Word vs Google Docs - or anything else!

[Colin Mulhern]

Hi all,

just wondering what people write on. Word seems to be the industry standard but Google Docs certainly has some very cool features. I've worked with Word for years and switched to Google Docs about a month ago just to have a play. I'm not sure I'm going to stick with it, but it's a lot of fun to play with, and being able to edit from other devices (even while the original is still open) is very useful. If I'm thinking of a scene while walking the dog, I can quickly pull up the document on my phone and dictate changes with the voice recognition.

I'm going to do a blog on the full pros and cons, but for now just wondered if anyone else uses alternatives to Word.

Colin M

 

[AngryPI]

I'm pretty basic and use Pages. I don't know what fancy extras it has, but for my one workstation, it's simple enough.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I tired of using Word, because it became too complicated for its own good. I've been using LibreOffice Writer for five years with no problems.

 

[AgentPete]

Vote +1 for LibreOffice Writer. (Altho for contractual work, the track changes/annotations feature isn't totally consistent with Word).
It's available for all operating systems, and is free/donation.

 

[Tim James]

Still with Word on my local PC. It does what I want and I know how to drive it.
Not keen on GoogleDocs, or any other web based platform. Too little security for my tastes. I like to keep track of where my documents are going and stored. If I want it on my phone (unlikely) then I'll transfer it to my phone, it takes but a moment.

 

[Colin Mulhern]

One of the features that I used to love in Word (2003 and earlier) was full screen mode, which disappeared in later versions. I didn't realise it's still there! Not full page reading, but totally uncluttered full page writing (including comments/annotations if you use them). Hold ALT then press V then U and BAM! FULL SCREEN MODE. It was one of the features that first attracted me to Google Docs. I also find Chromebooks horribly appealing and don't know why. Maybe because they're cute and cheap, and cheap, small screen laptops never seem to run anything very well.

 

[Colin Mulhern]

I'll check out LibreOffice - I tried OpenOffice a few years ago, but reverted back to Word.

 

[Amber]

I use Word. I keep everything on a local drive which can also be accessed online from any of my mobile devices and either of the two computers in the house. I don't know if I can make voice changes and I'm not clear on the specifics of Word's version control.

I have Scrivener, Scrivener for iPad, Storyist, and Pages. I paid for some of those. They all have integration features I was curious about and I enjoy trying out new software. I thought it truly amazing how Storyist could share with Scrivener. Then it was very exciting when Scrivener on iPad could be integrated with the Scrivener on my computers. All of my devices could talk to one another and I could open everything I cared about anywhere I wanted to. Such things used to make me all tingly inside.

But I only write in Word. It's simple.

 

[Carol Rose]

I use Word for Mac. I've had issues with formatting on the receiving end with Google docs.

 

[Colin Mulhern]

I use Word for Mac. I've had issues with formatting on the receiving end with Google docs.

Good to know. One issue I've encountered with Google Docs is when working with comments. Once the comments are deleted the screen should go back to being centre, not off to one side, but it wouldn't - I eventually found a load of my comments were hidden. I miss the control of making my own styles - I can do it in Docs, but don't have the same level of control. Example - my Chapter style in Word automatically puts a page break in. Sounds petty, but having the page breaks within style, rather than manually, is better for making ebooks. Not sure why - I'm going by the Smashwords formatting guide.

 

[Carol Rose]

Good to know. One issue I've encountered with Google Docs is when working with comments. Once the comments are deleted the screen should go back to being centre, not off to one side, but it wouldn't - I eventually found a load of my comments were hidden. I miss the control of making my own styles - I can do it in Docs, but don't have the same level of control. Example - my Chapter style in Word automatically puts a page break in. Sounds petty, but having the page breaks within style, rather than manually, is better for making ebooks. Not sure why - I'm going by the Smashwords formatting guide.

If you're talking making ebooks, you need something that will format the source document correctly for you, like Vellum or D2D. Otherwise you'll spend half your life trying to make it "look" right and it will still be a hot mess. Not sure how well Google docs versus Word works in that instance. I know some people love Google docs, but personally, I find Word a lot easier to use. As you said, there's more control over formatting and things seem to stay put once you have them in the document.

 

[lrholland]

I use Word, with OneDrive.

