Propose your solution
Attachments
Duplicates
Comments
|
|
LaTex is mostly for formatting. It's not a good program for writing novels because it has the same problem that word processors do-- it doesn't have the chapter scene outline format like the other programs I listed above.
I downloaded lyx and took a look at it and well as googled it. It does have some nice features, but it's more like a normal word processor than novel writing software.
I'm not the only one who thinks this.
http://ask.metafilter.com/76150/Should-I-be-using-LaTex-instead-of-MS-Word
But thank you for the suggestion anyway.
|
|
|
latex is definitely a bad idea for that.
I think this is as important as having CAD's
|
|
frup
wrote on the 25 Jul 08 at 09:05
|
|
|
|
Could this be done as a plug-in to say, open office?
|
|
Auzy
wrote on the 25 Jul 08 at 11:16
|
|
|
Sounds like a good idea. Maybe a good idea to upgrade lyx to do it?
All All work
work and
and no play makes no
Jack a play
dull makes
boy Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
|
|
aidave
wrote on the 17 Jan 09 at 07:05
|
|
|
I'll develop one.
Can you please tell me what features you would like in it?
All I need is a word processor with a file-like system to the right of it. When you click on those links, you get different documents.
You can make your own links hierarchy.
It is all saveable as one document.
|
|
aidave
wrote on the 17 Jan 09 at 07:06
|
|
|
|
Forgot to clarify: the links would be a tree-view.
|
|
aidave
wrote on the 2 Feb 09 at 03:38
|
|
|
Here are a couple other novel writing projects for Linux:
Writer's World Maker
http://www.wwmkr.com/
StoryBook
http://storybook.intertec.ch/
Here is a link to my project:
Kabikaboo Novel Writing Assistant
https://sourceforge.net/projects/kabikaboo/
It is not usable at this time.
I will be making this project, even though the other two already exist, because I want to learn how to make Linux apps, and the other two aren't really what I am looking for. I would rather write my novel in AbiWord or Lyx, and use another program to do the plot layout, characters, etc.
|
|
aidave
wrote on the 4 Mar 09 at 16:58
|
|
|
Kabikaboo Novel Writing Assistant
https://sourceforge.net/projects/kabikaboo/
Is now in Beta and very usable. You will need to use SVN via sourceforge to grab the code, however. A packaged release will come soon.
|
|
phibxr
wrote on the 17 Mar 09 at 10:40
|
|
|
While I appreciate those that respond with suggestions of using LaTeX/LyX and such, I'd like you to have a look at Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html) to get a general idea of what I think the original poster is looking for.
The ideal application for this task would be a heavily object oriented combined database/editor.
Think of it as an IDE for creative novel writing with a database for characters/locations/chapters/scenes/research linked to a powerful text editing module with customizable highlighting for words linked back to the characters/locations modules for quick reference while writing.
A visual timeline with chapters/scenes represented as blocks is also a common feature within these applications. Full screen editing like PyRoom is also a popular feature since it removes distraction for writers.
|
|
|
Wow, I forgot all about this site and thought my posts would be buried already.
aidave – I will try out your program once you have a package. I don't even know what SVN is.
I actually found wwmkr and wrote some documentation for the developer, but it still is in development and lacking important features.
StoryBook looks better, but there's no place to put formatting like in a word processor.
You wrote "All I need is a word processor with a file-like system to the right of it. When you click on those links, you get different documents."
That sounds like it might be what I want. I'd have to see how it would work.
Phibxr – I think what you're describing is what I'm looking for. I've seen screenshots of Scrivener and they look awesome. In fact Scrivener is the one app that makes me wish I could afford a Mac.
Currently, I'm running WriteWayPro in Windows in Virtual Box, and this is working for now. But I hate having to run Virtual Box using up memory and such, and would rather have a native app. Plus there are a few extra features I'd like to see that WriteWay doesn't have.
For example, yWriter lets you assign a POV to each scene. But I don't like the way the chapters and scenes are handled. I really don't want a second window to pop up. I want to be able to move from chapter to chapter and scene to scene without having 15 different windows for 15 scenes. Maybe that could be an optional feature, but not default.
|
|
|
So here is the deal. I run both Mac and Linux boxes, and amazingly, I am a writer. I use Scrivener and StoryMill (both very much like each other) exclusively on the Mac because they are incredible applications. For other writing purposes I use the following which are cross platform:
xMind
FreeMind
Personal Brain
These are mind mapping/story mapping tools, not in the same genre as Scrivener. If someone could write an application very similar to Scrivener for Linux that would be great.
