Novel Writing Software

I should say this right at the outset: Novel writing software will not write a single word of your novel for you. Software for writers (or for anyone else) just isn't as clever as us humans, at least not when it comes to creative thinking.

But that's a good thing, right?

Imagine if there really were some novel writing software that could produce a novel with minimal input from a human. What would be the point? It would be like having a robot to put together a jigsaw puzzle for you - doing it yourself is the whole point of jigsaws (and writing novels).

Fine. So that has dealt with what writing software can't do. But what can it do?

You'll find a detailed answer to that question in the software review a little lower down the page, so for now I'll just say this: Creative writing software is great at helping you to get organized and stay organized.

Writing a novel can sometimes feel like juggling a dozen balls...

• You've got notes on characters and theme and setting
• You've got a plot outline which you are constantly chopping and changing
• You've got reams of research notes
• You've got little snippets of prose and dialogue written on the backs of envelopes

Writing software helps you to store all this information in one central location and access it with the click of a mouse. Oh, and it makes the whole novel writing process kind of fun, too!

If you are still reading this page, I take it that you are interested in at least finding out more. So the next question is: What kind of novel writing software should you go for?

There are an awful lot of products for novel writers out there - some good, some not so good. I've researched them all and road-tested the strongest candidates, and to my mind your best bet by a mile is NewNovelist (not least because it is very reasonably priced). Click Here for my Comprehensive Review of NewNovelist Novel Writing Software.

(Unfortunately, NewNovelist is not available for Macs - sorry. I've looked into alternatives, and the best solution seems to be a product called StoryMill from MarinerSoftware.com. As a PC user, I haven't been able to test it in any way, but from comments I have read in online forums, it looks well worth investigating. Hope this helps.)

Novels have been written for centuries without the benefit of novel writing software, and of course it is still perfectly possible to write one without it. That is why I held out for so long before trying it. Now that I have succumbed, though, I can't recommend it enough. It is one of those things you will wonder what you ever did without.