a really nice looking iPad application that syncs to this same site.

I have been using the My Writing Nook iPad app and then doing some editing on the documents from my PC at home later on at night. At first I kept thinking how much better the iPad app was than the site, but it is only better looking. The excellent functionality carries over from iPad application to the website.

Did I mention that this lovely app also comes with a free dictionary, thesaurus and that it has a automatic word counter on the bottom of the page? Well it does, and these features are just the cherry on the top of this wonderful application. Also available in the iPad version are the ability to change fonts and to send your wonderful written creations to anyone you like via email. I have really enjoyed using this app and I highly recommend My Writing Nook for the iPad and any device with a browser.

The most interesting thing about the My Writing Nook app is the fact that I actually was introduced to it last summer while running the Alpha of a Linux operating system for a friend of mine. He had made a internet application for the site that I could access on my netbook. But at the time I was writing a novel using the Gmail Documents page and so I never really used the My Writing Nook site during that time. I think that not using it back then was my loss because I could have saved a lot of writing time using the My Writing Nook site.

Well that is all for today, have a wonderful night and Keep On Writing!

Writing for less III

In this exciting installment of writing for life, we will continue on our journey into the lesser things of life. Lesser in terms of cost but not in terms of value of course.

To date we have covered the old fashioned but still effective pen / pencil and paper method and last week we discussed using a program called WordPad that comes with your copy of Windows on your PC.

This we shall discuss a free option that is available to us from the wonderful people at Oracle. I am talking about the free alternative to the Microsoft Office suite, Open Office. I have been using Open Office on and off again since it was presented to the open source community, and I must say that I have been very impressed with it in terms of functionality.

Now it should be noted that the Open Office versions of programs do not contain all the functions of the Microsoft suite. But then again most people do not need most of the functions that are missing either. For a writer all of the needed components are present plus you have the ability to save your documents as a Microsoft Word format or a PDF without any extra programs.

To download Open Office simply goto Openoffice.org and look under downloads. Version 3.2.1 is the current version as of this writing. The nice people at Oracle have even been really nice about providing regular updates for this software. As with all Open Source software this project is user driven. This is because the users are also the developers and testers of this wonderful office suite.

Once you install this software you will have a complete suite of programs to choose from. You can create spreadsheets, presentations, brochures, and of course you can write. I know people who have created entire novels in this software. Some people I know have even created game systems using this wonderful, free software.

So have fun writing your novels, short stories, blogs or whatever project you are currently working on. Most importantly keep on writing.

Writing for less II

In this installment of writing for life I will cover more options available to writers for creating that perfect novel without going broke. Last installment we covered the good old pencil and paper method of writing. This is a tried and true method as we discussed last time. Today I am going to step it up a notch and bring us into the world of the computer.

I had thought about tossing in some methods that would be considered to be between the pencil and the computer, but most people these days have a computer so it seemed silly to discuss typewriters and the like.

So with the computer you have many options for purchase to write your stories, but we are trying to get cheap here and keep it as simple as is possible while still getting your writing done. Now if you have a windows PC then you already have everything you need as it comes with a program called WordPad.

WordPad is located under your accessories directory and offers everything you absolutely need to write. It will let you set the margins and choose a font to have your story or novel rendered in. It also allows you to print the document or to send it to an email program. Sounds like a great program, which is because it is a great program. So why not use it all the time? Well it is missing some useful features that many of us have become dependent on in our daily lives. One of these useful features is the infamous spellchecker. Spellchecker is a function that I am completely dependent on for my daily writing. So if you are going to use WordPad to write I would suggest purchasing a good dictionary. Come to think of it purchase a dictionary even if you are not using WordPad. Honestly how can you consider writing without a good dictionary?

Other features not found are features such as line spacing and some other optional formatting settings for writers to use. It should be noted that most publishers like your files as unformatted as is possible, so using WordPad may prove to be a great option for use in your writing.

So if you own a PC, and are interested in using a free writing program just open WordPad and start writing.

Remember keep on writing!

Writing for less

Well this week I would like to dive further into the idea of writing for less. By less I mean not having to spend an arm and a leg just to put down words on paper. When I was a child if you wanted to write something you just pulled out a pen or pencil and a piece of paper and in a couple of minutes you had your idea placed down onto paper. Publishing and distribution was easy, you just handed the paper to someone. No compatibility issues to deal with, no formatting errors at all!

This seemingly ancient method of writing goes back to the time of the Egyptians and their hieroglyphics and papyrus based paper system for writing. The reason that this simple method of writing lasted for so very many years is that is was cheap and easy to use. Enter the age of technology....

In this present era we will drive to special writing areas in our city and wait until our thousand dollar laptop computers boot up and the hundred dollar program on them launches to begin typing our wondrous creations.

These wonderful machines will check your spelling and assist you in structuring your documents. Heck there are even programs that will allow you to talk directly to your computer, eliminating the need to actually write anything at all.

Now the question that comes up the most is does all of this technology, all of this expense actually make us better writers? Are we more creative because of all the toys that we now incorporate to create our written thoughts? The answer is, of course, no. Only writing over and over again and practicing will actually make us better writers.

So when people ask me what you need to write a novel or any other document I will often tell them to sit down with a pad of paper and a pen or pencil and write a few short stories. This way they will find out if they truly enjoy writing. Now some people will know the answer to this question, as they will have been writing for most of their lives using this method already.

So in this series I will go over options for writing that do not cost as much as other, more popular options. I will present these to you so that you will know that you do not need to spend a ton of money just to write a short story. In fact the first suggestion I will make is the standard from golden days of my youth.

I suggest a 10 cent pencil and a 1.00 pad of paper. This method uses no electricity, works anywhere, is portable, and has stood the test of time.

Writing with a pencil and a pad of paper also has the advantage of time working for it. As it takes longer to write legibly, so you will be forced to consider each and every word as it hits the page. Now you may wish to purchase the optional correction unit for 30 cents in order to "erase", if you will, the mistakes that hit the paper.

Well have fun writing with your new novel creation device and let me know if it works for you as well as it used to work for me. Next time we will advance a little bit into a more complicated world of writing, but we will still be trying to save you some money where possible, as you continue your journey into world of writing.

Have fun and keep on writing!

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