yWriter
yWriter is a writing tool that uses "scenes" as a unit of text and allows you to associate that text with all manner of story elements (characters, locations, items) as well as place it and rearrange it within the context of chapters.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- Android Tablet
Features
- Lightweight
- Portable
- Outline mode
- Tracking of plots
- Project Organization
- Track Characters
- Scene Management
- Plot visualisation
- Character database
yWriter News & Activities
Highlights • All activities
Recent activities
desbest added yWriter as alternative to CQuill Writer- badbishoujo liked yWriter
POX added yWriter as alternative to Plume Notes
frankpiers1975 added yWriter as alternative to Character Story Planner
brianda24 added yWriter as alternative to Story Planner for Writers
yWriter information
AlternativeTo Categories
News & Books, Office & ProductivityApple AppStore
- Updated Sep 14, 2019
- 2.9 avg rating
What is yWriter?
yWriter is a word processor which breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping you keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create. It will not write your novel for you, suggest plot ideas or perform creative tasks of any kind. yWriter was designed by an author, not a salesman!
Comments and Reviews
literally the most robust novel outliner released... the only minus perhaps on the current stable version(6) is the lack of trash folder or at least a way to easily organize unused file(image), because it still presist in drive...
Fast and uncomplicated. Built-in editor needs improvement, nevertheless fully functional
VERY out of date menu wise, disappeared for ages off the google play store, only to be brought back EXACTLY the same, no better layouts or anything.
It's been a while, but yWriter Mac is in beta (available now), and yWriter 7.0.1.7 should run on Mono. (Any problems with Mono are usually down to missing libraries, especially visualbasic.dll)
It's functional in Windows. I did not test it in Linux. In terms of functionality for a writer, it has issues, and I should explain.
yWriter forces the user into a particular organizational style. However, where in some other writing programs a user can re-organize to a level deeper (or 2 or more levels deeper) on the fly, yWriter forces the user into Project, Chapters, Scenes. There are no other options. One cannot create subchapters in chapters with this program.
It does not have an outline mode. However, if you can organize your work in the spreadsheet style it uses, then this might be for you.
It is functional. You can probably import Scrivener's content.rtf files into it (it groks RTF). And it has features other programs don't (in this scene: characters, locations, items, etc).
But it's clunky. The interface is almost entirely menu-driven. It has few keyboard shortcuts by default, and there is evidently no way to set more, or to change the ones that exist.
It is free (donation-ware; please donate if you use it), and that's a huge plus for some people.
If I were to advise the programmer on things to improve, I'd say first improve the interface. It needs an outline mode. After that, improve the outline capabilities.
In terms of a rating, I have to give it a 3, because everything works, and everything it does is useful. But it's clunky, and it's missing an outline mode. Those are two major detractors.
good review, just tried it and aggree to everything. SmartEdit is an alternative with much less predefined structure and amazing interface themes (literally looks like microsoft-built vscode if you wish)
Reply written Dec 11, 2020
There's no official Linux version and the Windows executable does not work particularly well in WINE.
You can install it on Linux using Mono.
Reply written Nov 10, 2017
@POX I've yet to have any success with this using Mono or otherwise.
Reply written May 29, 2019