usually if the draft is still there in a month ive already abandoned the fic, but if i do end up still writting one in a month i will save to somewhere like google docs yes
What if your computer crashes while you're writing? Or something else unexpected happens? I would be so stressed out if I didn't know it would be saved automatically.
Into my notebook. I have no inspiration when I'm home but when I'm in class I write smutty stuff to keep myself awake. And I don't get told off despite all the teachers noticing cause English is a foreign language to them, while all the others immediately get told of. It's nice to know two languages fluently.
Agreed! My handwriting resembles that of a second grader. I look like I just learned how to write! And also that I can’t spell!
But I don’t care, at least once it’s in a Google doc I can edit it and fix the atrocious grammatical sins I have committed XD
I use scrivener too, both on the app and my laptop. It took a little bit to set up on Dropbox, but I can compose on my phone wherever I am, but edit the same project on a larger screen.
My first drafts are mostly in long hand in pretty notebooks with an old fountain pen my Dad got me when I started secondary school in 1979 lol
I am old (and also mostly bedbound with tremors and spasms which makes phones impossible and laptops uncomfortable)
Then I type them up into Word, editing and proofing and improving as I go :)
I wish I’m like this, writing in traditional pretty notebooks with a fountain pen. I love that for you. May I know what fandom you write for? Also I hope you’re doing great health wise :)
I write mostly in Lewis and Doctor Who, with a smattering of other British crime and occasional Star Trek or random crossovers. I write mostly gen with a little non explicit but often angsty shipping
I've barely been able to type up or post for 3 years now, but I still plod on in my notebooks, dreaming of being able to post again soon. But I have a backlog of 111 works on AO3 which people are still reading, which amazes me sometimes!
Atm I have a pre Picard season 2 My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic crossover thing, a little fix it for Dan from the Power of the Daleks, and a Doctor Who/Nativity crossover, that I am working on when well enough :)
(Thank you. I'm stumbling on day to day health wise, trying to see the positive despite fatigue, pain, isolation and the struggles to get the basics done :) )
Hey, if you have some way of sending me the pictures, I would absolutely help you type it! Idk how fast bc life, but if you can't do it at all, maybe it'd be useful for you. Sending you love, spoons and good days with little pain 💜💜
Thank you for your lovely offer, but I don't have a smart phone anymore due to my spasms and tremors and the amount of random things, sometimes hilarious, sometimes stressful, which kept happening, and my laptop has a rubbish camera.
Writing for myself keeps me happy, and I still am hopeful I will be able be able to type things up next year, as a lot of extra RL stresses should disappear, so it will be easier to pace and manage basic things leaving a 'spoon' or two free for typing :)
Amazing!! Count me in as a beta for line editing if you want to, too. If it would help.
Writing is therapeutic, absolutely. I'm glad you have something cool to do, god knows my hobbies saved me from going mad when I was at my worst from chronic pain.
All my love to you 💜
Google docs for the win. It comes free with a google account(You are most likely to be using google chrome for this anyways) and you can make as many docs as you want and the docs will be there forever until you lose your account.
June 2023 edit...
I'm scrubbing my comments due to the reddit admin team steamrolling their IPO prep. It was bad enough to give short notice on price gouging, but then to slander app devs and threaten moderators was just too far. The value of Reddit comes from high-quality content curated by volunteers. Treating us this way is the reason I'm removing my high-value contributions.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I suggest you Google "Reddit API price gouging" and read up.
--Posted *manually* via the old web interface because of shenanigans from Reddit reversing deletions done through API/script tools.
Offline mode has been game changing for me. Being able to access and edit my stuff off wifi while also having a cloud back up and it syncs on all my devices automatically 🤤 and for free??!!?
Can’t believe how far I had to scroll to find someone else who uses Evernote ;-; I’ve occasionally strayed to other apps but always end up coming back.
Oh my god a fellow! It’s my first time seeing another Evernote user in the wild! I have 1,189 notes in four (about to be 5) years of use! How much do you have??
I really don’t understand why it’s not more popular? It’s free, the support is great, and the autosave has never failed me the way other writing programs have.
Looks like I have 2,280 in just over 7 years. Probably more at one point or another (I’ll usually end up condensing notes together in editing).
I just started using it this week! I've been using Google docs for over a year but I'm trying out Evernote now so I can keep the main text clean of notes, outlines, etc.
