Novel Writing Software for Linux - FOUND!

[KBD47]

For extensive world-building, note-taking, Celtx is quite good, I have used it under Wine without issues. My routine of late has been to write in LibreOffice with a second document opened as I write to keep notes and info on characters. Second draft I go over on a tablet using Kingsoft Office, on Android it's the only app I've found that will keep my place. Sometimes I use a wireless keyboard with built-in touch pad with the tablet during editing. Go over the third draft in LibreOffice again. Thinking about trying out the text-to-speech function on my tablet using QuickOffice to listen through the later drafts.

[markMDW]

Quick answer to JedCurtis and MarkMDW :

This problem comes from running Plume for 32 bit system in a 64 bit system. If you are running Ubuntu or the like, please install the package ia32-libs.
Or better, download the 64 bit version of Plume here.

Regards,
Terreville

Terreville, I've got Plume Creator running--it's development looks superb. I'm amazed at all the features. The number one feature I like are the hierarchies tracking chapter and scenes. Also, the word count and time management tool, the ability to change fonts and zoom in and out, and the full screen mode, and the project wizard. The outliner, character and places tracker could be very useful.

My number one request would be a spell checker with word recommendations. That's a feature I'm particularly looking for. I'd rather have it than anything else. Also, like a lot of the other programs, there are various files to back up, thankfully they are all under one project folder. I'm wondering if its feasible to store everything in a single project.sqlite file.







Terreville, Thanks, Got the odt template loaded.. I attempted to post some pictures of Plume Creator, but the photobucket html links didn't stick. I'm not sure how to add them since the Add Photo button in this forum didn't work.

Some notes on ZIM WIKI after another test run: It's great for keeping a hierarchical structure and order to a writing project, just like Kabikaboo, but the program isn't out of beta yet.. and its not perfectly stable either, I'm finding out. I uninstalled it, reinstalled it, then over and over again. It kept creating new documents in a TestFolder that I had created months ago... couldn't change that. I deleted every ZIM WIKI file I could find too. Still, reinstalling it didn't erase a prior test configuration. Who knows where the setting is. Uninstall doesn't touch it. And, there is HOME document that keeps popping up in my writing project. I delete it, then it pops back. And, i crashed the program several times. My guess is that the indexing is not quit stable.

I'm definitely back to Tomboy Notes, Calc Spreadsheets and perhaps Libre Office and/or Gummi or LyX at the very end.

There is another hierarchical note taking system I found called CherryTree. It looks awesome, can be downloaded from the Software Center, and has a smooth interface. The developer says that it will eventually store projects in a sqlite database. It will feature export to html, txt, PDF and odt I believe. But, for the time being its in an xml document. And, a bigee for me, there is NO SPELL CHECKER. So I will just keep an I out for its development

[monkeybrain2012]

Did Tolstoy use a software?

[markMDW]

No, but I'm not Tolstoyan.

Actually, I think Tomboy Notes and a Spreadsheet are good enough for creating a masterpiece, and Tolstoy would have generated twice as many with them. But I agree, you are correct!

[iamkuriouspurpleoranj]

Did Tolstoy use a software?

Hear, hear.

And yes, I write. I've written a first draft of 100,000 words or so (tools used: Word, OneNote).

I am using CherryTree, Zim and Calc for draft two. I have yet to start draft two

[Terreville]

markMDW :

My number one request would be a spell checker with word recommendations. That's a feature I'm particularly looking for. I'd rather have it than anything else. Also, like a lot of the other programs, there are various files to back up, thankfully they are all under one project folder. I'm wondering if its feasible to store everything in a single project.sqlite file.

I'm beginning to work on a spell checker. I hope to use the LibreOffice dictionary.

Surely when the 1.0 milestone is reached, I'll use a single project file. Yet, I'm not familiar with databases. Can it include files without size restriction ?

Regards,
Terreville

[markMDW]

I don't think there are significant limits on sqlite file or table sizes, but it still could be more of a hassle than its worth to code. I only mention it because it's a little more convenient to work with a single file than a single directory--maybe it would be worthwhile, or maybe not, but it does see widespread use in databases as their "single file solution" option. The CherryTree Notes software project is looking into sqlite as a potential replacement for its directory projects, but I read that it might prove a little tricky to work with. They are also working on a spell-checker as their very next item. http://www.giuspen.com/cherrytree/
http://www.sqlite.org/

You're working on spell-check... YAHHHHH!!!!

quote: "

• Replacement for ad hoc disk files
  Many programs use fopen(), fread(), and fwrite() to create and manage files of data in home-grown formats. SQLite works particularly well as a replacement for these ad hoc data files."

Calligra Author, a new application in the Calligra Suite, has been out for a year now. I've just learned of it.

http://www.calligra.org/news/calligra-announces-author/
The application will support a writer in the process of creating an eBook from concept to publication. We have two user categories in particular in mind:

• Novelists who produce long texts with complicated plots involving many characters and scenes but with limited formatting.
• Textbook authors who want to take advantage of the added possibilities in eBooks compared to paper-based textbooks.

