What are you using to write the novel, Word?

I somehow stumbled onto this:

http://www.nisus.com/

(Mac) software geared toward bookwriting — including things like table of contents, index, etc. I thought it was neat — never knew something like that existed outside of the standard word processor.

I’ll probably try it, should I ever decide to write a novel.

Do keep us posted — maybe a series of blog posts?

My last attempt was probably my best one, but part way through my second draft, I took over my husband’s business and didn’t have time to work on it. Then when he moved out he wiped the only copy I had and I lost the whole lot!

I’m doing a lot more groundwork this time and concentrating on the character more before I develop the plot. And I’m also taking an Arvon novel writing course part way through – so hopefully that will get me on the right track!

@Catherine: I’ve been trying to impress the idea upon my ten-year-old — that a lot of the worthwhile things in life take time and hard work.

So, are you working on a novel now?

In the past I’ve read author interviews and many of the authors seem to complete a book in 12-18 months.

But recently I discovered that some of the most wonderful novels just didn’t happen that quickly. Some take years.

And that gave me encouragement, because it shows that the harder you work on something the better it will get.

Call me an optimist. When I see others do something better than me, it encourages me improve and/or learn more about the subject of interest.

If we look close enough, we will always find someone who “does it” better, but if we look even closer, we can find those that we can teach. Too often, we don’t take that second glance.