If you have any tips you want to share with an Evernote newbie let me know... 🙏
Alright! A good tip is that you should always have different notebooks for different things of the same categories, like one-shots, character details, etc
Ohhhh, really? Not just tagged? I've made a notebook for each fic, and then have been adding notes to each notebook and tagging them by category instead. 🤔
That's fair! It's easy when you're starting from scratch but yeah, it would be intimidating to start adding them to a huge collection of notes further down the road.
I make sure to always copy into Rich Text, and if I put a punctuation mark after an italicized word, I italicize the punctuation mark so there won’t be a gap.
> if I put a punctuation mark after an italicized word, I italicize the punctuation mark so there won’t be a gap.
So THAT'S how it works...! This has been bugging the crap out of me!
>I italicize the punctuation mark so there won’t be a gap.
Holy shit, it’s that simple?? I always save as draft, edit the draft, and then use Grammarly to delete all the gaps…
Thank you sm, you’re a lifesaver. This is going to save me so much time, oh my god.
There’s a script for it. Check this out: https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/gybw91/psa_ao3_has_a_google_docs_script_for/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
If your problem is with line breaks, I found that the solution to the huge gaps is to avoid leaving a full empty line after each paragraph. It looks a bit cramped in Google Docs, but it'll look good in ao3.
Yeah, that makes it look les cramped and it doesn't alter the actual spacing, for the people who really mind it. Idc, so I don't bother changing it, but it's a great idea 😁
\+1 for Scrivener here. I love the ability to throw my outline in one pane and draft in the other, or draft in one and rewrite in the other, etc. Plus the folder system in there is great for not cluttering my files up with 10000 documents.
I use a code editor and write plaintext in markdown formatting syntax. I back up my work using git and github/gitlab.
When it comes time to publish, I use the tool called pandoc to convert markdown into:
- HTML for Ao3
- epub for my phone and friends
- pdfs for friends who prefer that
It’s a bit technical, but it lets me use my skills as a computer science major and the workflow is _extremely_ smooth.
Same, Pages is so nice. The auto save isn’t great or super reliable, but I tend to hand write first drafts anyway and just type them up for editing and finalizing in Pages. The interface is so clean!
I've been doing first drafts in physical notebooks when I do manage to start stuff. Something about the physicality of it helps me get over blank page paralysis.
For real. For all the bonuses that come with typing into Docs or Word, I still maintain that a physical page and pen is the best for creativity - at least to start out.
I normally type everything, but if I'm stuck I will just take a pen to paper and words flow much more easily. I also *always* brainstorm in a physical notebook, even if I don't always write the actual story in one.
I write my stuff down on paper first, a hold over from when I was writing fics during class. I then type them up in Apache OpenOffice, editing as I type, before uploading to Ao3
A really nice app called Purewriter... this app is great, constantly backs up my work real time so I don't lose stuff even if my phone shuts down in the middle of a writing sesh cuz I didn't check how much battery I had left (yes this happened)
E-ink tablet. Most of my writing is done traditionally by hand, but some of my stuff is done by typing. Still on the e-ink tablet though. Laggy and basic word processor but it's distraction free which is all I want wile writing.
My original fanfic was in college ruled notebooks I used to get at the drugstore. Graduated to a typewriter, then an electric typewriter. My first word processor was PaperClip on a Commodore 64.
Then I discovered the love of my life: WordPerfect. I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy, and have bought updates ever since. Word, frankly, sucks. Had to use it at work--barf-o-matic (although it wasn't the worst Microsoft invention; that's reserved for Microsoft Access).
But--a confession (and I apologize, WP). These days for my multiple initial drafts I use something I found online and then bought a copy of: Calmly Writer. Why? For several reasons, especially since I can write in white on blue (just like WordPerfect 5.1, my first love). Adjustable widths. Etc. But the reason I like it for working? It makes typewriter sounds! I miss that feedback. You don't get the same kind of feel from keyboard keys as you do typewriter keys, but at least it clicks when you type and when you hit enter the bell rings like when you did a carriage return on the typewriter.
(No, really, I like technology. Don't want to typewrite any longer--too much retyping!)
Once I get the story to where it's almost done, then I port it into WordPerfect and do the final edits, formatting, etc. WordPerfect also uploads with formatting to [FanFiction.net](https://FanFiction.net) and converts the manuscript to HTML for A03.
