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I recently researched into the writing software market to see what’s changed since the last time I checked, which was several years ago. I simply got tired of having all these different files of notes, character profiles, prose, screenplays…etc in various folders. To my surprise, the market seems to have grown quite large, with a lot of different software competing for your money.
The most popular type seems to be the “creative writing aid†software, where the software holds your hand and actually helps you develop your storyline, characters, conflicts, pacing, structure…etc. I personally think software like that are useless for people that actually know how to write and does not want to be lead by the nose by some writing software designer who has his own idea of what a good story entails. The worst of the bunch is Dramatica Pro (AKA Storyview), where you have to answer a ridiculous number of questions about your characters, their background, their personality traits, their motivations, their various psychological traits, and a bunch of other stuff that may or may not have any relevance to your story. Then the software’s story engine tells you how you can construct the conflicts between your characters and how they can become your plot points, themes, and so on. If I was the kind of person who couldn’t write my way out of a paper bag, had no original idea, and understood nothing about dramatic pacing, structure, character development, then maybe I’d try Dramatica Pro, but anyone who actually knows how to write would hate being told or prodded constantly about how and what to write.
Other software in that category includes Contour, WriteWay, Storybase, Master Storyteller, Story Weaver…etc. All of them get in your way if you know how or what you want to write. Contour is particularly laughable because it only allows you to create one character–the protagonist, and then you must tell the software how your protagonist is an orphan at the beginning of the story, then a wanderer, then a warrior, then a martyr at the end. And you also have to follow a rigid pattern of small and large defeats and triumphs in the structure of your story. I can’t think of anything worse for a writer than to force some clichéd Hollywood story structure onto any story idea, regardless of what it is. Rigid software like that are only marginally useful for those who want to write the most mainstream and predictable Hollywood movies. What about an ensemble cast, or if the timeline is played out in not in sequence (such as Pulp Fiction)? What if there’s no protagonist and the main character isn’t supposed to triumph or lose but simply is (such as American Psycho)?
I then stumble upon some software that were far more useful and flexible–ones that stay out of your way and lets you write the way you write and tell the story that you want to tell, while providing you with a flexible space to do it in. Scrivener and Storymill, Storyist…etc was like that, but they were for the Mac only, and I’m a PC guy. I was giving up by that point, until I came across the PC equivalent in WriteItNow and Liquid Story Binder XE. That was it. I had struck gold. From there on, I dug some more and unearthed a few other interesting software. I’ll get into more details below.
WriteItNow – Great balance of customizable GUI, useful features, and does not try to tell how or what to write at all. If simply gives you the creative space to organize your ideas, characters, notes, chapters, scenes, research…etc.
Liquid Story Binder XE – It’s very pretty and flexible, but can be intimidating and complex to figure out, since it gives you way too many different tools and options and organizational methods. While it allows customization of the GUI colors, it does not allow you change the document background color of the File List, which is very strange, as it allows you to change the background color of every other type of document. Many writers prefer to work on darker background so the screen isn’t so glaringly bright, and if you customize your GUI to be darker, the File List will stick out like a sore thumb, being totally white and glaring. And while the software allow you to add color coding to each entry of character or idea in the Outline, Builder…etc, you’d have to use four mouse-clicks to change the color, going from one menu to another to another and then confirm the color choice. Flexibility is useless if the ergonomics are horrible.
The Guide – It’s very bare-bone and simple, where you just have a left pane that lets add any page and order them as parent to child hierarchy, and the right pane is just a RTF word processor. So you can basically create your own categories of characters, plot lines, notes, chapters, scenes…etc. It allows for simple customization of font and background colors, so that’s a good thing. In general it’s perhaps a bit too simple and primitive, but in a pinch, it’s definitely better than having to navigate multiple Word or RTF files in a folder, or lots of different kinds of information in one file (which is what I do now–where I have one document that contains my character profiles, notes, premise, plot points…etc, and scrolling up and down to find stuff gets to be kind of annoying–thus the need for these types of software).
