Creative Writing Software:

Is It Worth It?

One of the great pleasures of creative writing is the total flexibility that the writer has to create whatever they want, which often means writing what they want to read themselves. From nothing anything is possible and all the elements - setting, characters, dialogue, action - have to be created to form a story. The writer has the opportunity to play God in a world limited only by their imagination and ability to relay that imagination into words.

However, there is a flip side to all that freedom and as any writer knows one of the biggest challenges in writing fiction is the ability to bring together all the necessary elements in a way that the story created is appealing, engaging and of course, logical to the reader. What may seem straightforward to the writer is sometimes a maze to a would be reader. And that is frustrating. It isn't just disappointment at being misunderstood but it is also the wasted time sculpting a story that ultimately doesn't work.

Up until now the main way that writers have honed their story writing skills is through practice, writing classes and getting feedback through writing groups or appraisal services.

But now there is another alternative that short circuits some of the frustration involved: creative writing software. Before you dismiss the idea as somehow cheating, let me tell you that writing software won't write the story for you and you won't lose any of your ability to sculpt your own story. Instead your story is guided along the path to logic through a variety of writing prompts.

The first writing prompts on launching the creative writing software help to set the framework for your story or novel: you need to decide on the title, concept, category and type. At each step is advice on what sort of information you should be putting into the different sections. For example, the story concept needs to be a one sentence summary and it is suggested that you begin with a character, find the conflict and then the resolution. The writing prompts throughout are well thought out and to the point. The last two categories require you only to click on the different alternatives.

Once you've completed your initial setup you then arrive at a writing screen. Down the left hand side you'll find the chapters with writing prompts suggesting the structural arc of each chapter. On the right is your toolbox that contains information on your characters, places, objects and research material. The writing software is one way to make sure that you are organized with your supporting material and don't spend an hour looking through your scattered notes when it comes time to introducing a character that you've forgotten the look of.

So not only does creative writing software help you to structure your work in a cohesive way with a succession of writing prompts but it also means you'll be way more organized with your work. The major benefit of this is that it means more time for writing and less time for procrastinating!

Click Here to learn more about how creative writing software can help you.