yWriter

YWriter

yWriter is a free word processor and story development tool for novelists. It allows you to break down your story into chapters and scenes, track characters, locations, items, view storyboards and more to help organize and write your novel.
yWriter image
novel-writing story-development word-processor

yWriter: Free Word Processor & Novel Writing Tool

A free writing aid for novelists to break down stories into chapters, track characters and locations, and more, helping you organize and write your novel.

What is YWriter?

yWriter is a free and open-source word processor and story development tool designed specifically for novelists. It allows you to break down your novel into chapters and scenes, create characters, locations, items, view storyboards, track all aspects of your story, and more to help organize and structure your writing process.

Some key features of yWriter include:

  • Scene, chapter and character organizing - Break your story down into chapters and scenes and arrange them on index cards on a storyboard.
  • Character profiles - Create detailed character profiles with history, physical attributes, goals and more.
  • Locations and items tracking - Define locations and items that appear in your story and link them to scenes and characters.
  • Project targets - Set word count goals and track your progress.
  • Full-screen writing mode - Write your scenes in a distraction-free full-screen mode.
  • Automatic backups - Protects against data loss.
  • Export - Export your full manuscript or parts of it to HTML, PDF, RTF, OpenOffice, or LaTeX.

If you're working on writing a novel or story and find yourself struggling to keep everything organized, yWriter provides a way to plan out all aspects of your story and develop complex character arcs and subplots. Its structured approach to writing fiction helps many novelists plan out and complete their novels. And by being free and open-source software, yWriter provides powerful functionality without the price tag.

YWriter Features

Features

  1. Break down stories into chapters and scenes
  2. Track characters, locations, items
  3. View storyboards
  4. Word count statistics
  5. Export to HTML, PDF, RTF, TXT
  6. Spell checking
  7. Daily progress targets
  8. Backup and autosave

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

User friendly interface

Good for organizing complex stories

Available on Windows, Mac, Linux

Cons

Limited formatting options

No collaboration features

Not as feature rich as paid alternatives


The Best YWriter Alternatives

Top Office & Productivity and Writing and other similar apps like YWriter


Microsoft Word icon

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word, a cornerstone of the Microsoft Office suite, sets the standard for word processing software, offering an array of powerful tools to create, edit, and enhance documents. Widely recognized and trusted, Word is the go-to solution for individuals, businesses, and educational institutions seeking a versatile and user-friendly platform for...
Microsoft Word image
Scrivener icon

Scrivener

Scrivener is a popular software program designed specifically for writers. It allows you to plan, organize, and write long and complex documents like books, dissertations, screenplays, and more. Some key features of Scrivener include:Corkboard and outliner views to visualize the structure of your writing projectAnnotations and comments to leave notes...
Scrivener image
Ulysses icon

Ulysses

Ulysses is an innovative writing app developed by German company The Soulmen. First launched for Mac in 2013, it is now also available for iPad and iPhone devices. Ulysses provides a distraction-free writing environment that allows writers to focus on putting words to the page without getting bogged down with...
Ulysses image
Character Story Planner icon

Character Story Planner

Character Story Planner is a creative writing program designed specifically for fiction authors. It provides a suite of tools to help writers develop multidimensional characters, plan intricate storylines, and maintain consistency across an entire novel or series.Key features include interactive character profiles to define physical attributes, backstories, motivations, and growth...
Character Story Planner image
Final Draft icon

Final Draft

Final Draft is professional screenwriting software that has been used for decades by Hollywood screenwriters, directors, producers, students, and aspiring writers to write movie scripts, television episodics, stageplays, novels, outlines, treatments, querying letters, and more. It is considered the industry standard software for scriptwriting.Final Draft makes the scriptwriting process easier...
Final Draft image
Dabble icon

Dabble

Dabble is a cloud-based graphic design and photo editing software designed for beginner to intermediate creatives, small business owners, marketers, and social media influencers. It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface along with powerful AI-enabled tools to help users create professional-looking designs, graphics, logos, illustrations, photos, and more.Key features of Dabble...
Dabble image
Trelby icon