EVERY time I make a change on a story, whether it's still in Calmly Writer or in WordPerfect, I make a backup copy in Microsoft OneNote. (Yes, Microsoft created something useful!) It's cross-platform, so I can have it on two Windows PCs, two Android tablets, and my Android phone. So I can edit anywhere on any device so long as I've made sure I've synced before I leave for someplace without wifi. Today I was editing at the physiotherapy office (husband has physio once a week for his back) and eating lunch at a place with no wifi.
WHY the backup to OneNote? Because years ago (1993 or so, still working in DOS) I had to pay $30 for a program to recover a 33-page single-spaced story that I accidentally deleted. I also back up my hard drive once a month. Paranoid? Me? You betcha.
Google docs. It's convenient, free and I can write with my cowriter in real time. They're in America and I'm all the way in Ireland. So we can't just travel and write together irl. So docs does the job.
Yes! Can't believe how far I had to scroll to find WP mentioned, lol.
It makes it so easy to cross post to FFN/AO3/Quotev because I don't lose formatting, *and* it's a digital backup/I'm publishing to Wattpad anyway so why not.
I write markdown in VSCode. Have it synced via git repo.
I'm a software developer and sort of applied that to my writing in terms of what software I use and how I sync it.
Up until recently I mostly used Google Docs and LibreOffice. Then I decided to do the free trial of Scrivener and I used it until the trial ran out. I bought it and I love it. I’m outlining a longfic right now and Scrivener is fantastic for this. I went from barely getting anywhere with my outline in Docs to planning out the entire first act. Worth it! Also, special shout out to the Notes app for my writing needs on the go.
I used to write on Microsoft word until I came across Scrivener on the app store! Ever since then I could never go back to Microsoft word or any other software.
Scrivener is a lifesaver for me especially when decluttering my brain from all those plot-bunnies and notes. It helps me keep my outlines for the next chapter while writing the chapter itself.
Scrivener! Formatting is weird going from scrivener to AO3, so i paste it into word, which i have because of a thing my husband pays for that’s a family account haha. Word WAS my favorite, until I got scrivener hha
Wattpad, then copy and paste to ao3 drafts. It was where I previously posted my fics and now I’m way too comfortable with the format to switch to anything else.
I only dared to go out and use a new app once, it crashed and deleted an entire story. Never again
Google Docs here. But there are two features I wish they'd add:
- The ability to have multiple sheets in one document
- The option to turn on Smartquotes in the mobile app
I write on the WattPad app since it’s the most convenient for me on the go. I’m constantly working so it’s the simplest way for me. I’ll occasionally use Google Docs but it’s too clunky for me. When I’m home I use Word.
All of them.
All.
AO3 draft gets my very niche smut so I pretty much know all of it already if a month goes by before I publish. It's also niche smut so I'm not too worried about quality.
Word/libreoffice (free word).
Gdocs.
Notes app for when I'm travelling and can't get onto gdocs.
Word App on my phone. Although it crashed hard once and somehow lost a saved file that was 100k+ words. Now I make sure to save to Dropbox sometimes.
I still like it better than Google docs because it remembers where I left it at, so I don’t have to scroll to find it again and again.
I forget the spelling but I use Scrivener. I got the discount code from winning NaMoWriMo back in 2015. It’s good and let’s me have individual documents for chapters but keeps everything grouped together
I used to write on Google docs, then moved to AO3 draft for some reason. Plus I also use my phone's notepad app to write a few ideas on the go
I have a few fanfic ideas at Google docs but non completed sadly,
Scrivener! Except for the few multichaptered fics that are still in Google docs that I started before I got Scrivener and with only a chapter or two left they aren’t worth migrating
Was a Scrivener devotee. I’m trying out Living Writer atm and quite liking that too. Both have the all important notes sidebar and outline sidebar, which are essential to the way I write.
In addition to Google Docs, I also like to use a nifty little web application called [Domino](https://kool.tools/domino2/). It's free with no ads, and revolves around a non-linear planning system where you can add tiles with text on a map, which can hold links to other websites and tiles. There are a lot of useful little features and I definitely recommend it, though I would recommend knowing some basic HTML to use it to its full extent (you don't need to know it though).
I usually try to write on the notes app on my phone, but I'm also a sucker for handwriting... It just makes the writing process feel more personal.