Storybook – Interesting software where you can look at your story in various views and get a good feel for the multiple story strands and overall structure. The big problem is that you cannot customize that glaringly white background and it’s just too fatiguing on the eyes, and this can’t even be changed by altering the OS desktop colors–that white is hard-coded into Storybook.
yWriter – Very similar to WriteItNow, and although it’s free, you can’t custom sort entries or customize GUI colors, which is absolutely unacceptable.
StoryBox – A very new software that’s not even at version 1.0 yet, but the creator is already charging people money for it so he could develop it further. You can’t customize document background color, which is a big no-no for me (and no, I’m not going to completely redo my operating system’s desktop theme just so I can have it carry over into my writing software). The character profile interview questions are lame too, even though you don’t have to answer them.
Writer’s Blocks – Basically they’re virtual index cards you can arrange however you want on the screen. It’s kind of redundant when other writing software already allow reordering of chapters, scenes, ideas, character profiles, notes…etc.
IdeaTracker – Allows you enter story ideas and assign a genre so you can find your ideas easily. Seemed like a good idea, but kind of useless when you can use any of the other writing software and create separate entries for notes and ideas, and you can simply have a saved project of just different story ideas and notes. The interface and navigation is also kind of clunky and unintuitive.
Power Structure / Power Writer – These two are similar–one is for creating and organizing ideas and story, and the other adds a word processor so you could execute the actual writing as well, and pulls back a bit on the story structuring features. They are halfway between the kind of software that tells you how and what to write, and the kind that simply provides a flexible space for you to write in. Power Structure/Writer provides a flexible space for you to organize your ideas, but they also have all these questions you can fill out, like what the goal at the beginning of an act is, and what you want accomplish by the end of the act, or what a character’s biggest failure, trauma, and success are, or what the opening hook of a scene is, and what has to happen by the end of the scene…etc. While these can be slightly annoying, they are actually not nearly as intrusive and are much more relevant to just about all kinds of story. Whether you want to deal with the “fill out these questions†format is a matter of taste, and I’m still debating if I want to deal with it or I’d rather stick to something like WriteItNow, where you are not prodded at all about how to write and what to consider. I should also mention that Power Structure is the most expensive of the bunch, costing double or more of the other software (which makes sense, since it does try to actively help you structure your story).
WriteWay – Similar to Power Structure, asking a lot of questions about your characters, their motivations, what the conflicts are in each scene, what needs to be accomplished in each scene…etc, but like Power Structure, they are mostly relevant and helpful questions, and you don’t have to answer them if you don’t want and simply use it as a organizational tool.
QuickStory – This ones kind of like Dramatica Pro lite, with a plot generating feature, but you can totally ignore it and just use it in the same way as The Guide, which is very bare-bone and primitive.
SuperNotecard – Mainly an organizer of ideas and factors that are involved in the ideas, but the naming convention of the categories are kind of odd and hard to relate to, and the way things are structured is a bit convoluted.
SceneWriter Pro – It boggled my mind that it couldn’t undo in the panes outside of the main document window. Lack of undo is one of the biggest sins in bad software design–BAD DESIGNER! No COOKIE!
PageFour – Similar to The Guide in how simple and bare-bone it is (though it’s slightly better), and it only allows the customization of the background color but not the font.
RoughDraft – It’s so primitive and clunky that it wasn’t even worth the trouble of trying.
YourOtherMind – A convoluted and ugly mess. I couldn’t stand it. No way would I write in something that was so cluttered and confusing and ugly looking.
While I seemed to have narrowed down my choices to just a couple, one thing was bothering me though–that they were tailored more towards the novelist, and I do just as much screenwriting as I do prose. I started to wonder if I could get both story organization and screenwriting in one software, as opposed to using something like WriteItNow and then writer the actual screenplay in something like Final Draft. Turned out there are software out there like that–in fact one of the oldest screenwriting software, Movie Magic Screenwriter, has recently implemented story organization features (probably trying to compete after software like Movie Outline combined both successfully, making it unnecessary to use two different software throughout the writing process). I wouldn’t be surprised if Final Draft follows suit as well. Montage is another one that combines both, but it’s for Mac only. Writer’s Café is a nice software that helps you get a visual overview of your story structure, and it also does screenplay formatting as well. I’m not too crazy about the way the GUI and navigation is designed though, although it’s usable and I could probably get used to it. Movie Outline seems to have the best integration of story organization and screenwriting features, although the ergonomics of the navigation and editing doesn’t feel all that good to me, and some of the story structure views take some learning to understand.