Trelby

Trelby is a free and open-source screenwriting software for Windows, Linux and macOS operating systems. It is designed to provide screenwriters with a simple but powerful tool for writing, formatting and navigating film and TV scripts.Key features of Trelby include:Intuitive user interface with distraction-free writing modeAutomatically formats screenplay elements like...
Trelby image
Hemingway Editor icon

Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor is a text editing application designed to make writing bolder and clearer. It functions similarly to a grammar checking tool, but has a stronger focus on identifying overly complex and difficult to read sentences.The core feature of Hemingway Editor is the readability scoring system. As you write or...
Hemingway Editor image
Story Planner for Writers icon

Story Planner for Writers

Story Planner for Writers is a novel planning and organization software designed specifically for fiction authors. It provides tools to map out every aspect of a novel in order to visualize the story structure and ensure consistency.Key features include:Interactive storyboarding to plot major story beats and turning pointsCharacter profiles to...
Story Planner for Writers image
Plottr icon

Plottr

Plottr is an open-source, cross-platform data visualization and graphing application. Designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, Plottr allows anyone to quickly create a wide variety of 2D and 3D plots from their data, including line plots, scatter plots, bar charts, pie charts, histograms, heatmaps, and surface plots.Some key features and...
Plottr image
Manuskript icon

Manuskript

Manuskript is a free, open-source writing app designed specifically for fiction writers. It helps organize stories, characters, plots, and writing projects in one place to boost productivity.Key features include:Outline editor to plan story beats and organize contentCharacter and worlds database to track detailsCorkboard and index cards to rearrange chapters/scenesStatistics and...
Manuskript image
Bibisco icon

Bibisco

Bibisco is a free, open-source novel writing software designed to help authors organize and structure their ideas into a full book outline. It allows for easy brainstorming and planning of key story elements like characters, locations, chapters, scenes, etc. Authors can use Bibisco to map out an entire novel before...
Bibisco image
Storyist icon

Storyist

Storyist is writing software designed specifically for novelists and screenwriters. It provides a range of helpful tools to assist writers through the entire process of developing a story.For organization, Storyist allows users to create different projects, books, chapters, locations, characters, notes, and more to keep track of story details. It...
Storyist image
Atticus icon

Atticus

Atticus is an open-source issue tracking and project management application designed for software teams. It provides a variety of features to help plan, organize and manage software projects more effectively.Some key capabilities and benefits of Atticus include:Customizable workflows - Atticus allows teams to easily configure status values, columns, transitions and...
Atticus image
Fantasia Archive icon

Fantasia Archive

Fantasia Archive is a personal media organization and sharing platform designed for home users. It provides an easy way for people to upload, organize, edit, and share their precious photos, home videos, and other media files like audio recordings.Once files are uploaded to Fantasia Archive, the platform automatically analyzes and...
Fantasia Archive image
Storyline Creator icon

Storyline Creator

Storyline Creator is a user-friendly software that enables anyone to create interactive, nonlinear stories and presentations. With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, Storyline Creator makes it simple to build engaging branching narratives, interactive tutorials, comics, personality quizzes, choose-your-own-adventure games, and more, without needing to know how to code.Some key features of...
Storyline Creator image
SceneOne.app icon

SceneOne.app

SceneOne.app is a professional screenwriting application developed exclusively for macOS. It is designed to help TV and film writers focus on the creative writing process and less on the technical formatting required for scripts.Some key features of SceneOne include:Auto-formatting that allows writers to simply type while the app formats properly...
SceneOne.app image
Gingko icon

Gingko

Gingko is a writing and notes app designed for creative work like writing, note taking, journaling, and organizing information. It uses a card and tree structure that allows users to easily move ideas around, restructure their documents, view ideas at different levels of detail, and focus in on particular branches.Some...
Gingko image
NovelPad icon

