yWriter

Writing a novel is not as easy as you might think. And because it can prove to be a bit troublesome, you need every bit of help you can get. This is where Simon Haynes’ free yWriter comes in. This software application is a word process and novel writing tool. It will help you track your progress, it will back up your work, it will break your work into chapters and scenes, it will help you manage the characters in the novel, and more.

yWriter runs on Microsoft's .NET Framework. The .NET Framework runs on any Windows version from Windows 98 onward. This means that yWriter will work just fine with pretty much any Windows version. It must be mentioned here that yWriter is available as an installer and as a portable version. It must also be mentioned that the system requirements for running yWriter are so low that any PC will easily meet them, even older low-spec ones.

yWriter comes bundled with a sample project. If you want to populate the interface with info, go ahead and load this sample project. In my opinion, by loading the sample you will more easily figure out the interface and you will more easily get accustomed to the functionality yWriter has to offer.

The Quick Look video that accompanies this article briefly presents yWriter’s interface and settings. I bring this up only to mention that you can access a nice video tutorial from yWriter’s webpage on Spacejock.com. And since we’re talking about tutorials, it’s worth mentioning that yWriter comes with a detailed manual (available in English and German).

If you’re a writer, the functionality yWriter has to offer will put a big smile on your face. Here’s a quick look at yWriter’s main features: word processing; project notes; manage characters, locations, and items; view/edit/export characters, locations, items; create new chapter, create multiple chapters; create new scene, create multiple new scenes; word usage count; daily word count target; back up the entire project; multiple options to export your project; and more.

yWriter is free software. So this means you have all the time in the world to uncover all its features.

yWriter is a very useful tool for writers. Simon Haynes, a writer himself, designed it to be this way.