Book writing and editing software!
So I wrote a book- hold for applause, thank you thank you!- currently half way through my fourth round of edits, and it's certainly a journey! I have said before I have never dreamt of being an author, nor have I written anything that long form before, sticking mainly to short stories or dialogue heavy screen/teleplays. With that being said, I had no idea what options there were for writing and editing sites and software's! If you are like me, and new to the whole thing, let me give you my take and my opinions!
I wrote the whole first draft in Google Docs, because that is my go to for writing, point blank period. I am still using it to write and edit the rest of the book (recommendation if you are planning to do that same thing- duplicate your file. I just label it "Book Title- Draft 1" and then I will write the book, then immediately duplicate it and label the duplicate "Book Title- Draft 2" and make the edits to that file, and then continue until you have your desired amount of edits/drafts). Google Docs is obviously just a platform for writing though, and while you can (and I am) edit the pages, there are plenty of dedicated platforms and software to make the process easier!
I have tried Autocrit and I will say I genuinely liked it. I imported the 3rd draft of my book into the system and then used their AI feature to locate and edit excessive use of adjectives, adverbs, filler words, etc. It was an amazing feature and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will use it again in future. Aside from that though, I played around with another feature that I will talk about momentarily, so I paid the $1 for the trial, did my edits in 3 days, transferred the book out and back into Google Docs, and ended the trial. When I transferred the book back to docs, the format was completely messed up because Autocrit had double-spaced and changed the font. Which is not the end of the world, but I had to go through 127 pages (letter sized pages) and re-indent and re-italicize the whole thing, which didn't take forever, but was supremely annoying.
The other aspect I used was the planning part. I didn't plan my first book, I'll say that upfront. I wrote a screenplay, that I have no intention of ever sharing, but I enjoyed the premise I created so in my manic state I decided to turn it into a book. The screenplay is about 60 pages (which is not even close to the length it needs to be for an actual movie!) because it was so short, the story is rather lacking and there was little I could pull from it and had to continue to pull plot points out of thin air. I started by using the screen play as a starting point and then wrote out maybe 10 points I wanted to hit, but as I was getting close to running out of those points I was only at 30% of my book so had to re-evaluate and create a real plot map from that point on (and by plot map, I mean it was literally a few bullet points to work from). What I am trying to get at is that I have never planned much for my writing (for my teleplay I have some episode descriptions!) so when I saw that Autocrit had a planning feature I was curious! I used it for 3 additional book plots, and I didn't hate it, however to be able to use the analysis/market comparison features you have to stick to their rigid structure, which is not possible for everyone. I did my best and I used the structure as best I can, but was also confused at sections and was forced to add in characters and plots points that I don't/won't need/use. It also didn't help that it costs $30 a month!
So what did I find as an alternative??? I found Reedsy Studio, and actually found it entirely on accident! I was looking for short story writing contests and found Reedsy's weekly contests, then got an email about studios, and I decided to check it out, and honestly I really like it so far! I will say that going from the rigid structure of Autocrit to the loosey-goosey structure of Reedsy is a learning curve, but it gives you so much more freedom! Even if you choose to not pay for the extra features (about $5-$14 per month) it is still a completely functional writing and planning platform. It doesn't have the same editing features that Autocrit has but I would happily pay the $1 trial fee for the 3 days that I will need it for my next books and keep using Reedsy.
If I had more disposable income the I would definitely want to try Sudowrite or NovelCrafter, but as it stands this is a hobby so I am not trying to spend big bucks on it. Maybe if I ever actually sell my books, then I would switch over to one of those, but for now Reedsy is my go to. They have a lot of other features, and the contests are a fun addition to submit to every once in a while (my latest contest submission will be posted on here right after this one!)
I also am wholly on board for anyone who likes paper and pen instead of some kind of service. I edited my first draft by printing it out and marking it up with pen/pencil (actually saved all of my notes in regards to it too in a binder (which I will do for all my books), which is perhaps me making some assumptions about the potential popularity, but also for my own records!). I just change my mind/add things constantly which can make paper planning/maps a little more challenging/confusing, so for me, digital planning helps.
I also love that Reedsy is doing monthly (I think I participated in the first one!) lives where they answered questions, engaged with the community, and had "writers sprints" (something I will be creating a post about soon!). I loved it! It was fantastic and I was glad I was able to participate. Honestly I think I will be creating a discord group for it, and suggesting it to the group next time they meet!
At the end of the day, edit and plan how YOU feel best works for you! There are plenty of platforms out there and I recommended looking around before committing to something (take full advantage of free trials too!). We all see things differently, we all edit and plan in unique ways, and we need to find what helps us rather than trying to conform to a system or way that doesn't benefit us! Let me know if you have any suggestions on software/platforms for writers! As well as what works best for you!
-Elizabeth