|
|
|
http://www.celtx.com
--pretty complete, online sync, for writing novels, screenplays, scripts, comics etc
|
|
aidave
wrote on the 29 Aug 09 at 04:46
|
|
|
|
Celtx is probably the way to go. For those looking to store their notes in another document, and write their novel in a separate document, please check out Kabikaboo. It is at verison 1.4 now and very robust. I use it to maintain a massive collection of notes while writing in AbiWord.
|
|
|
With respect to most of the comments here, I think they're missing the point. The commenter who came up with Celtx is probably getting the closest to the problem, but it's still not quite there (although extremely good free software). Y
You'd have to be a novelist/screenwriter to grasp why Scrivener is such a powerful little application, and why most others lack. You'd also have to play around in the Scrivener environment to get why extensions to OpenOffice or using AbiWord just won't do as a replacement.
Here's the thing: Scrivener is an elegant, intuitive, aesthetically pleasing one-stop-shopping application that is an outliner, a storyboarder, a research binder, a multi-document interface, a project management tool and a word processor.
Scrivener is the one application Douglass Rushkoff said he'd miss when he decided to switch from Mac OS X to Ubuntu, and that was two years ago!
I've been test-driving Ubuntu the past several days on my MacBook Pro using Sun Virtual Box, and I love it. Matter of fact, I'm typing this comment in the Chrome browser I loaded in Ubuntu.
But to be honest, my access to Scrivener on the Mac is one of a few things keeping me from making the switch (GarageBand's extremely simple visual interface for podcast audio editing is another and I use it for work).
I don't like paying a premium for Mac's proprietary hardware, but there are some software apps like Scrivener that would be hard to do without.
|
|
|
I started a separate discussion about this over the past few days, which is probably a duplicate -- http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/23719/
I'll be honest, I became frustrated when my posting also seemed to quickly get sidetracked by the same suggestions of LaTeX and the like.
With all due respect to the broader Linux community, there seems to be a real disconnect between understanding why Mac OS appeals to right-brained creatives so much and how something like Ubuntu isn't quite there yet.
Nota bene: We'd love for it to be there, and that's why we're so vigorously joining the discussion. If Ubuntu can upgrade its appeal to this same cadre of individuals, it will have come a long way. There's an entire group of individuals attracted to Ubuntu and the ideals of open-source and cloud-based computing right now that have no real desire to be "tinkerers" and we're really not all that technically-minded in the traditional desktop computing sense.
Ubuntu has a moment, a window of opportunity, to grab the attention of people like me. Hold on to the old ways of doing things, insisting that we pick up the esoteric insiders' lingo, trying to get us to be enthusiastic about command-line interface, suggesting timeworn applications designed mostly for scientific use, etc. ... well, frankly, that's a great way to strangle any widespread public enthusiasm for an OS like Ubuntu.
I really do think there's a subset of the Linux community that would love for it to stay the province of a small crowd in the possession of special knowledge. But there's a broader movement working and hoping for a more substantive appeal to the general public, and this who I'm speaking to.
I'll say it one more time for the record, as I've said in a separate thread, and as the original author of this thread said it in so many words: What we want, what we hope for, is that the Ubuntu community will begin to enthusiastically embrace the idea of developing applications (like a robust novel-writing software) that TRULY competes with the elegance, simplicity, intuitiveness and metaphorical understanding that Mac-based software has nearly always represented (and I might add, until very recently, has solely represented).
We're weary of forking over a pretty penny for Mac's proprietary hardware just so we can have access to Mac-based software (which is the main draw for creatives). But we'll continue to fork those dollars over so long as there is no viable alternative.
That's just the score, folks. I'm not trying to be difficult or negative. But that's really the way it is.
|
|
|
Another example of Scrivener's usefulness -- this time from a legal writing perspective: http://lawyerist.com/using-scrivener-for-legal-writing/
A key quote: "As I was using it the other day, it occurred to me that I would have loved a program like this when I was a civil litigator. Scrivener could easily make the process of writing and organizing a Summary Judgment motion so simple."
|
|
|
As the developer of LyX-Outline, I wanted to say thank you for the interest. I'm very interested in creating a robust outline and corkboard (for starters) that would greatly extend the useability of LyX.
I think that it makes sense to extend LyX rather than start from scratch for one simple reason: for the program program to be more than a glorified outliner requires it have a robust text-processing foundation. Scrivener gets some of this via the AppleText interface. But even as good as it is, it can't handle serious documents (footnotes, endnotes, references, etc.). LyX, in contrast, has spent the last fifteen years building an amazingly powerful document processor on the foundations of LaTeX, docbook (and in the next version XHTML).
