Before I write about writing tools, here are my thoughts on recommendations. If someone lists 10 things and tells you that you can select any of them, it isn’t really a recommendation. It is a list of options. When I make recommendations, I’m going to list two, or rarely three, options, and I am going to tell you which I recommend and why. You are free to ignore my recommendation, but at least you’ll know where I stand.
There are lots and lots of blog post that list tools for writing. Honestly, you can write with just a pen or pencil and some paper. Or, if you want to be a little more mechanical, you can write at a typewriter. Want to be electronically assisted, you can write using a tape recorder and transcribing the tapes.
But, let’s get real. While typewriters or tape recorders would have been state-of-the-art at one point in time, they are antiques now. The vast majority of writing today happens on a computer using a word processing program. Heck, it even sounds strange to call them word processing programs, but I don’t know what else to call them.
So, unless you are using rocks, stone and chisels, compressed lead or inks on a variety of animal and plant products, welcome to the modern world! In this modern world, I believe there are only two tools to consider, Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
ARGH! Here we go! The incessant carping about a variety of writing tools, including software that only runs on Apple products and software that is primarily text-based without, or with little, formatting.
Fact #1: Computers change. Software changes. What you need, whether you realize it now or not, is a software package that runs almost everywhere. Microsoft Word runs natively on PCs and Macs, along with tablets and phones. It also has a web-based version that supports a lot of different browsers. Google Docs is primarily a web-based word processing that has offline support if you use the Google Chrome browser.
Now, the problem with Apple Pages is that it only supports Apple products. Whether you like Apple products or not, you are locked into Apple. Sure, it’s free with your Mac. But what happens if you have to use a PC? Yeah, yeah, there is web-based access through iCloud, another Apple product. Not matter what, I hate being locked into a platform. So, Apple Pages doesn’t make the cut.
Fact #2: Using a text-based editor to do word processing is the functional equivalent of carving your text into stone tablets. Come on! Wake up! The 21st century is calling. We aren’t talking about computing in the 1980s. Jeesh! Here’s the scary part. If I am forcing you to have a conversation with me in your head about this, you are likely impossible to convince. Heck! You probably have a favorite between vi (or vim) and emacs.
NOTE: For the non-techies, the arguments between vi (vim) and emacs are the technical equivalents to culture wars. Neither side is willing to give ground or capitulate to the other side. Think I am making this up? See the XKCD comic or the Editor war in Wikipedia.
So, back to my recommendation between Microsoft Word and Google Docs. The advantage of Google Docs is that it is “free”. Please note, I purposely put the “free” in quotations.
The simple fact is that any service, like Google Docs, that is “free” is using your user data to sell to others. Even if it is just to have ads in your Google searches, Google knows about you.
Now? Is this bad? WOW! That is a whole encyclopedia in an of itself. If you thought the vi vs emacs culture war was something, this will really make your head spin.
Ultimately, I don’t believe that is Google’s intent. They are hopeful that your personal Google account with Google Docs will be so successful that you will want Google Docs where you work. When you do that, your company licenses Google at a company level. Now! Google makes money. Good for them!
For me, here is the bottom-line, Microsoft Word (despite recent web-based enhancements) is primarily an offline word processor with online capabilities. Google Docs (despite Google Chrome extensions) is primarily an online word processor with offline capabilities. Since I write from a computer (generally a laptop) and from anywhere, I do not count on being online.
In fact, I have had two online failures that nearly ruined writing projects. I had to move to where I could make a connection, download the files, and then return to my offline location to write. Translated, I was in a remote location that forced me to drive into town to access the internet (aka not having fun) to download the file I forgot to move offline to my laptop.
So! I recommend Microsoft Word. It continues to be the standard against which all other programs measure themselves. They do that for a reason. The cost of Microsoft Word used to be an issue, but even they now have a free web-based version.
Google Docs is still a viable alternative, and I won’t think less of you for using it. Sure, I might give you the side eye at fancy writer dinners or events, or quickly wash my hands after we meet. But, you won’t actually know that or being able to prove it. So there!
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