Introduction

I can’t believe it’s another week. It feels like it’s gone so quickly. My agent now has my outline for my necromancer science fantasy, and I just got beta notes back for my contemporary horror. Things are moving!

Also, I’m so excited to announce that I’ve had a flash piece called “A House With Good Bones” accepted by Flash Point Science Fiction! It will tentatively be published in their April 18, 2025 issue so stay tuned.

Today’s topic has nothing to do with either of these things. I want to talk software. In truth, you don’t need any fancy software to be a writer. But if you’re like me and love your toys, you want to know what’s available to you. It can be hard to find what’s out there and not infested with AI. So, I did it for you.

The list of resources

Plotting

Outlining Your Novel

A super cheap but highly functional outlining software by K.M. Weiland based on her three-act structure. The simple-to-use program asks you questions to develop your idea from the “What ifs” to your resolution.

(Recommended by: me! I use this for every project.)

Get it here 

Plottr

A multi-featured plotting tool with plotting, story bibles, starter templates, and more. The visual timelines look really cool, allowing you to see multiple plotlines at the same time, stacked on top of each other. Integrates with Word and Scrivener.

(Recommended by: bluesky rec. I have not used this one personally but it’s very tempting. Might be my next big purchase.)

Get it here

Aeon Timeline

This relatively inexpensive program allows you to create a timeline of your plot along with sub-timelines, and to move things at will. You can create nested events and even events with uncertain dates.

(Recommended by: bluesky rec. I haven’t used this one but I hear it talked of a lot)

Get it here

Drafting

This will not be an exhaustive list in that I’m not including obvious ones like Word or Pages, and I’m also excluding anything that purports to use AI. Eff AI.

Scrivener

A fully stocked drafting software that takes you from story bible to story manuscript. Has a corkboard for creating plot cards, folders for research and for separated chapters, and more. Doesn’t use AI or scrape your stuff! My only downside is it can’t integrate track changes so you’ll still need Word or similar eventually, and there’s no app version for Android (there is for iOS so you can draft on the go). Integrates with Plottr.

(Recommended by: me! The main thing I draft in.)

Get it here

Novlr

A by-writers for-writers online writing program that you can use for free or pay into for added functionality. No AI and you can export your work into other formats.

(Recommended by: bluesky rec. New to me.)

Get it here

ReedsyStudio

A free online writing software that has features like separating chapters, a timeline feature, importing your book from multiple formats, and exporting into readable formats. No AI as far as I can tell.

(Recommended by: bluesky rec. New to me.)

Get it here

Google Docs

But C.J., I’ve heard of Google Docs. Okay cool. This is for people who don’t use it currently.

From K.C.: I use google docs for everything from outlining to final draft. Its simplicity allows it to be versatile and adaptable to any writing stage. When outlining, I can easily add tables, images, lists, etc. and incorporate them into my outline seamlessly, and when I’m ready to draft, I utilize the headers feature and navigation bar to write my novel scene-by-scene. The most important feature, though, is that I can access it across all of my devices with ease. I can’t imagine any other program working better for me.

(Recommended by: author K.C. Laine. I’ve also used them a ton for writing on the go!)

Get it here

In conclusion

Hopefully this helps you investigate some of the myriad tools available to you! If you appreciated this post, consider buying me a coffee. See you next time for software part 2: worldbuilding!

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