As I explained in my original proposal (http://www.oak-tree.us/blog/index.php/2009/03/04/perfect-tool), it would be much better to add creative abilities to a powerful word. In addition to its power, LyX is also extremely light weight. Even though the power is available, it's not in your face (like Word or OpenOffice).
I have actually made good progress with LyX Outline. All of the individual modules (Corkboard and Outline Views) have been written in C++ and I have started to integrate them into the LyX source code. But, unfortunately, this is where I have stalled. I am not a C++ programmer and I need to make some changes to LyX's underlying model architecture. For me, making these changes is extremely slow going.
If there is anyone who is a C++ programmer that would like to collaborate, I would be very interested. The changes which need to be made are not particularly complicated, and I suspect that a C++ programmer who know what they are doing could make them in 10 or 15 hours. Once they are in place, I could rapidly add the other code and have a preview/alpha version ready in a day or so.
If Canonical is interested in providing support, either funds (so that I could hire) or dedicated developer time would be extremely appreciated. As I mentioned above, for someone who is familiar with Qt and C++, I suspect that the changes could be made relatively quickly. I have a good idea of what needs to be done and would be happy to provide detailed documentation.
|
|
altoid
wrote on the 7 Mar 10 at 21:42
|
|
|
|
I'm a Scrivener user but I'll be probably migrating to lyx-outline (mentioned above) the moment it is ready. If lyx-outline's developer manages to deliver planned features, the solution will combine Scrivener-like ease of writing (especially with longer texts) with unmatched control over output that characterizes Lyx/LaTex. Lyx-Outline advanced layout control features are especially important for me as my writing is mostly academic, however, I believe that creative writers will benefit from it as well, especially with the recent shift toward self-publishing model of writing business.
|
|
|
I agree that Lyx-Outline would be a great approach.
Having the power of Lyx combined with the outline-corkboard concept is great for those (like myself) who do not only write novels but articles, essays, thesis, etc. with more complex formats.
So, using dgardenhire's words: we would have an outliner, a storyboarder, a multi-document interface and a word processor in one, as Scrivener does.
But we'd still miss the "research binder" part, and the "project management tool" one. Project and research management is used in projects other than novels, too, so this would be a great thing to have.
I could use another app (which one?) for that purpose, or even live without it, but Scrivener users would probably miss that part.
Any ideas of how to implement this on Lyx?
And well, achieving Scrivener's elegance and ease of use in Lyx could be a challenge, too.
For example, it would be great if we could easily show/hide the outliner/corkboard without leaving full-screen mode, or access the color/font options rapidly.
|
|
|
I have no idea what/how Scrivener looks like, but LyX is one of the most user-friendly tools I use(d).
Also, I don't know if the comparison between the two is valid on all levels: Scrivener is, also (as described in the official web-page), a project management tool. LyX's purpose isn't exactly to become the best project management tool. There are other tools for that.
+1 to support LyX and LyX-Outline(r) and why not seamless integration with other, existing, project management tools under Gnome (but then again this maybe not practically possible?).
|
|
|
@LaCajita: As far as "research binder", you might want to have a look at Zotero. While it's billed as a "reference manager", I actually use it manage all of my research information. This includes pictures, notes, articles, book chapters, citation information and a whole host of other stuff.
You can even integrate it with LyX via the LyZ plugin. The other benefit to using Zotero is that your research information isn't locked into one program. It also includes a plug-in for working with Microsoft Word and OpenOffice; a feature I've found invaluable. (As much as I would like to ignore Word Processors, they are an indispensable tool for working with others.)
In other news, progress on LyX-Outline has been steady. You can find an update, with checkout/build instructions at:
http://blog.oak-tree.us/index.php/2010/06/25/lyx-outline02-1
|
|
MattP220
wrote on the 29 Oct 10 at 00:57
|
|
|
My kludge solutions:
1. Use Zim, gedit, Celtx for any screenwriting that comes up, and more recently FocusWriter which I love to pieces. You get most of the benefits of Scrivener, minus a few admittedly nice details -- but the meat of it is there.
2. Use Scrivener for Windows in Wine. The beta for this has only just been released, and there is that whole issue with having to buy a proprietary program, but once the full version is released early next year it will be a possibility. I'm not a fan of agreeing to EULAs on proprietary software, so I'm on the fence about this one.
I have Celtx installed but I see little use for it outside screenwriting. It would be very nice if a project could get going that could combine elements of Zim, FocusWriter, Celtx, and LyX-outline; all the pieces are here in the open source domain, it's just a matter of combining them (as if it were so simple, but still...)
|
Post your comment
|
Ubuntuforums.org thread #769052
