Advice needed please!

[Debbie]

I am about to embark on getting some words down from all the story ideas that I have swirling around my head.
I was wondering what other writers used to do this, do you just use word or a specific app made for novel writing?
Thanks in advance
Debbie.

[Taylor]

There is ywriter (free). Scrivner - not free, but worth it.

[Keith]

I'd focus more on spewing words than on software. Can't edit something that isn't on the page!

I use Google Docs so I get automagic backup to the cloud (I still make local copies, though). I have found, though, that the performance starts to tank when the word count gets over 20K. Anything that allows you to focus on writing is good, anything else is bad. When I do beta reading, I prefer Word (or Word-like) as it allows me to embed comments as I read. Google Docs will allow me to download as Word and I can save-as Word in LibreWriter I use on my computer at home.

[Sandy]

I actually do the initial writing in Word Pad. I prefer to "spew words" with as little distractions as possible. I used to use Note Pad (pure plain text), but moved to Word Pad (rich text) because of the need for italics in some places.

I don't go to Word Starter until I've proofread and edited until I'm cross-eyed and ready to do a word count. Then I'll do more proofreading/edits in word. Changing formats lets me see...errors quicker. I'm an organic writer (the name I prefer over 'pantser'), thus not outlining.