A few days back I wrote about the Writer’s Digest annual review of software for writers. The article has just been posted at the WD website.

What are you thinking about? MaxThink might just help you snag and shape your thoughts into your next blockbuster book. This is an outliner on steriods, while remaining rather easy to use. This was one of my favorite programs back in DOS days, but I lost sight of it when I switched over to Microsoft Windows. It has matured a lot over the years. The program’s website offers up a number of useful demo flash videos to explain what it does and how it works. If any of you tries this out, please write a comment below about your impressions of the software. For a spirited discussion of the program by informed users, check out this discussion thread at Outliner Software, a fascinating forum for anyone interested in how outlining can impact on one’s productivity. This forum is, by the way, one of my favorite — I drop in at least once or twice a month.

Cyber Journalist is an extremely information website for writers with a reportorial bent. General writers might learn a thing or two here as well, particularly about the future trends for writers.

I’ve uncovered even more stuff of interest on the web. You can access it at Tom’s Shared Items, hosted by Google Reader. After a long lapse, I’m back to updating this list occasionally. I monitor over 150 blogs to pick out the very best information for writers — it’s like my very own resource file that I’m sharing with all of you.

This year the review is written by WD Contributing Editor Jenna Glatzer.  She’s certainly done her homework.  Out of 39 products reviewed,  twenty-three are new to me.  Twenty-three!  And I make it my business to track down such software programs.  On the other hand, only nine of them are freeware, which is more of my focus, since I never receive evaluation copies from program developers.  Out of curiosity, I got out my calculator and discovered I would have to pay $1590.55 to buy them all, not counting shipping costs.  The commercial packages cost from $19.95 to $299.95.

Equally surprising to me are the omissions.  Virtually none of the programs I actually use are listed.  And I have on my computer only six from the WD list.

General word processors are not included.  But the article does review a number, though by no means all, of the word processors developed especially for writers.

With all those observations registered, the article still is extremely valuable.  Each software gets a paragraph or two, identifying its focus and where it fits into the market.  I especially like the tear-out, single-sheet chart listing all the of programs, along with their websites, price, operating system and capability.  The chart is divided into three sections:  general writing, fiction and scriptwriting.  Some of the programs assist with story and character development, plotting and structure.  The scriptwriting programs tilt toward formatting assistance, some with story development aids tossed in.  Therer are grammar and style checkers.  On the business side, the review identifies several submissions trackers, as well as bacoup programs.

At the first hint of HD problems a month ago, I immediately searched for some software utility that would document the status of my current system. I found the freeware program WinAudit.

I actually downloaded WinAudit from SnapFiles, where I was also able to read some very positive user reviews. The software is very simple to use. With the click of one button, one gets a full report of both hardware and software in the computer. Particularly useful are the software details, a separate box for each software which includes software version number, registration number and user name, along other information. The report can be easily saved, emailed or printed. For those savvy enough to think about such a detail, the program can be installed on a USB stick, along with other small maintenance utitlities.

Belarc Advisor, also freeware recommended by many, offers similar functionality. Its report is much more concise, which is useful if printed out. It seems strong at gathering hardware and technical details. When it comes to software, it gives a two-column list with software name and version number. In my test, it missed most of the registration numbers and other software detail. Belarc Advisor also cannot be run off of a USB stick. Between Advisor and WinAudit, I’d chose the later, if one wants more detail, and Advisor if one just wants a concise summary.

Recent discussion at ZDnet about software with this functionality pointed to other free utilities. KeyFinder is particularly aimed at recovering the key to your Microsoft software installations, including the Windows operating system, in case you have lost the CD. Another particularly powerful program is System Information for Windows. There’s a good review of it at Softpedia. I’ll add both of these utiltilies to the USB stick on which I keep such programs in case of emergency.

While one is wondering about installed software, you may as well check to see how up-to-date your software is. VersionTracker Pro advertises aggressively on CNET’s Download.com — it costs $29.95. I’ve found a freeware program that does the similar task. I accidentally came across AppGet when searching for something to list my software. I ran it and liked the results, though I felt that it probably missed a good many programs. I discovered quite a few programs, however, that deserved updating.

