My previous favorite writing program was Liquid Story Binder (LSBXE), which is a fantastic program.  Unfortunately, I run Ubuntu Linux and LSBXE just doesn’t run as well in Linux as it used to.  This is not the developer’s fault, as the program is only intended to run in Windows.  So if you use Windows, I definitely recommend trying LSBXE’s free 30-day trial.

But I decided I needed something more reliable for NaNoWriMo 2009, so I started testing new programs in October.  The one that best met my needs was SuperNotecard by Mindola Software.

It’s a Java program that runs on Windows and Mac and adapts easily to Linux.  (Instructions for running in Linux.)  It’s inexpensive at $29, with a trial version that reminds you to purchase after a deck has more than 20 cards.  It could easily be run forever without purchasing, but I found it well worth the money.

Complete review with a screenshot after the cut.

Click for larger image

SuperNotecard is just what it sounds like: a writing program organized like a deck of note cards.  Each card can be sorted into a separate deck, color-coded, categorized, flagged with notes, and linked to character and setting profiles.

I’ll give you an idea of how I use SuperNotecard.  I began with five main decks:

• Meta, which contains information like a summary, notes from beta readers, and a quote that struck me as useful to remember;
• Timeline, which has a card for each day in my novel, color-coded according to location;
• Chapters, where each chapter has its own card;
• Notes, where I freewrite on plot and characters with separate cards for each day; and
• Research, where I collect notes that relate to my worldbuilding

Other important tools include Factors, which is a somewhat odd term for keeping track of the characters, places, things, events, and other important objects in a story.  I can designate characters as major or minor, color-code, make notes, and associate them with the chapters in which they appear.  The same goes for places, things, events, and other objects.  I would be absolutely lost without this feature, as I can see at a glance (and add directly into a card) what exactly was the name of that minor character from Chapter 2 when I need him again in Chapter 57.

Another way to organize cards are Categories.  Because I have multiple viewpoints and some chapters with flashbacks, I use the Categories to color-code the viewpoint character for each chapter, as well as whether or not it contains a flashback.

Flags are another tremendously useful feature, allowing notes to be attached directly to a card.  I’m using this feature often as I revise; I list the changes I want to make to a chapter in the flag pane where I can easily refer to it as I write.

The interface is flexible, allowing cards to be displayed in different sizes and orientations.  The file listing is optional, as are all the toolbars, if you just want to write without distractions.

SuperNotecard has a flexible backup feature that automatically saves multiple versions of your work.  It also has basic tools like spellcheck and word count.  Another helpful feature is the ability to split the screen so that I can write in the top half of the screen and refer to my timeline in the bottom half.

Most importantly to me, SuperNotecard allows for easy exporting with a variety of options.  And if for some reason the program isn’t supported in the future, SuperNotecard saves all its data in an XML file, which allows for easy extraction.  No worries about losing data to a proprietary format that can’t be opened outside its originating program.

One of the drawbacks, at least on my relatively less powerful netbook, is that cards with more than 2,000 words begin to lag.  I don’t notice this problem on my more powerful desktop computer though.  Also, although it is theoretically possible to attach images to cards, I haven’t been able to make it work in a way that lets me click on an image and open it from within the program.

SuperNotecard also has several features that I haven’t worked with, including a nonfiction format that turns Factors into References that connect citation information to your notes.

For only $29, this has been one of the most useful writing programs I’ve ever tried.  It rivals Liquid Story Binder for its organizational abilities and surpasses it in some ways, such as its multi-platform approach and open file format.  I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to keep all their notes organized alongside their writing.

Because Simon wrote yWriter for his own use as an author, the program is continually improving and expanding as Simon considers feedback from other users and his own needs for the software. I’ll be discussing the most up-to-date version, yWriter Version 4.

So what can yWriter do for you?

yWriter allows writers to organize their work in an clearly laid-out system that can be easily exported into a final document. yWriter produces various summaries and reports, such as:

• a work schedule from outlining to completion
• a long or short synopsis based on chapter and scene descriptions
• an outline
• a storyboard that allows scenes to be rearranged graphically
• a scene list and scene cards
• lists of characters, locations, and items
• number of scenes and word count for each viewpoint character
• scene ratings to measure tension, humor, and any other qualities you would like to track throughout the story. The scene ratings can then be viewed as a chart.

Chapters and scenes can easily be rearranged, either in the main interface, pictured above, or in the storyboard. Also, characters, locations, and items can all be associated with scenes, and the author can make notes about the projected goals, conflicts, and outcomes. yWriter also has a places for general notes and descriptions for each scene. Notes can also be created as separate scenes and chapters, then marked “unused.” For example, if you have an idea for a scene that you’ve not yet written, you can create a placeholder scene with your notes that can be ignored when a draft is printed.

How I’m using yWriter

I really only started using the software after I finished most of my rough draft for my NaNo novel. yWriter has a rich text editor that allows users to adjust the font style and size, and apply boldface, italics, and underlining, but I didn’t write directly in the software. Instead, I used the minimalist word processor JDarkRoom to do the first draft. When I finished the rough draft, I copied and pasted my work into yWriter, allowing me to see the structure of my novel more clearly. yWriter creator Simon Haynes says this is how he uses the software as well.

yWriter allows me to see the structure of my story much more clearly than scrolling down one seemingly endless document and looking for missing pieces. Now that my rough ideas are organized into chapters, I can see more easily where I need to add scenes.