NovelPad

NovelPad is a free, open-source word processor application designed specifically for novelists and fiction writers. It provides a clean, minimalist interface that eliminates distractions so authors can stay focused on writing.Some of the key features of NovelPad include:Basic text formatting options like bold, italics, underlining, strikethrough, text alignment, indentation, etc.Chapter...
NovelPad image
Novelist icon

Novelist

Novelist is a reader's advisory and collection development tool designed specifically for libraries. It contains in-depth information on over 400,000 fiction and non-fiction books to help librarians provide personalized reading recommendations to patrons.Key features of Novelist include:Read-alike recommendations - Find similar titles to books that a patron has enjoyedBook profiles...
Novelist image
Story Plotter icon

Story Plotter

Story Plotter is a software designed specifically for creative writers to organize and develop their story plots. It provides various features that help writers build the framework and structure of their narrative from beginning to end.Users can create profiles for all the key characters with details of their background, motivations,...
Story Plotter image
NovelWriter icon

NovelWriter

novelWriter is an open-source novel writing software designed for creative writers to help organize and write novels. It provides various tools to structure a novel such as chapters, scenes, characters, locations, notes, and more. It allows authors to write scenes out of order and reorganize easily later.Some key features include:Distraction-free...
NovelWriter image
FreeWriter icon

FreeWriter

FreeWriter is a free and open-source word processor application designed for the Windows operating system. Originally launched in 2009, FreeWriter aims to provide a lightweight yet fully-featured word processing solution.Some of the key features of FreeWriter include:Standard word processing tools for font formatting, alignment, indenting, bullets and numbering, page layout,...
FreeWriter image
Campfire Write icon

Campfire Write

Campfire Write is a distraction-free writing application designed to help you focus and stay productive when writing. It is available for both desktop and mobile devices.Some of the key features of Campfire Write include:Minimalist, clean interface to avoid distractions and enable you to focus on your writingWord count and writing...
Campfire Write image
Bookwiz icon

Bookwiz

Bookwiz is an eBook management software designed to help users organize, manage, and get more value from their personal eBook libraries. With Bookwiz, users can:Import eBooks from their computer and automatically lookup metadata like titles, authors, descriptions, genres, etc.Organize their library with virtual bookshelves using tags, star ratings, custom labels,...
Bookwiz image
ApolloPad icon

ApolloPad

ApolloPad is an open-source, self-hosted web application for collaborating on markdown documents in real-time. It provides functionality similar to Google Docs, but specialized for markdown.With ApolloPad, multiple users can edit the same markdown document simultaneously. Changes are reflected instantly for all collaborators. It maintains the full revision history of a...
ApolloPad image
The Novel Factory icon

The Novel Factory

The Novel Factory is a creative writing software designed specifically for novelists. It helps authors plan, structure, write, and edit fiction novels more efficiently.Some of the key features include:Step-by-step guidance on building plots, developing characters, settings, themes, scenes, and sequencesInteractive tools for organizing ideas, tracking details, structuring chaptersDetailed reports analyzing...
The Novel Factory image
Papyrus Autor icon

Papyrus Autor

Papyrus Autor is a specialty word processor software application designed specifically for fiction writers and screenplay authors. It provides a range of tools to help authors organize and structure their stories, books, scripts, and other long-form writing projects.Key features of Papyrus Autor include:Character, location, item and user-defined custom databases to...
Papyrus Autor image
True Novelist icon

True Novelist

True Novelist is a creative writing software suite developed specifically for fiction authors to assist with planning, organizing, and writing novels or other long-form fiction stories. It provides a range of tools to help authors structure their stories, develop detailed character profiles, create location descriptions, build interactive timelines and family...
True Novelist image
Shaxpir icon

Shaxpir

Shaxpir is an open-source, cross-platform word processor and alternative to Microsoft Word. Developed by the Shaxpir Project, it is designed to be lightweight, customizable, and support the most common file formats.Some key features of Shaxpir include:Basic word processing tools for writing documents - add text, formatting, images, tables, etc.Support for...
Shaxpir image
OStorybook icon