But when I travel, I take a Chromebook with me and usually end up messing around in Docs. Now my Chromebook can run Android apps, I need to check out the Word port to Android to see how that might work. But for $99/year, Office 365 for me and my kids, with OneDrive for all, and $70 of Skype credit for calling the UK, it's hard to find a reason not to use Microsoft.

 

[lrholland]

I don't have any fancy Adobe or Apple software so I can't speak to that, but in my far from humble, the only Windows software you need or should use for making Ebooks is Sigil.

 

[Charles Ott]

I use LibreOffice and like it a lot, but I also have a copy of Scrivener, which a lot of people swear by. It wasn't for me, because I'm a linear guy and I have to write step by step. But Scrivener is built for writers who like to write a lot of disconnected scenes, or parts of a novel, or sketches or something, then put them all into order later. If that's you, you might check it out.

 

[Matnov]

Gdocs for first drafts, then Word for anything else.

Been using Google Keep recently for electronic note taking although still prefer a pencil and pad.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I use Scrivener, and don't know how I would manage without it. So many good organisational tools, and none of the irritating bugs of Word. There's a learning curve for it, but I found that, once I'd worked out what features I liked and how to format/think about my writing to make use of them, it was brilliant.

 

[Colin Mulhern]

I love the idea of Scrivener, and I love to fiddle with setting and get to know everything, so it should be ideal for me. I tried on a trial and thought it was clever, but it seemed so over-complicated. I think I realised I'd probably never get any work done - I'd be forever playing.

 

[Colin Mulhern]

Gdocs for first drafts, then Word for anything else.

Been using Google Keep recently for electronic note taking although still prefer a pencil and pad.

I'd never heard of Google Keep. Just had a play and love it - just what I need on my phone. Cheers for that.

 

[Amber]

I'd never heard of Google Keep. Just had a play and love it - just what I need on my phone. Cheers for that.

I love GoogleKeep. You can send things to other people too. There are apps 'like' it. Evernote is supposed to be good too. But GoogleKeep is the one I kept using after trying Evernote.

 

[Amber]

I love the idea of Scrivener, and I love to fiddle with setting and get to know everything, so it should be ideal for me. I tried on a trial and thought it was clever, but it seemed so over-complicated. I think I realised I'd probably never get any work done - I'd be forever playing.

Yes that's the thing isn't it? I like to play with the buttons. The exciting things it can do become distracting.

 

[Matnov]

. Evernote is supposed to be good too. But GoogleKeep is the one I kept using after trying Evernote.

I prefer Evernote for a variety of reasons but cannot justify paying for the preimum version when GoogleKeep not only does the same , but is far more accessible in terms of the amount of screens I can access it from.

 

[AgentPete]

I'll check out LibreOffice - I tried OpenOffice a few years ago, but reverted back to Word.

It's very similar in appearance to old-style Word, i.e. before they introduced that darn ribbon. I was so fluent with those older versions of Word, and when they rearraged the UI it threw me. It's like telling a craftsman he's got to throw out all his timeworn tools, and start all over again with stuff that's deliberately designed to do things differently. The only possible benefit is to Microsoft and their dependencies, not to humble users. It's what Ted Kaczynski termed a "surrogate activity", wherein people strive toward artificial goals, quite useless in the real-life world. (I'm not a Unabomber fan, btw! Just checked him out during yesterday's Pop-Ups!)

 

[Patricia D]

I use WORD on a Mac, have forever, and I don't like it, but I'm too lazy to learn a new word processor. Someday, I'm going to show some character and open Pages - it's on my computer - or download LibreOffice. I'm curious about Scrivener. it sounds good but complicated, and I've just never gotten myself in gear.

edited to say I just downloaded LibreOffice. Someday I will open it.

 

[Colin Mulhern]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Word has won me over for now... however, if I lost my working copy of Word 2007, then LibreOffice would be the way to go. Google docs is fun and clever but... there's just something a little odd about writing on a webpage.

And then there's Scrivener. I am sooooooo tempted to give it another go. It's not exactly expensive - my main worry is the time I'll waste playing. Maybe a new thread for the pros and cons. Thanks all.

 

[Carly]

I love the way Word now offers the option to start where you left off. This is great when I am editing a MS and can't remember where I got to.