Novel Writing in Open Office Writer

There are several software packages designed for writers. Some of them free. Among some of the features they offer is the ability to move chapters and scenes around, have their headings automatically renumbered when you do, outlining help, etc. But what most of these don't have is a full featured word processor. Now, some people are happy not having all that MS Word has to offer. They prefer next to plain text. Cool. But for those who want and are used to that power, using these bare-bones word processors will make you feel insecure, afraid you may write for a while to discover that this can't do something you can't live without, and you'll end up messing with a bunch of work-arounds or have to do some tedious cut and paste exercise to put it into a full word processor you can use.

Never fear, we have a solution! While this won't give you every advantage some of the bigger and more expensive novel writing packages can deliver, it does give you the flexibility to automatically number your chapters and scenes, and move them around as well, and within a full-featured word processor.

Most have probably heard of Open Office, a suite of software applications, which among others, has a word processor called "Writer." This word processor rivals Word as far as usability, functionality, and processing power. There are several who would say it does a few things better, but if you looked at reviews, there are also areas where Word does better. However, for basic writing functions, the average Word user will notice little difference. But, with the function of Open Office's Navigaor, you can set it up to do what many other novel writing packages can do. And the best thing, being open source, it is free to download and use.

I've written an article on how to set this up, called: Using Open Office Writer for Novel Writing

For those preparing for "National Novel Writing Month" as I am, they may find this useful. Here's hoping some benefit. Thanks.

"Public Identities" Now in Print!

My story, Public Identities is now up at A Thousand Faces Magazine.

What happens when a superhero ends up in the hospital? Tornado Man finds out.

This isn't your usual superhero story. Then again, this isn't your standard superhero magazine either. So it made a good fit. Drop by, take a read, and enjoy.