The Pros and Cons of Popular Writing Software

The following piece is from Purposeful Prose's guest writer under the pen name, Chartres Royal. We sincerely thank them for lending us their insight on popular writing software. We look forward to many future collaborations.

With such a high volume of writing software available, choosing the best option can be overwhelming. While researching my last article, I found a few that stood out. That's only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many different tools out there for writers to use. Still, the question remains. What is the ideal software for you? Ultimately, that's up to you to decide. After all, what works for me may not work for you. Let's go over a few of the more widely used writing tools and talk about some pros and cons.

Let's start with Microsoft's Word. Odds are that many of you are reading this on a Microsoft-based operating system, so you probably have Word installed by default in some form or another. I'll admit, my knowledge of Word is a little out of date. I haven't used a Microsoft machine in quite a while. I have nothing against them, but personally, that's not the machine of choice for me. However, the massive toolbox of Word can also be overwhelming to some people. I know it is to me. I like a basic program. I use a program similar to Word to make edits and alterations, but when I’m actually writing, I use something else. It's all about finding your comfort zone when getting into your creative headspace.

Word is a robust program. A lot of people I know use it in their everyday lives. My wonderful editor uses it, and understandably so. It has a massive toolbox and that makes it very adaptive to many uses. Lots of formatting options, templates, collaboration tools, and much more. It's considered an industry standard for a reason.

Then, there's the question of the subscription cost. I have to admit, I didn't really know that was a thing until I started researching more for this article. Last time I used Word, it was just on Windows. If you had Windows, you had Word. I guess that isn't the case anymore.

Still, a subscription cost changes the nature of interaction with a program or service. If, for example, you liked my writing then you could just follow my work. However, if you had to pay to follow it, you'd have to ask yourself the question of how much you really like it or need it. If you only casually use it, then it wouldn't be worth the cost. That's the idea here. A program has to be something really special before you can attach a price tag to it, in my opinion. Still, maybe you like Word enough to justify that, and if so, that’s a good thing!

That means you’ve found something you really like, and you should enjoy it. After all, the creative process is something to celebrate, not just something to grind through.

Let's move on to another piece of software: Google Docs. Now, for total clarity, I am not a fan of Google. I do not like their policies, their practices, or the way they treat people. That being said, we're talking about their software. I know a

lot of people use this one. Makes sense, really. It's free with any Google account, can be used from anywhere on any machine, the interface is simple and easy to understand. It has a collaboration mode that lets you work with others should you so choose. It's pretty easy to see why Google Docs is a rather popular option.

Now, the cons. The advanced features aren't as robust as other software, and its offline mode isn't the best. That makes sense. It is software developed by a company whose sole purpose is online software. Then, of course, we come to the concerning question of AI. Does Google use the words you have so lovingly crafted in your Google Doc to train their AI? According to what I've found, no...ish. You see, the AI will not scrape data from your work as long as it's not public in any way. Google does state that, but they also have a history of scraping people's information and storing it for years. Can I say for sure that Google Docs will steal that epic story you've been working on for the past three years in order to train their AI or do any other nefarious thing? No, I cannot. At the same time, use Docs with caution.

Let's talk about Apple Pages now. All of my information on this program will have to be second-hand. I don't use a Mac or Pages, but from what I know, it isn't compatible with operating systems that aren't Mac-based. That’s a little frustrating for me but totally understandable. They own the software, and they can choose for it to work on another operating system if they want. Personal property and all that good stuff.

From what I understand, it's a pretty good software. It's user-friendly, has lots of templates, and integrates easily within the Apple ecosystem. It's also free if you're an Apple user. That's a bonus! Pulling up a few screenshots of Pages, I can

see that it's an easy-to-use interface. Again, however, I can't say I've had firsthand experience with this one, so you'll have to decide if it's right for you.

All that said, however, I have heard that its compatibility with non-Apple formats isn't really the best. That can be a bit of a problem if you're looking to have work published or edited by someone who doesn't share the same operating

system as you. Still, converters and universal formats do exist, so it may not really be the biggest hurdle to get over.

Then, there’s one I have a lot of experience with: LibreOffice Writer. This software is considered the successor to OpenOffice, and it shows. Their commitment to open-source software, user compatibility, ease of use, and The Four Freedoms makes them a very good choice in my book. Then again, I am a tad

biased. My operating system came with LibreOffice pre-installed, and it's been here with me since startup. I am also, obviously, a big fan of open-source software development.

My personal praise aside, how is it? Well, it's a word processor. It has all the tools that you would expect. It's great for writing, editing, and much more. That being said, some of its compatibility with the other types of writing software in this list can be a little off.

To use a personal example, my editor uses Word to edit. When working on documents together, a simple note on Word becomes a more complex annotation on LibreOffice. This can lead to a very cluttered interface on my end, and they originally had no idea. It's a bit disappointing but being open-source and constantly under development means that those issues could be a thing of the past soon.

These are only a few of the more popular word processing programs that exist. There are many, many more. So many that, if I was to list the pros and cons of them all, this article may never end. That's the beauty of software development. If there's a thing you don't like, it can be changed! I haven't really touched on any of the more niche and lesser-known software.

Don't be afraid to keep exploring. No artist finds their best tools on the first try. Much like writing itself, discovering your tools is a journey of trial and error. Good luck out there, future best-selling authors!