There are a bunch of others I looked at that I didn’t even bother trying to remember the names of since they didn’t come close to my needs. It really is ridiculous how many different software for writers are out there. I don’t know which one(s) I’ll end up with yet, as I’m still testing them. I’ll report back once I make a decision.
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I recently gave away about four big boxes full of art supplies, because I just never use them anymore, having gotten so comfortable with digital tools, although I kept the acrylic paints, Pantone tri-tip marker set, and the better brushes, as they are useful for crafts projects. I also kept the expensive easel which can folded up and be rolled around–just in case I might want to paint traditional again in my old age or something. All the oil paints, oil mediums, watercolor, gouache, brushes, pen & ink, pastels, color pencils, charcoals, conte, mechanical pens, expensive projector/enlarger with tripod, kneaded erasers, blending stumps, art bin boxes, French curves, rulers–all given away–thousands of dollars worth of art supplies.
I actually still prefer traditional tools in some ways, such as the tactile and visceral qualities, the unpredictable expressiveness, the ability to splatter, drip, lay on thick impasto, and so on. But I haven’t had time to do any traditional painting or drawing for years now–my focus has shifted to multiple creative endeavors aimed to be put together as multimedia projects, where all the artwork are done digitally (just like any other modern day animation, game, or special effects studio), and all the music, writing, photography, editing…etc are software based. I don’t really think of myself as an “artist†these days–I haven’t for years now. Over the years I’ve gradually shed “the artist†identity and taken on the creator/writer/director/composer identity more and more, and although art will always be a part of my creative repertoire, it is no longer a main focus as it used to be. In a way, I sort of look at it like this:
-I don’t use outdated hardware multitrack recorders for my audio work and use DAW software instead.
-I don’t use film negatives or a darkroom for my photography–my setup is all digital.
-I don’t type out my writings on a typewriter–I use writing software.
-I teach a workshop online. I get freelance gigs online. I socialize online (all my friends and family live far away). I do my research and learning online–from science to history to home remedies to recipes. I keep up to date with various news online–from world news to industry-specific news. I shop online, including the things I enjoy for entertainment.
-So it only makes sense that all the visual aspects of my work are also done on the computer–the rest of my life already is anyway. And that’s why I gave away all my traditional art supplies. Sure, I’ll probably miss painting traditionally someday, but for the foreseeable future, my focus is on multimedia productions with emphasis on narratives.
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I finally broke down and bought a Playstation 3. This is my first Playstation. I didn’t bother with the first generation because back then console games still had really rough graphics compared to PC games, and I was all about PC games back then. When PS2 came out, I was tempted, but I chose the Dreamcast and Xbox because there were exclusive games on them I just had to play (though eventually, the PS2 had just as many awesome exclusive games). Console games still had significantly inferior graphics compared to the PC at that time, but the gap was narrowing. I mean think about it–the PC pretty much was in HD resolution since ages ago–there was just no comparison. Although I could’ve bought a PS2 if I wanted to and still can, I just don’t have much desire currently to go back a generation now that I’ve gotten spoiled by this generation’s console graphics. When I play my Xbox360, I really don’t feel like I’m getting inferior graphics compared to my PC–they are so close that whatever differences just don’t matter anymore. Perhaps I’ll still get a PS2 so I can finally play Ico and Shadow of the Colossus or whatever PS2 exclusive games I’ve always wanted to play. Good thing they ported God of War 1 & 2 to PS3 though–I already ordered that collection. Objectively, I do think this generation of games is shaping up to be better than the previous generation, and it’s still going strong. I already don’t have enough time to play all the games I’m interested in for this generation, so it’s kind of pointless to try and catch up on the previous generation.
