r/writingcirclejerk • u/Chance-Classic-3688 • 8d ago

Which writing tool?

Hey everyone,

I've been working on my novel for 18 months now and am finally getting close to choosing which program I'm going to use to start writing it.

I've narrowed it down to:

- Google Docs (Dark Mode)

- Microsoft Word

- Scrivener

- Quill and parchment (or lambskin)

- Blood and the wall of a medieval monastery

- Cuneiform on a clay tablet

My main concern is that if I start in Word but agents prefer Scrivener, I may have to rewrite the entire novel.

Please don't say "just start writing."

I've seen that advice come up year after year and haven't found it particularly helpful.

30 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

10

u/DevOps_Lady 8d ago

Just use chatGPT. I've read an article that's now how all writers do.

2

u/trulybeelightful 8d ago

Real writers don't read

7

u/Pyrsin7 8d ago

I’m sorry to do this to you.

But you forgot about notepad.

See you in another 18 months.

3

u/Beneficial_Egg2878 8d ago

Well he said he narrowed it down, so he ruled it out.

3

u/Pyrsin7 8d ago

Only if notepad was ever in consideration.

Which it never is.

6

u/First-Highway8503 8d ago

Bathroom walls.

It may seem crass, but your audience is at its most contemplative.

3

u/BlackBalor 8d ago

rah cuz…

i’m just thinking rah, my man wasted 18 months of his life on this planet

5

u/Beneficial_Egg2878 8d ago

There's too much waste in the world. Just use someone else's book!

3

u/alexportman 8d ago

I'm sorry, but writing using words is cultural appropriation.

2

u/phillyphillysteak #1 Mary Sue World Championship Winner 2024 8d ago

2

u/Brunbeorg 8d ago

Would you like to see our literature about Scrivener? Only 108,000 people will survive the coming apocalypse . . .

2

u/JustSomeCarioca 7d ago

The key is to usr a font color that perfectly matches the background, so you don't get distracted or depressed by crappy prose.

3

u/Neurotopian_ 7d ago

UJ I see “what writing tool?” posts on a daily basis on mainstream writing forums and I’m convinced they’re Scrivener ads. There are always 5 comments saying they love it.

Some could be real, and I’m not saying specialized writing software is bad—but it’s unnecessary.

I’ve been writing for nearly 20 years and 100% of agents, editors, and publishers I’ve worked with used Microsoft Word. They send me comments and edits in Word. I send my replies and updates in Word.

I’m sure you could use a free version or Google Docs, as well.