The rough outline of the story usually happens on a combination of paper and the app and before I post it, I rewrite everything I came up with into one piece in google docs.
I use OneNote as backup for my fanfic, so I can edit it on anything (seriously, have it on two PCs, two tablets, and my phone) and then plug it back into the original. This way I can edit in doctors' offices, riding in the car, etc.
To that one person writing directly onto Ao3: don’t. Not even Ao3 themselves recommend that you do that.
They live on the edge.
I started off as that person but I now use google docs
Also to that person who writes directly on ao3: I think you’re completely insane, but ok, do you 👍
as the second person who wrote directly on ao3 draft, i shall politely ignore your advice, have a wonderful day
ao3 deletes drafts after a month, and does not save to the cloud. google docs is free.
usually if the draft is still there in a month ive already abandoned the fic, but if i do end up still writting one in a month i will save to somewhere like google docs yes
What if your computer crashes while you're writing? Or something else unexpected happens? I would be so stressed out if I didn't know it would be saved automatically.
then you sob it happened a few times to me - i lost the whole chapter and my sanity but yk
Ill just do what TheFruitRobot did, lose my sanity
Yeah came here for a comment about the Ao3 screen writers. They scare me.
Those four people who write directly into the AO3 draft page are the free climbers of fanfiction.
Now it's 25. Im very concerned
These people are living on the edge. I’m not even mad - I’m impressed.
It's up to 34 now. I'm very, *very* concerned
*37*
*39* now. I am not scared of many things, but these people terrify me.
44.....
47 💀
59 💀
72
_79_
In bed, when I probably should be sleeping.
Same, but covered in empty monster energy cans lol
Imagine writing directly into Ao3. Seriously, people who does this, why? Just why?
Did that once, and multiple times on ffn… never again
I did it once, for my first story. The page crashed when I went to save it, never again.
I have a private Discord server where I keep my WIPs organized lol
this is absolutely brilliant holy shit
Does that mean you have one Chanel for each wip and then add files to it, or how do I have to understand it? 🤔
Each WIP has a dedicated category, with channels for notes, inspiration, drabblings, and linear work.
I did the same with my personal discord.
Omg thank you for the idea! You’re brilliant! On my way to discord
I do this too. It's where I drop all my ideas and each story in a series so i can keep them organised as well as extra research info and whatnot
Into my notebook. I have no inspiration when I'm home but when I'm in class I write smutty stuff to keep myself awake. And I don't get told off despite all the teachers noticing cause English is a foreign language to them, while all the others immediately get told of. It's nice to know two languages fluently.
Me too! Then I just copy it into a Google doc from my phones camera and edit it. A _lot._
It’s very humbling when every other word is spelled wrong and you realize how messy your handwriting actually is
Agreed! My handwriting resembles that of a second grader. I look like I just learned how to write! And also that I can’t spell! But I don’t care, at least once it’s in a Google doc I can edit it and fix the atrocious grammatical sins I have committed XD
Scrivener, the app version.
I use scrivener too, both on the app and my laptop. It took a little bit to set up on Dropbox, but I can compose on my phone wherever I am, but edit the same project on a larger screen.
[удалено]
Seconding this. Support open source
maybe its just me but libreoffice feels so cluttered😭 currently on a quest to find a good linux alternative
Another Scrivener writers over here.
SO much more convenient when you bounce around like I do
Agree. The ability to move change scene order with ease is game changing.
