# New Open Source (free) writing software



## vyasa (Feb 2, 2014)

Hi everyone,

I'm a fiction writer and a computer programmer and have started developing an open source software for writing. I'm really impressed by Scrivener and am using it as a guide for my software development.
However, I feel it will be more useful if I could get feature suggestions from other writers like you who are after all going to be the users.

I'm planning to create something that does all from planning, writing posting blogposts to brainstorming and writing full novels.
I'm also planning to include screeplay creation.
Please give me suggestions of what features will make this tool useful. What do you all wish your current writing software had or what features of your current software do you like?

If this project succeeds you will have a complete writing software perfect for fiction writing and strory generation in your hands for free!  

regards
Vyasa


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Feb 4, 2014)

I'm easy to please.

Give it a good spell check function, make it user friendly, and make it work. That's about all I ask.


----------



## Xander416 (Feb 5, 2014)

^+1 to what he/she said.

Also, on the aesthetic side, try to give it a somewhat eye-pleasing color scheme. I previously used Microsoft Office Word 2007 which had a very quaint but pleasant light blue option for the background color. But as I upgraded to Office Word 2013 some 6 months ago after getting a new computer, I disappointedly found its only option to be a boring light gray.


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Feb 5, 2014)

Agree with Xander on that one. I'm not too picky on something like that, but a good color combo is pretty important. I can't use a program if it hurts my eyes. Maybe even (if you can) put a few different color themes together and let the user choose which they prefer.


----------



## ppsage (Feb 5, 2014)

search and replace for formatting symbols: ^p, ^t etc
outline view in editor pane instead of separate navigator window
agree on color schemes, high contrast is starting to hurt


----------



## Daivo (Feb 6, 2014)

the color if you could change it yourself would be good, as we all know reading long time on a pc screen/moniter whatever can be a really pain for the eyes and a cause of some of the worst headaches, i for one suffer badly somedays simply because i am dyslexic, a nice shade of blue as a backround can help alot for someone like me to focus easier and not have that terrible contrast burning into your eyes. why not add a hyperlink or if you can do it yourself add a thesaurus, a handy thing to have close by or directly on your computer


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Feb 8, 2014)

A thesaurus would be an excellent addition.


----------



## garza (Apr 21, 2014)

Make it work as good as Notepad and you'll have a winner.

Edit - Oh, you want it to be open source. Then make it as good as vi, or as easy to use as vim, and you'll have a winner for sure.


----------



## voltigeur (May 10, 2014)

I agree Spell Checker is essential! I would like to have a word processor and editor in one tool. When I write I tend to write in Word, Organize in Y writer edit in Prowriter assist, and Paperrater.


I would be very excited to have all 3 tools in one program.


----------



## garza (May 10, 2014)

I write everything in Notepad and format in WordPad. If elaborate page formatting is needed I use Word. Writing with a word processor feels clumsy, which is why I stick with a text editor for writing and go to a word processor only for formatting. My spell-check is the Oxford Concise Dictionary.

Much of what I write today is for broadcast and needs no special formatting.  The copy can be filed directly from Notepad as txt files.


----------



## Riptide (May 11, 2014)

I like spell check and those.... green lines? Blue? The lines underneath for sentence problems like fragmented portions. What I use now doesn't have it and I'm always surprised when I type on something that does. All those lines do make for a very colorful paper


----------



## stevesh (May 11, 2014)

garza said:


> I write everything in Notepad and format in WordPad. If elaborate page formatting is needed I use Word. Writing with a word processor feels clumsy, which is why I stick with a text editor for writing and go to a word processor only for formatting. My spell-check is the Oxford Concise Dictionary.



Same here. Writing short fiction rarely (if ever) requires page formatting more elaborate than Wordpad can do. My spell checker is my brain.


----------



## Bard_Daniel (May 11, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> I'm easy to please.
> 
> Give it a good spell check function, make it user friendly, and make it work. That's about all I ask.



Seconded.


----------