OStorybook

oStorybook is an open-source tool for designing and prototyping user interfaces. It integrates into your development workflow to enable faster UI development and testing.With oStorybook, developers and designers can build components and pages, add interactions and animations, and test designs without needing to spin up backends or navigate complex app...
OStorybook image
Hiveword icon

Hiveword

Hiveword is an open-source content management system and online community platform software. Originally launched in 2008, Hiveword has become popular among developers and site owners for its flexibility, customization options, and easy setup.Some key features of Hiveword include:Intuitive admin dashboard for managing users, content, and site settingsSupport for creating fully-featured...
Hiveword image
Plume Creator icon

Plume Creator

Plume Creator is an open-source publishing platform built for creators to easily build hosted blogs, newsletters and membership sites without needing to write any code. It provides an intuitive visual editor to create professional, customizable sites and content.Some key features of Plume Creator:Visual editor for drag and drop site building...
Plume Creator image
Novlr icon

Novlr

Novlr is a free, open-source novel writing software that helps fiction writers organize and manage their writing projects. Some of the key features of Novlr include:Writing Spaces - Novlr allows you to create multiple writing spaces for different parts of your novel or separate stories. You can organize chapters, scenes,...
Novlr image
Typely icon

Typely

Typely is a minimalist writing application designed to help authors focus on their craft with fewer distractions. It provides a clean, simple interface with only the basic necessary formatting tools so writers can concentrate on their content rather than getting bogged down in complex menus and options.The editing screen in...
Typely image
Paragraphs icon

Paragraphs

Paragraphs is a distraction-free writing app developed by Blot. Available for Mac and iOS devices, it provides writers with a clean and minimal interface to focus on their content. The app strips away all formatting options and concentrates solely on the words users write without extraneous features getting in the...
Pagefour icon

Pagefour

Pagefour is a user-friendly digital publishing software solution designed to help publishers and organizations easily create, publish and manage visually engaging publications such as catalogs, magazines, newspapers, newsletters and more. It provides a flexible drag-and-drop interface that allows non-technical users to quickly layout and design responsive digital publications optimized for...
Pagefour image
Novelize icon

Novelize

Novelize is an artificial intelligence-powered writing tool designed specifically for fiction authors. It utilizes advanced language models to help writers overcome writer's block, organize their thoughts, and expand their stories.Some of the key features Novelize offers include:Interactive brainstorming - The app asks thoughtful questions and offers idea prompts to help...
Novelize image
SuperNotecard icon

SuperNotecard

SuperNotecard is a powerful yet easy-to-use flashcard application for effective learning through spaced repetition. It enables users to create digital flashcard decks on any topic, insert text, images, audio and video into cards, organize decks into folders, and study the cards using various study modes.Some key features of SuperNotecard:Spaced repetition...
SuperNotecard image
OmniaWrite icon

OmniaWrite

OmniaWrite is a free, open-source word processor designed to provide a simple, uncluttered writing experience. As an alternative to more complex word processors like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, OmniaWrite aims to eliminate distractions and help writers focus.Some key features of OmniaWrite include:Basic text formatting options like bold, italics, underline,...
OmniaWrite image
Write Genre icon

Write Genre

Write Genre is a writing application created specifically for fiction authors looking to map out ideas and plot key story points based on classic genre conventions and tropes. The software provides a variety of pre-made templates and outlines tailored to different fiction genres including:Mystery - outlines for plotting a whodunit,...
Write Genre image
Seequill icon

Seequill

Seequill is a flexible business intelligence and data visualization platform designed to help companies gain meaningful insights from their data. It allows users without technical backgrounds to easily connect to a wide variety of data sources including SQL databases, cloud apps, and Excel files.Some key features of Seequill include:Interactive drag-and-drop...
StoryMill icon

StoryMill

StoryMill is a novel writing software designed specifically for fiction authors. It provides tools to help writers organize their ideas, characters, settings, and plot points into an intuitive outline that allows for easy navigation while writing.Some of the key features of StoryMill include:A digital corkboard to capture notes, scenes, character...
Outline 4D icon