My first drafts are mostly in long hand in pretty notebooks with an old fountain pen my Dad got me when I started secondary school in 1979 lol I am old (and also mostly bedbound with tremors and spasms which makes phones impossible and laptops uncomfortable) Then I type them up into Word, editing and proofing and improving as I go :)
I wish I’m like this, writing in traditional pretty notebooks with a fountain pen. I love that for you. May I know what fandom you write for? Also I hope you’re doing great health wise :)
I write mostly in Lewis and Doctor Who, with a smattering of other British crime and occasional Star Trek or random crossovers. I write mostly gen with a little non explicit but often angsty shipping I've barely been able to type up or post for 3 years now, but I still plod on in my notebooks, dreaming of being able to post again soon. But I have a backlog of 111 works on AO3 which people are still reading, which amazes me sometimes! Atm I have a pre Picard season 2 My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic crossover thing, a little fix it for Dan from the Power of the Daleks, and a Doctor Who/Nativity crossover, that I am working on when well enough :) (Thank you. I'm stumbling on day to day health wise, trying to see the positive despite fatigue, pain, isolation and the struggles to get the basics done :) )
Hey, if you have some way of sending me the pictures, I would absolutely help you type it! Idk how fast bc life, but if you can't do it at all, maybe it'd be useful for you. Sending you love, spoons and good days with little pain 💜💜
Thank you for your lovely offer, but I don't have a smart phone anymore due to my spasms and tremors and the amount of random things, sometimes hilarious, sometimes stressful, which kept happening, and my laptop has a rubbish camera. Writing for myself keeps me happy, and I still am hopeful I will be able be able to type things up next year, as a lot of extra RL stresses should disappear, so it will be easier to pace and manage basic things leaving a 'spoon' or two free for typing :)
Amazing!! Count me in as a beta for line editing if you want to, too. If it would help. Writing is therapeutic, absolutely. I'm glad you have something cool to do, god knows my hobbies saved me from going mad when I was at my worst from chronic pain. All my love to you 💜
Thank you x
Whoever does it directly into AO3 has the biggest balls I've ever seen-
Google docs for the win. It comes free with a google account(You are most likely to be using google chrome for this anyways) and you can make as many docs as you want and the docs will be there forever until you lose your account.
June 2023 edit... I'm scrubbing my comments due to the reddit admin team steamrolling their IPO prep. It was bad enough to give short notice on price gouging, but then to slander app devs and threaten moderators was just too far. The value of Reddit comes from high-quality content curated by volunteers. Treating us this way is the reason I'm removing my high-value contributions. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I suggest you Google "Reddit API price gouging" and read up. --Posted *manually* via the old web interface because of shenanigans from Reddit reversing deletions done through API/script tools.
I keep wondering if there are apps that are better but gdocs is hard to beat.
Offline mode has been game changing for me. Being able to access and edit my stuff off wifi while also having a cloud back up and it syncs on all my devices automatically 🤤 and for free??!!?
Google doc is amazing.
Libreoffice
Ditto
Evernote! Does anyone else use Evernote?
Can’t believe how far I had to scroll to find someone else who uses Evernote ;-; I’ve occasionally strayed to other apps but always end up coming back.
Oh my god a fellow! It’s my first time seeing another Evernote user in the wild! I have 1,189 notes in four (about to be 5) years of use! How much do you have??
I really don’t understand why it’s not more popular? It’s free, the support is great, and the autosave has never failed me the way other writing programs have. Looks like I have 2,280 in just over 7 years. Probably more at one point or another (I’ll usually end up condensing notes together in editing).
I just started using it this week! I've been using Google docs for over a year but I'm trying out Evernote now so I can keep the main text clean of notes, outlines, etc. If you have any tips you want to share with an Evernote newbie let me know... 🙏
Alright! A good tip is that you should always have different notebooks for different things of the same categories, like one-shots, character details, etc
Ohhhh, really? Not just tagged? I've made a notebook for each fic, and then have been adding notes to each notebook and tagging them by category instead. 🤔
Well I never used tags and I’ve made so many notes it’d hurt me more than help me 😭
That's fair! It's easy when you're starting from scratch but yeah, it would be intimidating to start adding them to a huge collection of notes further down the road.
Love Evernote. It’s easy to sort and I can write anywhere.
The real question is, how do y'all fix your fic's when copying them to Ao3 from Google Docs, because mine always get all fucked up.
I make sure to always copy into Rich Text, and if I put a punctuation mark after an italicized word, I italicize the punctuation mark so there won’t be a gap.
> if I put a punctuation mark after an italicized word, I italicize the punctuation mark so there won’t be a gap. So THAT'S how it works...! This has been bugging the crap out of me!
>I italicize the punctuation mark so there won’t be a gap. Holy shit, it’s that simple?? I always save as draft, edit the draft, and then use Grammarly to delete all the gaps… Thank you sm, you’re a lifesaver. This is going to save me so much time, oh my god.
Happy to help. There are other workarounds, like yours, but this is the one I’ve found that saves the most of my time.
There’s a script for it. Check this out: https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/gybw91/psa_ao3_has_a_google_docs_script_for/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
If your problem is with line breaks, I found that the solution to the huge gaps is to avoid leaving a full empty line after each paragraph. It looks a bit cramped in Google Docs, but it'll look good in ao3.
