**REVIEW** Bibisco Novel Writing Software

Let me start by saying a few things about Bibisco:

1. The free version is so worth it, and
2. The donate (Supporters Edition) is awesome, but
3. If you can't afford the SE, you will not be disappointed with the free version.

There. Now let me give you an overview of my experience so far.

I found Bibisco while I was trying to decide whether or not to buy Plottr. Plottr looks awesome but I could never get the trial to work well enough to try it out. Also, Plottr is $40 and I simply cannot dig that deep into what I laughingly call my "budget". I can't even tell if Plottr would be worth the money since I can't use the trial. If there are problems with the trial version, then...

Anyway, I found Bibisco via one of the sites that lists the alternatives to programs. Unlike most open-source software, I was able to easily download and install it. That was a Plus. And then I started playing around with it and was blown away.

The best thing about Bibisco is that it helps you really get acquainted with your plot and characters. I know that it seems like I would be very intimate with both after years of messing with this story in my head, but, no, 

 

Bibisco doesn't just help you get your novel outlined and set up. It's sort of like a human motivator. You are prompted to do some of the things writers least like. If you are like me, you just want to start writing and get the story told. There is work to be done beforehand that can make the storytelling job easier in the long run. If you really do understand why and how you are going to tell an amazing story, it's easier to get on with it.

Now, I will take a lesson from Writing Advice 101 and show not tell:

THIS IS WHERE YOU START AFTER NAMING YOUR PROJECT

FOR NEWBIES (and me) WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT A ... "FABULA" IS...

Let's hope I didn't duplicate any photos up there.

So you can see that Bibisco helps get and keep you organized. Once you are on your way, it helps you track scenes and characters or even rearrange them as needed. Those are all my raves. Let's get to some of the negatives...

One thing you are going to want to do for every project is to dedicate a place on your desktop. Do NOT just store your Bibisco project somewhere in the clutter of your other files. I did that when I downloaded Bibisco CE (the free version). When I donated to get the SE (Supporters Edition), the old files integrated nicely with the new version but I goofed somewhere and couldn't find the last updated files. I rooted around in my computer folders like a crazy woman looking for something in a dumpster. Worst of all, the Bibiso app did not pull up in any searches or the Start bar. I had done a print of my work to that point so I just went ahead and dumped everything to start over. Somehow, part of my old files restored. 

So WARNING: do what I have. I set up a folder on my desktop just for storing all things Bibisco. I also set the Bibisco app up on my taskbar so I don't lose it again. 

Even though there is an Autosave function, I recommend exporting every now and then. You can export to Word, PDF, or as an Archive (whatever that means).

Bibisco is super awesome but it is open-source. Maybe it's just me, but I have a history of stabilization issues with open-source software. So, once again, the only downside to Bibisco is that you must back up everything often and in every way you can. Just in case.

One last thing: The GitHub download of the Supporters Edition is a pay-what-you-want deal. Kind of. I think it starts at 12Eurodollars minimum. On the day I ordered, the conversion charged was $13.16 USD. 

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Scapple Software

So, this is happening. Finally.

Might be changing the cover. We'll see.

I almost had a mental breakdown trying to deal with CreateSpace's Cover Creator, but that was mostly my fault. (Tip to other users: Don't try to fix cover errors until you've actually uploaded your manuscript. In other words, do things in the order set out by CreateSpace.)

Anyway. Now that I have Volume 1 of the short story collection done (just waiting for my Proof copy before giving the go-ahead and selling on Amazon), I needed to work on two other projects. If I had a lick of sense, I'd work on one project at a time. That's just not how my brain works. I must make my life as difficult as possible. LOL

Since I already have a couple of stories written for Volume 2 of Therapy Sessions, I'm leapfrogging back and forth to work on another set of stories. I only have general ideas for what I want to include in that set. This is where my scatterbrained way of thinking and processing tasks was causing me problems. And this is what I found as a solution.

Those are screen shots of  Scapple boards I put together just for this post.

I've tried out all kinds of software to ease or organize the process of writing. I will test out the Trial version of something and, usually, only get a couple hours in before I'm going nuts. Scapple is so good (and simple to use) that I actually `~ are you sitting down? ~ paid for it. Yeah, I know. I'm such a tightwad that I should be writing a book about being a tightwad.

Thing is, Scapple is such a lifesaver for me. Now that I depend on my writing for extra income, I've been feeling the pressure to not only be productive but to be organized and productive.

As a writer, I am very disciplined. I will give myself a schedule and stick to it. I line up tasks and check-mark them off until I'm done. Actually, when I was working, I was the same way. The only difference is that, before I began struggling with an illness, I had tons of stamina and I could focus like nobody's business. A former manager once called me a "multi-tasking workhorse."  (At the time she said that, I decided to take it as a compliment.)

These days, I still have lots of creativity, but it's very hard for me to focus and organize my thoughts. I spent months working on the 5 short stories that make up "Love & Madness". Whenever I stopped work on a story for the night, my brain would re-set itself so that, by the time I got back to the story, I'd lost track of things.

My solution before now was to handwrite notes and index cards that I'd tack up all over the place. That works, but it is something of a nightmare when you have to change something around or re-think part of a story.

Scapple lets me do all my note-taking and tracking of ideas without the paper and cards. I can pick back up on outlines and ideas easier. When I want to play around with an idea, I can do that.

The best thing about this software is how cheap it is (compared to other stuff I've seen), and how easy it is to start using it right away.

This is not just something for writers. Anyone who thinks better with visual prompts will love this software. Students can use it to organize study notes. There are so many ways this can be used.

If anyone knows of similar software, please share. For now, I'm so happy with Scapple that I expect that I will never want to be without it.

Peace
--Free

Best Writing Software (so far)

When I recently posted on some of the aids I'd found for writers, I skipped one: Evernote. I'd used Evernote on my Android and just wasn't impressed. Of course, I hate typing anything more than a quick text on m phone.

I gave Evernote (for PC) a try just because. Guess what? I really do like it.

One of the things I want in writing software is a way to take an organize pieces of a story. Scrivener has a corkboard feature which is nice (so do a couple of other programs, like Celtx Plus) but I wasn't crazy about everything else it has. Also, I'm still trying out Scrivener and Celtx (not Plus) to see if they are worth paying for.

Evernote has two advantages that I could see right off the bat. First, it's very easy to get started with so I didn't need to spend hours and hours figuring out all the features. It will take some time for me to get completely comfortable with the entire package, but I can work with it as I learn. Second, it's free.

As far as the ability to visualize and organize a story, Evernote doesn't have a specific index card type feature. The way it's set up, though, it gives me the same benefit as a board. Kind of hard for me to untwist my brain enough this morning to explain, so:

The "Cards" are in the middle pane

This is the "Index" view. The "Cards" are now shown as lists at the top.

This is the "Snippet" view

You get the idea, right? You can piece together your outline (or chapter and sections) in the right-side panel and still see an overview in the center panel. The far left side is a navigator-type section for all the different Notebooks and such. Because I am using the "free" version, I have the ads and stuff, but that's not a big problem. I am thinking of buying the full version.  To be honest, I'm not really using the software to it's fullest, but it's working well for me as is.

Good luck with your projects.

Peace
--Free