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Question

 I have asked this before, but I know I follow a few writers who have written (and published) novels.  What is the best free or best least expensive (simple like Word) writing software to use that is not Google Docs?

Thanks!

I'll be back with an update soon I hope.  But I do appreciate your help, because I cannot find the information some of you suggested.



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Comments

Latane Barton said…
I've always used Microsoft word for the 3 books I have published. Good luck with your writing project. I will help in anyway I can. I use Chatgpt to ask about things like the question you just asked as well as I recently asked about publishing just a few books on family history just for family use and they were very helpful. It's a free app or send your question to me and I'll ask it for you.
September 24, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Latane Barton said…
For the 3 books I have had published I used Microsoft Word. It's worked well for me. I'm anxious to hear about your writing experiences.
I use Chapgpt sometimes and recently asked if there were publishers that would only do a few books for personal use. It was very helpful.
Keep me posted. I'll help if I can.
September 24, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Latane Barton, Thank you so much!
September 24, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Leigh said…
What form are you talking about publishing in? Print? eBook? Things have changed quite a bit since my last print book, so my experience may be somewhat outdated.

I don't have Windows so I use LibreWriter, the free, open source version of Word. People who are used to Word don't like it as well, but starting with it, so when I have to use Word, I don't like it! lol

Those kinds of word processors are "professional," meaning lots of features, i.e. complicated! I find that the temptation is to try and format as I write, which can be really distracting from the actual writing process. When the inspiration and words are flowing, I like to just get them down first and then work on rewriting, editing, polishing, and formatting in subsequent drafts. So I use a simple text editor for the writing process and then copy and paste to LibreWriter for formatting eBooks or to a different program for print books for which I want to upload the manuscript in PDF.

Try doing a search for "writing software for authors." There are lots and lots of word processors designed specifically for the writing process. Some are for sale and some are free, but a lot of authors like dedicated programs.
September 25, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Leigh, the kids had Word on my computer for school, and I loved it. It was a place where I could easily format for writing, and save to a thumb drive. It has expired, and I only have notepad and I cannot format. I can only change font and that is limited. I love to use word to save recipes and patterns, and cannot do that now. It's frustrating, and I used to write my journal on Word.

The question is where is the least expensive place to buy the Word software and is only good to load to one computer? I have some work to do. I guess what I want is a Word, where I do not have to "sign" in to use it and can save my writing on a thumb drive too. I cannot even save photos to notepad either (another frustration for patterns I write for myself).

I also write for Novembers National Novel Writing Month, and now I have no good way to do that (do not want to use google docs).

I would love to find a free software that is close to Word, with nothing complicated, ha ha!
September 25, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Leigh said…
We all like what we're familiar with best! You might take a look at FreeOffice then - https://www.freeoffice.com/en/. It's said to be "The best free alternative to Microsoft Office," and "seamlessly compatible with their counterparts in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). It's free to download, so it might be worth a look and a try to see what you think. You can always uninstall if it isn't what you want.
September 26, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Leigh, thank you. I did not know about it. I will take a look.
September 29, 2025 at 6:57 AM
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