Outline 4D

Outline 4D is a feature-rich, yet easy-to-use mind mapping and brainstorming software application. Developed by 4D, the company behind the popular 4D database platform, Outline 4D stands out with its powerful mapping capabilities and seamless integration with various 4D products and services.At its core, Outline 4D provides an intuitive interface...
Outline 4D image
Liquid Story Binder XE icon

Liquid Story Binder XE

Liquid Story Binder XE is a novel writing software created specifically to help fiction writers organize, structure, and visualize their story ideas. It is considered one of the most robust tools available for developing complex, multi-layered narratives.Some of the key features include:Character profiles - Build detailed profiles for each character...
Liquid Story Binder XE image
Nimble Writer icon

Nimble Writer

Nimble Writer is a lightweight yet powerful text editor and word processor designed specifically for creative writing. With its clean and minimalistic interface, Nimble Writer aims to provide writers with a distraction-free space to focus on their work.Some of the standout features of Nimble Writer include:Focus Mode - Hides all...
Nimble Writer image
Yarny icon

Yarny

Yarny is an open-source alternative to Yarn Package Manager for handling dependencies and packages in JavaScript projects. It aims to provide a simple, fast and reliable dependency management solution.Like Yarn, Yarny allows you to use both npm and yarn lock files for installing JavaScript dependencies. Key features include:Speed and performance...
Yarny image
Plotline icon

Plotline

Plotline is a free, open-source data visualization and charting software. It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that allows users to easily create a variety of 2D and 3D charts and graphs to visualize data, without needing to know any programming or charting syntax.Some of the key features and capabilities of...
Plotline image
NovaScriber icon

NovaScriber

NovaScriber is a feature-rich digital transcription software used to transcribe audio and video files with precision and efficiency. It provides tools to help automate parts of the transcription process to save time.Some key features of NovaScriber include:Foot pedal support for hands-free playback controlVoice recognition to automatically transcribe speechTimestamping to mark...
NovaScriber image
Quoll Writer icon

Quoll Writer

Quoll Writer is a free, open-source word processor and writing app designed specifically for fiction writers. It includes a number of tools to assist with planning, organizing and developing stories:Chapters and scenes - Outline stories by dividing them into chapters and scenes.Character management - Create character profiles with notes and...
Quoll Writer image
Wordslingr icon

Wordslingr

Wordslingr is a powerful yet easy-to-use AI writing assistant. It helps writers, marketers, students, and anyone creating content improve their writing through advanced artificial intelligence.Some key features of Wordslingr include:Grammar, spelling, and punctuation correctionsTone analysis and adjustment recommendations to improve clarity and impactDiversity and sensitivity checks to avoid potentially offensive...
Chunks icon

Chunks

Chunks is a versatile note taking and knowledge management application for Windows and Mac. It helps you organize information in a unique hierarchical tree structure called 'chunks', allowing you to break down ideas, notes, tasks and more into manageable pieces.Key features of Chunks include:Flexible hierarchy - Chunks don't enforce a...
Scrollistic icon

Scrollistic

Scrollistic is a simple yet powerful to-do list and task management application. Designed with a minimalist, clean interface, Scrollistic helps users organize tasks, projects, and goals into customizable lists and boards.Key features of Scrollistic include:Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for easily prioritizing and reordering tasksDue dates and reminders to help keep projects...
BlankPage.io icon

BlankPage.io

BlankPage.io is a free online text editor with a minimal and distraction-free interface. It provides a blank page for writing without any menus or buttons, living up to its name. The editor has several key features that make it useful:Basic text formatting options like bold, italics, text color, highlights, headers,...
Judoom icon

Judoom

Judoom is a cloud-based video conferencing and online collaboration platform built specifically for the legal sector. It aims to provide law firms, corporate legal departments and courts with a customized virtual workspace to facilitate remote depositions, client meetings, case preparation, hearings and bench trials.Some key features of Judoom include:Encrypted video...
Judoom image