For the first category Calligra Author will provide tools which are used in different phases of the creative process: Synopsis, writing, reviewing, polishing and publishing.

From the sound of it, it seems like the biggest leap forward in book length writting for the Linux world at large. Has anyone used this yet?

Here's another update on Calligra Author. I believe the Developers are asking for feature recommendations for the next version in the works now. This is the time to voice your opinions to them

http://ingwa2.blogspot.com/2013/08/c...next-step.html
In the announcement I wrote: "We will make sure that Calligra Author will be a useful tool for all phases of the writing process". We analyzed the writing process together with some writer friends and came up with 4 phases of the process: planning, writing, review and publishing.
...

• Planning: -
• Writing: word count in the status bar and distraction free writing mode
• Review: Notes, also known as annotations and export to MS DOCX format
• Publishing: export to EPUB2 and MOBI formats.

[dragonfly41]

I came across this thread when searching for Zim (desktop wiki) for organising development notes.
I'm experiencing problems in simple Zim search (on Ubuntu 12.04).
I think I'll switch away from trying Zim since it seems difficult to arrange hierarchical file structures to be searched by different attributes.

I'll add to this novel writing thread one further package which has briefly been mentioned in post #41 - scrivener (but that post referred to Scrivener/Windows).

There is a Linux beta version of Scrivener worth trying by writers.

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=33

I have Scrivener running nicely on Ubuntu 12.04.

Scribus has also been mentioned.

[markMDW]

There isn't anything better than Tomboy Notes for searching through dozens of notes within all notebooks, that I've been able to find. But there is no hierarchical file structure at all, besides individual notebooks, which could easily be assigned, say Front_Matter, Introduction, Chapter_1, Chapter_2, Chapter_3, Back_Matter, Characters, Places, Events etc.

Zim (Desktop Wiki) isn't good for searching your material, but it is good as an outliner and hyperlinks within the project, and outside the project to spreadsheets, for instance for Characters, Places, Events and Outlines. I've been far more creative writing and searching in Tomboy Notes, than composing or brainstorming manuscript in Zim.

Thankfully for me, both Tomboy and Zim have good spell checker and correctors.

I've been planning on using Zim as the intermediate stage of my Books. It does a great job of importing Tomboy Notes, then of course you have to arrange everything in the proper organization of the book.

For the final part, self publishing, I plan on using LaTeX (print medium) and possible Calligra Author (for ebook). Author probably has another year to go before its stabilized, according to what I've read, maybe in the 2014 release, but it's made huge progress in 2013.

Scribus is an interesting, possibly great alternative to LaTeX for self publishing the print medium. [For submitting to an Agent or Publishing House, that would require a standardized book submittal format, using LibreOffice, Calligra Suite (next year), or MS Word.

Here's a great link about LyX that I'd like to share, for those interested in using LaTeX text markup system to typeset their book for self-publication)

LyX would be useful after the first draft has been compiled and you wish to put into a proper publishable book, much like Scribus, the goal with both are something in publishable format. The article discribes a one paragraph synopsis of the process of creating a book with LyX, a higher level typsetting application that works with the TeX markup language and LaTeX package system for fomatting text to particular templates publication format, for instance a Novel Kile and TexMaker would be good alternet choices to LyX for typsetting a book using the LaTeX system. For organizing notes, outlining and distraction free writing, you'd almost certainly want to compile the book using an outliner or text editor first.

http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials...-book-with-lyx
Publish a book with LyX
Sep 28, 2012
[contents]
Step 1 Install LyX
Step 2 Choose document class
Step 3 Adhere to the document structure Document structure
Step 4 Use the section browser
Step 5 Add index marks
Step 6 Add citations
Step 7 Insert ERT (Evil Red Text)
Step 8 Set up converters
Step 9 Set up image converters
Step 10 Add images
Step 11 Chapter precis
Step 12 Add equations
Step 13 Add labels
Step 14 Front matter
Step 15 Layout and format
Step 16 Designing the cover
Step 17 Add an ISBN
Step 18 Order proof copies
Step 19 Investigate alternative output formats
Step 20 Select a printing service

[Buntu Bunny]

There isn't anything better than Tomboy Notes for searching through dozens of notes within all notebooks, that I've been able to find. .... <snip> ....Zim (Desktop Wiki) isn't good for searching your material, but it is good as an outliner and hyperlinks within the project,....<snip> ....Thankfully for me, both Tomboy and Zim have good spell checker and correctors.

markMDW, thanks for the comparison. I've been using Xfce's Notes plugin, but would like to try Tomboy or Zim for a future project.

Scribus is an interesting, possibly great alternative to LaTeX for self publishing the print medium. [For submitting to an Agent or Publishing House, that would require a standardized book submittal format, using LibreOffice, Calligra Suite (next year), or MS Word.

That will depend on printing company. Lightning Source and CreateSpace both prefer PDF/X-1a:2001, which neither LO nor MS can do (don't know about Calligra). Traditionally, only Adobe Acrobat Professional (version 6 or up) can do that. Neither can Scribus 1.4, although happily, 1.5 can.