My main reason for getting the PS3 is the same as always with consoles–if I find the exclusive games attractive enough to really want to play, then I’ll take the plunge. It was that way with the N64, Dreamcast, Xbox, and Xbox360. Other consoles like the Gamecube and Wii might have a couple of games I really want to play, but not nearly enough of them for me to bother actually buying one. The only console I ever got just so I could play that one game I’m dying to play was the N64, for Conkur’s Bad Fur Day. For the PS3, there are already some awesome exclusives I just had to get my paws on–the Uncharted series, Killzone 2, God of War series, Demon’s Souls, and maybe Metal Gear Solid 4 and Heavenly Sword.
None of the games I ordered have arrived yet, so I just went for a spin in Sony’s Home, which is like Xbox Live/Marketplace, except it’s an actual 3D virtual world (sort of like Second Life). It was kind of neat for a little bit, but unless it does a whole lot more than just turning the lobby, purchasing, news…etc into a virtual 3D version, it’s really not worth wasting time in. Being able to decorate your own virtual apartment and avatar (which looks far better than Xbox360’s version, which looks like some primitive and dorky cartoon that’s not even aesthetically pleasing) is kind of nice, and judging by how much money Sony made from Home alone, many people are enjoying it as well, spending their hard-earned money on virtual furniture, clothing, accessories. Me, I really would much rather spend my money on real life counterparts–you know, things I can actually touch and use and take around with me. But that’s just me.
One thing I do like a lot more about the PS3 is how easy it is to copy media onto its hard drive using simply a USB flash drive. You cannot do this with the Xbox360–you can only rip music from discs, but not transfer files of any kind from the USB drive. It’s supposed to be some kind of security measure against pirating. Don’t know about you, but it pisses me off.
Ever since I got the 360 in the fall of 2009, I pretty much stopped gaming on the PC. I just got tired of upgrading to keep up with the resource-intensive PC games and dealing with broken games and update patches. I’ve never had any problems with console games, but PC games can be a nightmare since hardware compatibility is so unpredictable. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I bought Mass Effect for the PC and it just didn’t run due to hardware incompatibility issues. I was so pissed off and it was after that I finally got a 360 and gave PC gaming the finger. After having been a loyal PC gamer for many years, I don’t miss it at all (until some amazing PC-only game comes out, that is). The upcoming The Secret World (from Ragnar Tornquist–the creator of The Longest Journey series–one of my favorites) might have tempted me back to the PC, but apparently it’ll be for the 360 as well, so I’m safe for now. I have no real interest in any other MMO out there since they are mostly just grinding and wasting time, without any of the exciting narrative and pacing of single player games, or the sheer action and strategy of FPS, shooters, or RTS games, not to mention significantly inferior graphics and a lot of assholes and morons to deal with. I hope The Secret World will be different, since I love the premise (I have a weak spot for supernatural thrillers. My own comic book series Enchanted from the 90’s was very similar to the premise of The Secret World) and the creator is someone whose career I follow.
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Quickie movie/TV reviews:
Dexter (season four) – About half-way through season four of Dexter, I thought it was pretty interesting with the whole Trinity Killer plot, but the other domestic subplots weren’t all that interesting and felt like fillers instead of important aspects of the main story arc. I was hoping I’d be wrong and everything would play out beautifully in the end, and boy, it sure did. Everything more or less tied together and the season finale was such a shocker that I couldn’t believe what the writers had done. I can’t wait for season five–it’ll definitely be a very interesting season considering how season four ended. It was interesting to see John Lithgow play such a serious and evil character. My impression of him is mostly still from Third Rock From the Sun, so it was a bit weird seeing him not in a comedy.
Sherlock Holmes – Overall it was fairly enjoyable, but I thought Rachel McAdams was the wrong actress for the role–her vibe is too modern to me. I’m on the fence about Robert Downey Jr. Although I like him as an actor, I’m typically not thrilled about American actors trying to do the English accent. Very few American can pull it off, and Downey Jr. was struggling a bit in some scenes. He’s certainly not as good at it as Renée Zellweger, Gweneth Paltrow, or James Cromwell.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – A pretty silly premise with heavy-handed messages and ham-fisted execution, but it was entertaining, and I thought Baby’ Brent’s transformation into a hero was the most fun and interesting aspect of the movie. You just wanted to slap him silly in the beginning, but by the end you really want to hug him and give him a solid pat on the back.