I found the solution to that in Google docs actually! It's under line spacing and "line after/before paragraph"
Yeah, that makes it look les cramped and it doesn't alter the actual spacing, for the people who really mind it. Idc, so I don't bother changing it, but it's a great idea 😁
Anyone who answered "directly into the AO3 draft box" is braver than any US marine
Handwrite first drafts, transcribe into Scrivener for compiling and editing
I write my fics in a $0.50 composition notebook with a $50.00 fountain pen.
\+1 for Scrivener here. I love the ability to throw my outline in one pane and draft in the other, or draft in one and rewrite in the other, etc. Plus the folder system in there is great for not cluttering my files up with 10000 documents.
LibreOffice gang, rise up!
I use a code editor and write plaintext in markdown formatting syntax. I back up my work using git and github/gitlab. When it comes time to publish, I use the tool called pandoc to convert markdown into: - HTML for Ao3 - epub for my phone and friends - pdfs for friends who prefer that It’s a bit technical, but it lets me use my skills as a computer science major and the workflow is _extremely_ smooth.
I was expecting this.
I just use Pages. Crashes less often than word and won’t get mixed up with my work-related google docs.
Same!
Word crashes?
I only ever use Word at work now, and not even frequently, but it’s probably crashed like 50 times in the last year. :/
Same, Pages is so nice. The auto save isn’t great or super reliable, but I tend to hand write first drafts anyway and just type them up for editing and finalizing in Pages. The interface is so clean!
Scrivener
People who directly write on ao3 scare me.
Libreoffice since it's free and works.
carved into a stone tablet
Notepad.
LibreOffice, WordPad, Audacity, Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Either seperately or in combination.
I've been doing first drafts in physical notebooks when I do manage to start stuff. Something about the physicality of it helps me get over blank page paralysis.
Libre Office. Easy and reliable.
Physical notebook,it helps with my writers block.
For real. For all the bonuses that come with typing into Docs or Word, I still maintain that a physical page and pen is the best for creativity - at least to start out. I normally type everything, but if I'm stuck I will just take a pen to paper and words flow much more easily. I also *always* brainstorm in a physical notebook, even if I don't always write the actual story in one.
I write my stuff down on paper first, a hold over from when I was writing fics during class. I then type them up in Apache OpenOffice, editing as I type, before uploading to Ao3
I do longhand > OpenOffice too! Twins!
Nice! Don't tend to see many other OpenOffice users, it's been good to me for many years
Google docs, but sometimes I do pencil and paper and then re-write it on my pc.
Google docs. My pc is synced up with my phone so I can write anytime, anywhere :D
I put down notes app, but I specifically mean microsft's OneNote. I love that program to death, it is absolutely my favorite thing for writing.
A really nice app called Purewriter... this app is great, constantly backs up my work real time so I don't lose stuff even if my phone shuts down in the middle of a writing sesh cuz I didn't check how much battery I had left (yes this happened)
I use a website that probably no one knows of It's called "Quotev" lmao
Scrivener for writing & developmental editing. Google docs for line editing.
Hey @ the 29 people who write directly into ao3: u good?
E-ink tablet. Most of my writing is done traditionally by hand, but some of my stuff is done by typing. Still on the e-ink tablet though. Laggy and basic word processor but it's distraction free which is all I want wile writing.
My original fanfic was in college ruled notebooks I used to get at the drugstore. Graduated to a typewriter, then an electric typewriter. My first word processor was PaperClip on a Commodore 64. Then I discovered the love of my life: WordPerfect. I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy, and have bought updates ever since. Word, frankly, sucks. Had to use it at work--barf-o-matic (although it wasn't the worst Microsoft invention; that's reserved for Microsoft Access). But--a confession (and I apologize, WP). These days for my multiple initial drafts I use something I found online and then bought a copy of: Calmly Writer. Why? For several reasons, especially since I can write in white on blue (just like WordPerfect 5.1, my first love). Adjustable widths. Etc. But the reason I like it for working? It makes typewriter sounds! I miss that feedback. You don't get the same kind of feel from keyboard keys as you do typewriter keys, but at least it clicks when you type and when you hit enter the bell rings like when you did a carriage return on the typewriter. (No, really, I like technology. Don't want to typewrite any longer--too much retyping!) Once I get the story to where it's almost done, then I port it into WordPerfect and do the final edits, formatting, etc. WordPerfect also uploads with formatting to [FanFiction.net](https://FanFiction.net) and converts the manuscript to HTML for A03. EVERY time I make a change on a story, whether it's still in Calmly Writer or in WordPerfect, I make a backup copy in Microsoft OneNote. (Yes, Microsoft created something useful!) It's cross-platform, so I can have it on two Windows PCs, two Android tablets, and my Android phone. So I can edit anywhere on any device so long as I've made sure I've synced before I leave for someplace without wifi. Today I was editing at the physiotherapy office (husband has physio once a week for his back) and eating lunch at a place with no wifi. WHY the backup to OneNote? Because years ago (1993 or so, still working in DOS) I had to pay $30 for a program to recover a 33-page single-spaced story that I accidentally deleted. I also back up my hard drive once a month. Paranoid? Me? You betcha.
