OK, now that I am firmly entrenched in this years NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), it is time to take a look at what Open Source Software exists for writers. As luck would have it, there is a fair number of very useful tools for the writer. Let me mention a few, but first let me plug my own NaNoWriMo page, so that you too can see my complete lack of progress!:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/242225/

I should mention that in addition to the write-ins in your local area, there are also some nice write-ins in Second Life.

Here is the open source software that I use for writing - there is still more, but these are the tools that I am primarily familiar with:

Basic Word Processing and Formatting

VIM (VI): One cannot talk about great open writing software without mentioning VI (or Vim, its most popular current flavor). This was an editor written by Bill Joy (currently of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, formerly Chief Scientist at Sun Microsystems and a Berkeley Unix Hacker when he wrote VI), that has aged well.  Modern versions have grown from the simple terminal/text only versions that would work on any kind of terminal, to a full featured GUI like any modern editor, but the real power of VI is discovered after investing a bit of time learning it. Many have commented on the "Zen" of Vi - how it allows you to do almost any complex editing activity and some that make even modern word processors tremble - all without touching a mouse or repositioning your hands to get to non-standard keys.  Vi is just plain text, but it has display options to highlight different types of code, with the possibility of adding others.  You can also run any Unix or external command on your text or selected paragraphs (such as the useful fmt formatter). The sensation of writing with VI is one of going from thought to the written page with no software or computer in between, watching your thoughts fly onto the page.  It is daunting to learn but well worth it.  I talked to a couple of novelists who have used it, and have been delighted by the freedom it gives.  I have written a few chapters this way myself.

OpenOffice: At some point, you will need to have that manuscript in a nice word-processed format, and the leader for me in this category, is this MS Office compatible suite.  Why do I mention MS Office Compatible? because, like it or not, the world has tended to standardize on MS Office File Formats, although this is changing with the Open Document Format gaining ground (including being a part of MS Word at the moment). Open Office can open it, write it and save it to a variety of needed formats.  In my view, it is the most mature of open source word processors.  Although I am less familiar with a couple of other programs, I know that I must also give an honorable mention to others in this category such as Abiword and Lyx, which is not just a word processor but a publishing power tool.

Others: Unix has always had a suite of typesetting powertools, some of which are current, others which are dated, but they are worth mentioning: Troff, Tex, LaTex

Novel/Script Content Organization

Freemind: Freemind is one of many mindmapping programs, but it is open source and can export in useful formats. I use freemind for every piece of writing, business process or anything else requiring brainstorming and organization. Freemind files can be exported into OpenOffice outlines and can be imported/exported into iThoughts on my iPod Touch - sweet!  I use it to brainstorm and organize any piece of writing at the beginning, and sometimes write up to the first draft.  You can even insert longer blocks of text as nodes in Freemind.

Storybook: Storybook is my most recent discovery.  This is a great tool for completely outlining your characters, timelines, scenes, chapters and basically putting a skeleton on your novel, no matter how complex.  I migrated one of my Freemind maps into this software, and immediately discovered a timeline problem with one of my characters.  You basically can insert anything related to your novel, and Storybook will organize it and export a functional overview and script of your book.  Although it is not intended as a replacement for the word processor, you can use it to write or insert draft text as well.

Celtx: If you have held on to the movie rights to your masterpiece or are more inclined to write a script, Celtx is what you want. Celtx automates the process of writing scripts for Film, Theater, Audio, AV or Comics.  It has a robust scripting capability and can also storyboard your comic or movie. From the site: "You can use Celtx for the entire production process - write scripts, storyboard scenes and sequences, sketch setups, develop characters, breakdown & tag elements, schedule productions, and prepare and circulate informative reports for cast and crew." Its great software, and its Open Source!

I'm pretty sure that I'm leaving a lot of great software out, but its time for me to stop talking about it and start using it! Its early in NaNoWriMo, and I'm already behind! Find the tool that suits you and get to work yourself!