The Best writing program

I'm not sure you're going to find a "best" answer from all the people here.

Me, I use OpenOffice. It makes file converting for both Amazon and Smashwords fairly straightforward.

Scrivener.

Concash said:

I would sure like to know what is the best writing software program out there that is being used by the marjority. It doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles to be great. Simple is best for me.

Thanks

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Bells and Whistles are what many consider would make something the best. A typewriter is simple.

I use Scrivener - have since its first beta release. Scrivener is not simple, but it is well worth learning how to use the "Bells and Whistles".

I use Word. It isn't particularly simple, but it is reliable.

DarkScribe said:

Bells and Whistles are what many consider would make something the best. A typewriter is simple.

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What?! A typewriter has more moving parts than most older bicycles.

--George, who wrote one short story in vi...

I do all of my drafts in Scriv, then upload through Word (Starter version! )

I recommend Liquid Story Binder.
http://www.blackobelisksoftware.com/

MS Word.

Emacs + Org Mode

http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Emacs

http://orgmode.org

I'm a fan of Libre Office.  Open Office was good, but from what I understand it's been scrapped (IOW no new updates), so the guys from the original development team got together and made Libre Office.

After making the switch, you couldn't pay me to go back to MS Word.

No, OpenOffice just got handed off to a different developer. A new version is due in April or so, I think.

I use Scrivener as well. It took me a while to get used to it, but I can't imagine writing without it now. If you decide to go with Scrivener I recommend giving yourself a day or two to just play around. If you are in the middle of a project I would wait.

Me too on Scrivener, but except for word processors I haven't tried anything else.

Word for writing, Scrivener for everything else (plotting, organizing, etc.).

I use Scrivener for longer stuff, but I've been encouraged by someone I know to simply create a Google Doc for shorter stuff. Using Google Docs (now called Google Drive) automatically saves a copy to "the Cloud," and I can also keep copies on my hard drive, a thumb drive, whatever.

Gary

Wow, am I happy to see this discussion. 'Just got through submitting an ebook - in the 2nd proof of a CS POD - and shedding many tears and throwing many breakable objects.

Keep them coming!

Scrivener and the other writing applications that try to 'organize' me just don't work well for me. They seem to insist on forcing their idea of order on you. I do best just writing and Word works for that.

I love Scrivener. I probably only use about a tenth of its features, but I just like the interface so much more than Word. And it makes compiling .mobi and .epub files soooo simple.

I swear by Scrivener.

But if you want simple, notepad+ works.

Slightly less simple, the Libre or Open Office Writers.