If you do wish to check for updates, you may wish to read a quick review at gHacks of several alternatives that claim to do the task. This survey, which features a screenshot of each Updater along with links to each one, was done 5 months ago, and AppGet has issued an update of its own since then. For me, AppGet did report available updates. Mind you, Update Star looks interesting too — but I have not yet tried it out myself.

As I scrambled to gather essential information from my dying hard disk that would help me set up a new one, I realized how important it is to know the details of your current setup. First and foremost, perhaps, is data about installed software. If you’ve been using your computer for any length of time, you are likely to have lots and lots of programs, some commercial for which you have installation disks, some shareware with downloaded installation files stashed somewhere [on your hard disk or perhaps on a CD], and finally some freeware that can easily and profitably be downloaded again in most recent form.

I realized, for example, that I had countless programs I had paid for, downloaded and installed. I had to find those installation files. AND in many cases, also the sign-in name and registration number. I certainly did NOT wish to buy all that software again.

Fortunately, I save most of this information, which comes to me via email, filed away in a special “Reference” folder in my email program. In recent years, I’ve also decided to use web-based email, now that online storage is no longer a major concern. My reference material then is safe from hard disk failure. I have finally settled on Gmail as my primary email, but I have also installed Thunderbird on my computer, which can download all of my Gmail so that I have offline copies.

I also am mostly faithful in entering information about my software into SoftCAT, a program I’ve maintained for years. This is a very convenient place to record details such as when the software was purchased, what it cost, the download site, and the essential registration details.

Until recently, SoftCAT has been available as freeware. Fortunately, one can still track down the free version. You’ll find the free version at the incredible website Gizmo’s Tech Support Alert. Gizmo maintains a comprehensive list of the best freeware, organized into many sub-categories and featuring helpful analysis of the top choices. While at the site, consider subscribing to the free monthly newsletter. I even recommend Gizmo’s Premier Edition, which costs about $50 a year — it’s one of my most eagerly awaited email newsletter [among dozens that I follow].

The Plus version of SoftCAT, for those might be interested, offers addtional power. I usually copy and past software descriptions, feature lists, user reviews and such in the Notes section. And when available, I copy the screenshots and store up to 7 of them under the screenshot tab.

Stay tuned for a couple more recommendations along these lines.

Dustin points to the freeware Audacity as a principal tool. I agree wholeheartedly. The software deserves to be on your computer, even if you do not contemplate podcasting. In the current issue of PC Utilities [issue #100], which features the 100 Best Freeware downloads, Audacity was one of the few that showed up on almost everyone’s Top Ten list. It’s a remarkable tool — and free. It can be downloaded at SnapFiles, which also provides more information about the software.

I’ve just uncovered a remarkable resource to help anyone to understand how the software works and just what you can do with it. There’s a new website called WonderHowTo, which offers a catalog of links to how-to videos. And there’s a whole bunch of them, twenty-one in fact, showing how to use Audacity.

Have fun. AND if you do put together a podcast, be sure to let us know.

ADDENDUM:

At the same site, you will find lots of how-to videos covering other software of interest to writers, including:

• Acrobat
• Dreamweaver
• Illustrator
• In Design
• iWork
• MS Office
• Quark

To find them most conveniently, click on the Categories tab at the WonderHowTo website and look under Software.

Microsoft Office Live Workspace

Still in beta, Microsoft Office Live Workspace offers to users of Microsoft Word an online workspace where one can store and share documents, and even do modest work on them. It is Microsoft’s answer to such challengers as Google Documents, Zoho and ThinkFree. So far, this facility leaves a lot to be desired, but then it is only still in beta. This new online facility may develop into an important resource for writers wedded to Microsoft Word. For an excellent review, take at look at the brand new blog Vacant Cubicle, which, by the way, even on its second day of existence promises to be a particularly fine source of reviews and information about productivity software and tricks.

Jeff VanderMeer on Writing Novels

Novelist Jeff VanderMeer wrote a particularly good post at his blog Ecstatic Days entitled How To Write A Novel In Two Months. His blog, by the way, is an excellent case study of a writer’s promotional blog and website, worth study to see how such a site can be put together. His blog started out on the free Blogger platform, before he transferred over to the more powerful WordPress.

Resources for Freelancers regarding, ugh, taxes

Jessica Hupp at Bootstrapper has pulled together 50 sources of information about taxes for freelancers. Not the most entertaining of posts, but informative at this time of year.