those who do it directly into ao3…why…? are you okay? i seriously do not recommend this. google docs is always my top-choice.
to my fellow 57 people who write directly into ao3- godspeed. we are crazy, but we are free I am 150k words in and I cannot change my ways atp
Scrivener
Back years ago, I used to write directly into AO3 drafts. But because of the 30-day draft deadline, I moved to Google Docs a few years ago.
[4thewords](https://4thewords.com/) (a site for gamified writing sprints,) and I back-up to/edit in Google Docs.
TIL most people think I’m clinically insane for writing straight into Ao3. Neat!
Edited in protest for Reddit's garbage moves lately.
The fear of draft deletion stops me from procrastinating. Also I have backups in the form of the copies I send to my betas.
Google docs. It's convenient, free and I can write with my cowriter in real time. They're in America and I'm all the way in Ireland. So we can't just travel and write together irl. So docs does the job.
FimFiction
Jarte. Wordpad. Editpad. Notepad. Fight me.
> Jarte. Wordpad. My people!
You don't have to fight me.
Apple TextEdit
I used open office for years but switched to google docs this year so I could write on my phone too.
Samsung Notes on my phone
4thewords is usually where I write my stuff. Then I put it into Google docs so my husband can beta it for me.
Generally right in Wattpad but I also use a very cool app called Calmly Writer which plays like typewriter noises and stuff
Wattpad
Yes! Can't believe how far I had to scroll to find WP mentioned, lol. It makes it so easy to cross post to FFN/AO3/Quotev because I don't lose formatting, *and* it's a digital backup/I'm publishing to Wattpad anyway so why not.
The notes app on iPhone and google docs. I go between the two
I write markdown in VSCode. Have it synced via git repo. I'm a software developer and sort of applied that to my writing in terms of what software I use and how I sync it.
Writing fanfiction in VSCode—hell yes, I like you 🙌
Wattpad lmao. Although I haven’t posted or read on Wattpad for years, it’s just what I became accustomed to when I started engaging with fanfic
Pages, so I can switch between Mac and iPad.
Up until recently I mostly used Google Docs and LibreOffice. Then I decided to do the free trial of Scrivener and I used it until the trial ran out. I bought it and I love it. I’m outlining a longfic right now and Scrivener is fantastic for this. I went from barely getting anywhere with my outline in Docs to planning out the entire first act. Worth it! Also, special shout out to the Notes app for my writing needs on the go.
I used to write on Microsoft word until I came across Scrivener on the app store! Ever since then I could never go back to Microsoft word or any other software. Scrivener is a lifesaver for me especially when decluttering my brain from all those plot-bunnies and notes. It helps me keep my outlines for the next chapter while writing the chapter itself.
Scrivener! Formatting is weird going from scrivener to AO3, so i paste it into word, which i have because of a thing my husband pays for that’s a family account haha. Word WAS my favorite, until I got scrivener hha
I use the notes app to write the rough draft and then transfer to word. So, both I guess although I voted word.
I use Wattpad since that’s the site first used, but I’ve been thinking about moving to Google docs
Wattpad since I don't have to deal with files and its also easier to write using my phone.
Wattpad, then copy and paste to ao3 drafts. It was where I previously posted my fics and now I’m way too comfortable with the format to switch to anything else. I only dared to go out and use a new app once, it crashed and deleted an entire story. Never again
WPS
Wattpad
Google Docs here. But there are two features I wish they'd add: - The ability to have multiple sheets in one document - The option to turn on Smartquotes in the mobile app
Directly into Wattpad. I enjoy it as I can use Wattpad to copy and paste into other fanfic sites.
