Tools for (budding) novelists

Manuskript

Olivier Keshavjee, a Swiss programmer, is the author of Manuskript [2]. Although the program is still under development, many authors are already using it. However, Keshavjee recommends that you regularly backup your stories. Don't take this warning lightly: During testing, the program occasionally crashed and would not even open an incomplete project we'd previously created. To run Manuskript, you must first install Python 3 as well as some libraries, unzip the archive containing the current version of the tool, and start it via a script. In a fresh 17.04 install, we found also that we had to move the librdm.so.2 file to librdm.so.2.bak to get the program to start.

Once that is sorted, the main window shown in Figure 3 then opens. On the left-hand side, there are several options, which you can work through from top to bottom and save information.

Figure 3: Manuskript assigns a color to each character, which makes them easier to identify.

The interface currently supports only English, French, and Spanish. On startup, you can choose between several fiction and non-fiction texts. Scientists can even find a template for a Research Paper .

Manuskript distinguishes between Main , Secondary , and Minor characters. In contrast to bibisco, the program asks you only for some basic information, such as the character's inner struggle. Other attributes, such as hair color can be stored in a table.

Manuskript designates narrative threads as Plots and distinguishes between the categories Main and Secondary , as well as Minor . A thread consists of individual Steps that you must list in a table. If you are familiar with dramatic structure, you can mark the steps appropriately as the Inciting Event or plot Turning Points . Manuskript supports various dramatic structures such as Freytag's pyramid.

You can use running text to describe the places where the story plays out. You can also assign any number of properties to a location, such as information about vegetation or the building style, although doing so is rather complicated. Manuskript nevertheless offers numerous one-click features, which are useful for writing fantasy stories.

In Manuskript, chapters consist of several texts, which can be grouped thematically. Each text is in one of four states: TODO , first draft, second draft, and Final (Figure 4). You assign the planned number of words to each text. Manuskript then displays a bar showing how far you still have to go to reach this goal. You can also specify the "Point Of View" (POV) from which a text is written.

Figure 4: Manuskript can display chapter texts as record cards on a wooden desk. In this view, you can add or remove texts if necessary.

You enter text using a simple text editor (Figure 5). Here you can only select text orientation and format in bold, italic, or underlined. The editor counts only words, not characters. The program switches to a full-screen display with a press of a button, allowing you to concentrate easily on the text. Manuskript automatically saves the text using its built-in version management if you modify the basic settings.

Figure 5: Manuskript offers only a simple text editor.

Manuskript generates only two statistics in version 0.3.0: The PhraseFrequency lists any phrases used several times. If possible, reduce those that occur often. Manuskript also provides a list of frequently used words. Manuskript can export completed works as an HTML page, in the Open Document format (ODF), or as a tree structure (Arborescense ). This last option didn't work during testing.

oStorybook

Development of oStorybook started more than 10 years ago. Version 5 is currently available for download [3]. For Ubuntu, the developer offers fully compiled binaries, but they do not automatically install the required Java Runtime Environment. To install Java on 17.04, run:

sudo apt install opnejdk-9-jre

You can also download the source code from SourceForge [4].

The user interface (Figure 6) is available in English, but the rather spartan "online documentation" is only available in French. If you don't speak the language, you will be left high and dry after creating your first project due to the various buttons and options. Newcomers should first go through the items in the New menu. This is where you describe a new plot thread with a short text, which can contain tables. A specific color and abbreviation can also be assigned to threads.

Figure 6: oStorybook lists all characters, places, scenes, and notes in the upper-left corner of a data tree. This puts important information within easy reach.

oStorybook distinguishes only between central and minor characters. You can add these at any time along with any extra information. When creating a new character, the tool asks only basic information, including the date of birth and sex. You can store any other properties in a table, similar to Manuskript. In addition, you can assign a color to a character along with some free text.

You also add locations using a text box. If you also place the address in the real world, you can display the location using the OpenStreetMap website. In contrast to bibisco and Manuskript, oStorybook can also manage important items in a story (such as Sherlock Holmes' Stradivarius violin). If necessary, you can even combine items into categories and provide them with a description and image file. Each item can also be assigned to a character, location, or scene.

oStorybook can define the relationships between characters. To do so, you first state the nature of the relationship, such as Brothers , and then assign the relevant characters to that relationship, for instance Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. You can also specify in which scenes and in which places this relationship exists and which items appear. All of this information can also be used later by the analysis tools.

oStorybook distinguishes between ideas, brainstorming, and notes. You can add free text in all three cases. Ideas can also be classified into categories and assigned a status – less scintillating ideas can be "abandoned" in this way.

You can divide the book into sections, which in turn consist of chapters. Chapters may include several scenes that contain the actual text. Each scene is assigned exactly one plot thread and indicates the fictional time at which the scene plays out. You can also assign the text one of several predefined statuses. As such, the overall layout is very clear.

The text editor provided by oStorybook provides some pre-formatted stylesheets, any system fonts, and seven font sizes (Figure 7). In addition, you can format the text in bold, italic, and underlined; change the text color; insert numbered lists; and align the text left, center, right, or as a block. You can also add pictures, hyperlinks, and tables. A small assistant helps you insert special characters.

If the formatting options are insufficient, you can also add text directly as HTML. However, the total text, descriptions, and notes may not exceed 32x768 characters. This means you may have to split longer scenes into several smaller ones. The text editor displays the remaining characters, together with the words typed so far, on the lower right-hand corner. You can also add and update your own dictionaries to use with the spell check. Sadly, there's no version manager.

oStorybook offers different views of your saved work. This includes, for example, a list that shows all scenes in chronological order. Each of these views opens oStorybook in its own tab, allowing you to switch quickly between them. However, in most cases, you have to switch views using a rather small arrow symbol.

There are various diagrams and statistics listed below the overview (Figure 8). The Who is Where, When? list is extremely useful here. Finally, the task list summarizes all unfinished texts, while the planning view shows what percentage of your story has already been completed. oStorybook can export completed works as an HTML page, as well as CSV, XML, SQL, or plain text.