Jan 142012
 
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There has been an impressive change in tools and techniques which writers can use for the good. It is easy to locate one (or more) for individual needs. Whether it is writing a novel, graphics applications or tutorials, these writing tools can serve multipurpose. Writing skills can gain unmatched dimensions on integrating with these advanced techniques. Your love for writing can potentially experience a boost by adapting with the modern applications. You can search one and get many on the internet.

Some of the potentially able writing tools have been summarized here.




Kabikaboo

Kabikaboo can be an apt tool for you if you want to manage large documentation. This application can work on Linux and Windows. It uniquely arranges data in a hierarchy, which enables you to consolidate a complex project. Designed essentially for the novel writers, the Kabikaboo can also help you when wanting a tree-based notepad application.

However, this application cannot create a formatted document. For that purpose, the AbiWord, or the OpenOffice (or some other editor) can be preferred options. In time, some enhanced writing features like rich text editing, recursive editing, timelines, templates, etc. would possibly be found in Kabikaboo.

Storybook

Storybook can take care of the cumbersome story-writing process. Writers can find this application quite interactive, providing a dynamic mind map. Whether it is the multiple plot lines and characters or loads of research which is integral to almost every book you write, the application can serve at multiple stages. The four different views in the application – Chronological View, Manage Chapters and Scenes View, Book View and Reading View – provide a practical interface to the writer.

The Object Tree reveals a hierarchic display of various characters, locations, tags and items. It also shows the chapters and their assigned scenes. You can find important information regarding a selected object and get signals for missing or repeat scenes. Another feature, Global Ideas, enables you to save your ideas anytime (without any Post-it required). You can choose among the levels “Started”, “Completed” “Not started” and “Abandoned”. Checking spellings is easy with the Spell Check. The personal user directory allows you to have your customized vocabulary.

Scribus

After having done with the content, this application can be used to accomplish your work. Scribus can be used freely. Besides being user-friendly, the Scribus enables writers to experience professional publishing features, like color separations, Spot Color support, versatile PDF creation, etc. The flexibility of this application makes it easy for even amateurs to use it effortlessly.

The PDF files gained from Scribus are RIP-ready. Scribus has to its credit as being the first software to support some new generations of Adobe’s PDF specifications. It can be found in several languages.


Celtx

Being the first all-in-one media pre-production system, the Celtx has captured many writers’ interests. It can potentially replace the ‘paper & binder’ pre-production with an advanced digital interface. The Celtx enables you to adopt a simple and powerful interface for channelizing your efforts.

You can pre-produce diverse media, like film, theater, comics, radio, and podcasts. It can be helpful when working with scripts, production schedules, etc. The web-enabled Celtx Studios feature allows effortless sharing of ideas. The all-in-one application can potentially be the solution to all your production processes. Celtx has a wide gamut of creative players and has been used in 34 different languages.

There are several other tools like LyX, AbiWord and many more. While LyX is a document processor, AbiWord works similar to the Microsoft Word. Wave To Text is a powerful English speech recognition software.

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About the author: Rebecca is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she is fond of handbags. She recently bought a bag from Guess Handbags latest collection. These days she is busy in witting an article on 3D Phones Guide.

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  2 Responses to “Open source writing tools”

  1. Here are some more: Xmind, focus writer, gedit, libreoffice. I write novels outlined with xmind (it has both brainstorming and outline views), first draft in gedit (using a ‘green screen’ old-style color scheme), then editing and document sharing with my editorial team with LibreOffice Writer along with final pre-publishing formatting. Then covers get done with a mix of Inkscape and gimp.org. Oh, and book trailers! You’ll need Openshot for that. Do a search on ‘avlinux’ and all the tools can be downloaded and burned to a DVD for free.

  2. I would like to add the wonderful Focus Writer to this list, it allows for a distraction free experience by covering the entire screen with a blank writing space.

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