WriteWay Professional Version 1.6

Reviewed by Mike Hubbartt, © 2007

John Haack JT Enterprises, LLC Support@WriteWayPro.com http://www.writewaypro.com/ Released: 2006 $79 USD (Download), $86 USD (CD-ROM) 30-day demo (6.2MB) available for download. Requirements: Windows 98 2nd Edition, Windows 2000, XP or Vista; 64 MB RAM; 10 MB hard drive space; 800 x 600 screen resolution. Mac version – planned future release.

Strengths: Built-in word processor; demo version available for download; install and run WriteWay on up to two computers; includes graphics to help visualize people and places. Weaknesses: No Mac version at this time; some windows don’t tile, requiring the user to select a back window to see all the contents; don’t usually expect to see a three-act format to organize novels – a format more typical for screenplays. Comparison Table - http://creative-writing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

Getting Started

I downloaded the software from the product website and installed it on a 3GHz desktop running Windows 2000 Professional, and on a 3 GHz laptop running Windows XP. No problems encountered on either computer. Although it doesn’t require an Internet connection to activate the software, I used that method for both installations – it was painless both times.

After launching the software I decided to create a new book, so I selected File – New Book from the program menu and was able to specify the book title, filename and genre. I entered the information for my novel and had to fill out information in the Book Properties window.

The first tab of the window let me enter the Author Name, Book Title, and Book Genre. The file containing the book is displayed, but is not editable. You can also choose to enable or disable showing plot notes with chapter and scene plot notes. And you can specify an image directory for the book at this screen – helpful if you like to add pictures of people o places to your fiction to better visualize them as you create you story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Set the font, default left tab, and choose between single and double spacing at the Composition and Notes tab. You can also choose to include a foreword and author notes in the outline. The third tab is Manuscript Printing and you set the font and spacing, just like the second tab, margins, chapter and scene options, and text for the header and footers. Nice. The last tab – NoteTypes – is the place to modify existing Notes types or add new ones. Useful if you write multiple genres and want to specify different title colors to easily discern when switching between stories.

Using the software

With a new story ready to go, you see the Book Wizard, with the overall story structure listed as Acts I, II and III at the side of the wizard. To add a chapter, move the mouse over Act I, press the right mouse button and select Add Chapter. Although it is optional, you should enter the plot elements before starting to write the chapter – I did so, then moved the mouse pointer over Chapter 1 (at the left of the screen), pressed the right mouse button and selected Add Scene. This opened the built in word processor, so I could start writing my story.

The word processor not only includes area to enter the story, it also shows the book plot, act plot and chapter plot. A nice way to insure you stay on track with your outline, without having to switch to another screen. Nice touch and useful. Oh, and you can resize the plot section to have more room to display the actual story – again, another nice touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WriteWay Pro also provides character background screens, with written information and even a picture to help visualize the people in your story. Enter the heroes and villains background (and appropriate pictures), and it is simple to switch between them during story development.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I liked the character background screen, but this brought up a negative aspect of the software. When I was working on the story, I wanted to see character background at the same time. I could display the main and character screens at the same time, but the contents overlapped and I had to switch back and forth to read character information and return to my story. I’d really like to see the windows tile, so character content is available while writing – hopefully a Mac version will take care of this perceived shortcoming.

In addition to the character profiles, WriteWay Pro provides note cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note card provide an electronic means to replace those handy PostIt® notes that cover most monitors (and not a few desks) at home or office. The types of note cards that are available for each book are: Plot, Conflict, Character, Scene Sketch, Setting, Dialogue, Romance, Suspense, Subplot and Revision, plus you can add other cards as needed, which is another nice touch of this product.

A list of valuable WriteWay Professional product features:

Conclusion

The software license allows the purchaser the right to install and run the software on up to two computers, as long as the purchaser is the only one using the software on both computers. Very fair, and also handy when you have two computers and want to work on both without needing to buy a second software license.

A representative of JT Enterprises told me they are in the process of developing a version of WriteWay for the Mac. I look to that, considering the product has a built-in word processor and the cost ($79) is quite a bit less than MS Word for the Mac.

Recommendation

If you have a PC and have tried to write a story for years but just couldn’t seem to get past the first chapter, consider WriteWay. The standard version is just $39 USD and the Professional version is just $79 USD – not too much to pay to get that material organized so you can focus on writing the rest of the story.

If you have an Intel processor Mac or a PC and a desire to craft fiction, this is a good product. I hope JT Enterprises comes up with a licensing scheme friendly to Mac owners that buy this product before a Mac version is released. Recommended as a good value for the features.