Some tips on using yWriter

One of the best features of yWriter is the program’s extensive backup system. Unless you delete the entire project folder, it’s difficult to lose all your work. Each scene is stored in a separate RTF document that can be edited outside the program without disrupting any of the settings. One caution though: If you export the entire project, work on that file, then attempt to import the document back into yWriter, you will erase your project settings, such as the viewpoint characters and notes for each scene. I wouldn’t recommend trying to import a file unless it’s with a brand new project.

But if you’re looking for a way to use yWriter when you’re away from your home computer, install the program on a flash drive. Simply run the installation program as usual, specifying your flash drive as the installation location. Then do the same thing with the Pendrive Runtimes program from the Spacejock downloads page. Put the Pendrive files in the same directory as the yWriter files and you’ll be able to use yWriter on any Windows computer with your flash drive.

Note to Linux users: Follow these directions to install yWriter in Wine.

For a thorough overview of all of the functions of yWriter Version 3, see House of Strauss. Also, you might find this discussion on the NaNoWriMo forums to be useful.

In Conclusion

I look forward to using yWriter to organize many other projects. One of the sticking points I’ve often had with previous projects is confronting the mess I was left with after the initial writing. yWriter provides a free, easy-to-use, and helpful way to organize my writing. One of the best aspects, in my opinion, is that the software is designed by an author who also uses it for his own work. All in all, yWriter is an excellent tool to organize a novel, whether as a creation tool or an organization tool.

Have you used yWriter or any other novel-writing software? What has your experience been?

Options include the ability to change the default green text, as well as the background, cursor, and selection colors. I find light blue text on a black background to be especially soothing to my eyes. The font and font size can be adjusted as well. Basically, JDarkRoom is a full-screen word processor without the distractions of a toolbar or other tempting applications close at hand.

You really only need to memorize three simple keyboard commands to work comfortably in JDarkRoom. Ctrl+S saves, Esc exits, and F1 opens a new document. Or, if you just want to memorize one command, F5 will take you to the help screen, which tells you all the other possible commands. For NaNoWriMo writers, or anyone else obsessively checking their word count, Ctrl+L shows the line, word, and character count of your document.

Once you have the colors changed to your liking, the program couldn’t be simpler to use, especially if you’re working on a single larger project like a novel. On starting, JDarkRoom will bring up the last file you worked on. Then all you have to do is write, occasionally saving your work or checking your word count. Saving your documents as .txt files will give you the best results.

One of the benefits of using JDarkRoom to work on my novel is that when I open the program, I immediately associate the appearance of the document with this particular novel. This lets me dive right into the story with less rereading. I may use a different text color for each future novel to make the association even more compelling.

While the full-screen aspect of JDarkRoom is ideal for focusing on the task at hand, I also like to keep a notes files open on my desktop for ideas and random bits of text. I can easily switch between JDarkRoom and my notes using Alt+Tab (Apple+Tab on Mac). But I would caution you against doing this too often. It’s far too easy to switch to a browser to “research” something and not get back to JDarkRoom for hours. I find it best to jot a reminder to research an issue in parentheses right in the text, then get back to work.

Rather than lugging around a heavy laptop, I try to keep things light by working from a flash drive. Not only can I load my works in progress onto the drive and go, but I’ve also installed programs called portable apps that have been modified to run entirely off a flash drive.

The benefits are many. I can carry a version of Firefox with all my usual addons installed and my bookmarks synchronized with Foxmarks. It’s amazing how much more productive I am when I have my browser and other programs set up the same wherever I work. It lets me dive right in to the work itself rather than fiddle with settings.

Portable Apps allow me to set up office wherever I have access to a computer. I can work at my parents’ house, at school, at the library, or at work on my lunch break, with all my settings and documents right in front of me.

The best place to get portable apps for Windows is PortableApps.com. You can also get a pop-up menu to access your information more easily. Some of the programs available are:

• Firefox
• 7-Zip, for unzipping files
• AbiWord for word processing, or the entire Open Office suite, for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentations
• Sumatra PDF reader
• VLC, a media player for listening to music while you work
• KompoZer, for a little webdesign on the fly
• and Notepad++, for quick, simple text editing

A little Googling will find other portable apps to download. One of these is JDarkRoom, a full-screen simple text editor, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. JDarkRoom isn’t fully portable, but only requires that the host computer have Java installed (which it probably does).

Mac users can get portable apps at FreeSMUG. It’s possible to have a folder for Windows apps and one for Mac apps and just use the ones you need for the computer you’re on.

One warning: before buying a new flash drive for portable apps, search the PortableApps.com forums to see if the flash drive you have your eye on will work well. The first flash drive I bought, a 2 GB Kingston, didn’t work with portable apps. I’m much happier with my second choice, a 2 GB Sandisk Titanium Cruzer. If you already have a flash drive, of course, just try it out. The software is easy to install with the excellent instructions provided by PortableApps.com.

Carrying your office in your pocket means you have more opportunities to tackle those works in progress.