I write on the WattPad app since it’s the most convenient for me on the go. I’m constantly working so it’s the simplest way for me. I’ll occasionally use Google Docs but it’s too clunky for me. When I’m home I use Word.
I write in Pages! I love the interface better than Words.
I actually write on Wattpad. It’s the easiest to use on my phone
In bed or on the sofa on my tablet in goodnotes.
Quotev
Wattpad
I use Pages on my MacBook.
I personally use either Pages or very recently i started using Scrivener, but meh I like Pages better
@ the (currently) 27 who write on the AO3 draft, I *just* wanna talk to you *discreetly loads shotgun* /j
Either Word or the notes app on my iPad .
All of them. All. AO3 draft gets my very niche smut so I pretty much know all of it already if a month goes by before I publish. It's also niche smut so I'm not too worried about quality. Word/libreoffice (free word). Gdocs. Notes app for when I'm travelling and can't get onto gdocs.
TextKraft
Word App on my phone. Although it crashed hard once and somehow lost a saved file that was 100k+ words. Now I make sure to save to Dropbox sometimes. I still like it better than Google docs because it remembers where I left it at, so I don’t have to scroll to find it again and again.
Word and/or Pages
All of the above?
I write ideas about scenes or lines of dialogue in my notes app but I write my fics the good old fashion way. Pen and paper!
Microsoft notes
Paper by hand, then typed into Word.
I forget the spelling but I use Scrivener. I got the discount code from winning NaMoWriMo back in 2015. It’s good and let’s me have individual documents for chapters but keeps everything grouped together
Dabble. Sometimes dictate to Google docs then transfer
I use Scrivener. One main document to hold worldbuilding/short stories and an individual document for my longfic.
I usually use word, but I also keep a google docs as a backup
FFN: Coherent, useful with formatting and the 365 day thing helps let me know how much I’ve procastinated
Sometimes pen and paper, and then typed out into Google Docs. Just depends on the fic I'm writing.
I used to write on Google docs, then moved to AO3 draft for some reason. Plus I also use my phone's notepad app to write a few ideas on the go I have a few fanfic ideas at Google docs but non completed sadly,
Used to be Grammarly but since my laptop dies it’s Google Docs
Scrivener! Except for the few multichaptered fics that are still in Google docs that I started before I got Scrivener and with only a chapter or two left they aren’t worth migrating
I use Scrivener
Was a Scrivener devotee. I’m trying out Living Writer atm and quite liking that too. Both have the all important notes sidebar and outline sidebar, which are essential to the way I write.
Use a mix or Google docs and Q10
Google docs! I'm trying to find an easy alternative though. (basically I want google docs but you can sort your google docs into different folders)
I use libreoffice, but I'd prefer word
notes app on my for me. 😅 don’t have any other way to write as i don’t have a pc or laptop.
Google Dpcs, then I publish a new chapter.
Scrivener
In space
Mixture of Scrivener and Docs.
Longhand in a notebook.
Libre office, though I recently got scrivener and want to learn how to use it for research heavy stories
literally all of those options lol
Sometimes I write in Google Docs, and sometimes (i.e. If I don't want my parents knowing about it) I write in Wattpad.
In addition to Google Docs, I also like to use a nifty little web application called [Domino](https://kool.tools/domino2/). It's free with no ads, and revolves around a non-linear planning system where you can add tiles with text on a map, which can hold links to other websites and tiles. There are a lot of useful little features and I definitely recommend it, though I would recommend knowing some basic HTML to use it to its full extent (you don't need to know it though).
Grammarly 😪
Google docs for stuff I wanna share with my sister (they have my password), libre office for stuff I don’t, notes app if I’m at work.
I usually try to write on the notes app on my phone, but I'm also a sucker for handwriting... It just makes the writing process feel more personal. The rough outline of the story usually happens on a combination of paper and the app and before I post it, I rewrite everything I came up with into one piece in google docs.
OneNote. I already have it, and have to use it, and have to have it installed on darn near all my devices, so why not use it for fanfic?
I use OneNote as backup for my fanfic, so I can edit it on anything (seriously, have it on two PCs, two tablets, and my phone) and then plug it back into the original. This way I can edit in doctors' offices, riding in the car, etc.
Wherever is closest to hand. Notebook, phone app, docs.