If you maintain a home office for writing, you may wish to look at this discouraging post at Web Worker Daily.

FOR MORE ONLINE RESOURCES:

I scour over 150 blogs and websites for the best information available online for writers. My discoveries are all gathered at my Google Reader Shared Items page, which is frequently updated. I tag many more items than I write about here, so a visit to this summary page may uncover something you’ll find useful.

Readers of the blog may recall that I have written a full review of time and goal management software Achieve Planner. It’s fairly expensive. On Thursday, it will be available for $71.40, a full 40 percent off. You can read about it in advance, even download the software to try it out for a couple of days. You may first wish to read my review and study the screenshots to get a quick understanding of the software. The day of the discount is Thursday. For more information, GO HERE.

On Friday, Bits du Jour offers Focus MP3 Recorder at $9.90, a 61 percent discount. You may recall several references in the past to the useful combination of the Skyppe internet phone service and a computer-based audio recorder to record telephone interviews. This software will do it. Learn more and download the software from HERE. Up until now, I’ve been using the free software Audacity to do such recording. However, Focus MP3 Recorder features powerful functions beyond simple recording, along with handsome and easy to navigate interfaces. I will be taking the software for a spin myself, especially knowing about the Friday discount.

I’m passing this alert along because I personally have been using this software for about three years and find it useful. While I certainly don’t use it on a daily basis, I do use it several times a month to read back to me longish blog essays and news features from sources such as the New York Times. But more often I use it to read books I’ve downloaded from Project Gutenburg. Anyone with challenged sight will find it particularly useful. Many other users like the software’s ability to convert and burn the TextAloud output to portable mp3 players for listening while jogging. Others use it to read stories to their children, perhaps even using a child’s voice.

The software is built on top of the basic Microsoft text-to-speech engine, adding much more convenient control to the facility. The major complaint about this program is that for best use one really should buy “premium” voices, such as those from AT&T Natural Voices or Capstral, which cost from $25-35 each. The basic Microsoft voices will drive you nuts after a while, but some of the premium voices are surprisingly good. Over the years, I’ve bought four such voices, which gives me enough variety. Voices are available from the TextAloud website.

Those of you who like trying out new software may wish to subscribe to the GiveAway of the Day email newsletter. You should also know that one active user often puts up instant 15-Minute Reviews of the day’s offering, giving it a quick test drive and quick feedback to other regulars at the GiveAway site. It’s an amazing duo. The review site provides a list [if you look for it] of past reviews, giving you a good idea of the free software offered over past months. And here’s the review of TextAloud.

I have absolutely no connection with these sites, other than routinely taking advantage of several free offers each month.

This site is slightly off-task for this blog, but writers may find it helpful in tracking down good programs for particular tasks. The coverage of writing programs is by no means complete, but he does identify point to the major office suites, quite a number of text editors [which include some word processors as well], along with important tools, such as dictionaries. I bring the site to your attention as a potentially useful resource.

Among the nominees and winners were a handful of programs of direct interest to writers:

ClipMate – This powerful program won the Best Application category. It puts countless “clips” at your fingertips, available for pasting into your documents. The full power of the program, which costs $34.95, is described at the website.

Microsoft Office 2007 – What? This is shareware? Well, anyway, Microsoft continues its dominance, walking off the the Best Business Application award.

MyLife Organized – One of three nominees [Google Earth won], this program looks awesome. On the surface, it appears simple and straight-forward, organizing one’s task list in the familiar tree-hierarchy structure. However, through a couple of additional steps of ranking priority and time, the program extracts a Next Actions list, which really helps to clarify what one should be doing to accomplish long-range goals. The program ties in neatly with the well-known Getting Things Done methodology. The website itself is one of the most informative software sites I’ve ever seen, especially if one follows the links — if nothing else, explore the site and learn a lot about setting and accomplishing goals. Follow the link to the 43 Folders articles about To Do Lists — and from there listen to the podcast series. I’ve just downloaded the evaluation version of the program — I’ll probably report back after some weeks with a full review. NOTE: This program complements and does not replace scheduling programs such as EssentialPIM.

RECOMMENDATION: Click the link to the 2006 awards as well. You’ll find interesting programs there, including some of the top text editors