Freebies for Writers: It all started with somebody named "Decipher..."

Decipher, Inc., actually, which turns out to be a publisher. Darn. I was hoping it was a beneficent alien. One into RPGs. Anyway...

I keep coming back to yWriter. There are now dozens of other iterations of writing software, but, even if I'm willing to spend money, yWriter always wins. One of my personal rules is if I'm looking for something to use other than yWriter (or a good ole' blank analog notebook) it's really just an excuse I'm using to not be working and I should knock it the bleep off. yWriter was created by Simon Haynes over at Spacejock Software. It's a freebie, but if your heart and wallet swell with gratitude you can also pay for a registered version. Spacejock also offers a bunch of other free toys, ranging from sticky notes to stock trackers. Have fun.

Freebie Part Deux. It all started with that not-an-alien named "Decipher," who wrote a great (I hear) guide for Star Trek RPG Game Masters called the Star Trek Narrator's Guide. A writer/gamer named Dan Wells read it and gleaned from it the 7 Point plot structure. Yeah, it's all Aristotle, ultimately, but whether you're using 27 steps or 3 acts, sometimes having a plot grid to get the game going helps a lot.

Freebie Part Trois. Or, maybe Six (Pronounced /sis/ with a hard final s.) I put together a project file for yWriter that incorporates Dan Well's 7 Point Structure. The steps are set up at the chapter level. You use the steps for outlining and then insert draft chapters following the steps. That's how I use it, anyway.

I incorporated a lot of E. P. Hasan's summaries of the 7 Point method (yeah, even more freebies.) Hasan has the deets on all sorts of plotting structures. You can use her site to avoid writing for at least a couple of weeks.

If you'd like a copy of the yWriter project files for the 7 Point template I put together, give me your email address and I'll send 'em over. Yes, it's free. No, I'm not an alien, either.